It took forever for Earthless to finally begin their show. The first band had started way late, which – added with the breaking down and setting up of the stage – it was almost 11 and Earthless still had not filled our senses. When the guys began setting up, I carefully observed their old school image – long, wispy hair, retro, tight fitting clothes, and a completely chilled out, super groovy vibe. Slowly but surely, the members began to add instrument after instrument till the stage appeared extremely crowded. Drums, two key boards, lead and bass, flute, and synth. The set up took like twenty minutes and but the synth created major wiring problems, forcing us to wait another twenty while the sound engineer tried to figure out the issue.

And then, it was time.

The drummer picked up the flute and began to play far out, desert wind-like sounds while the other members fiddled with their instruments creating a totally out of the world resonance. Psychedelic in essence, rock in style, Earthless sent the Casbah into a 1970’s whirlpool. The lead created a Led Zepp mesh of whining guitar and symphonic harmony while the drummer kept a tempo high in energy but meditative in effect. Although their classic rock mimic had been done many times before, Earthless redoes it exceptionally well, while adding a new, creative edge to the entire genre. Jamming hard and fast, the boys subdued the crowd with undeniable talent, perplexing us with their skilled playing and mind altering techniques.

I like Eathless. I like their old-fashion style, their level of quality, and the music they produce. The fact that they are so good but not over the top – the lead didn’t try to dramatically portray Robert Plant, nor did the rest of the band forget that they were musicians not actors – was really refreshing. I always feel that bands who try to recreate classic rock psychedelia draw from YouTube clips of Jim Morrison or Eddie Van Halen, generating an impression that they are a cover band, and not to be taken seriously. Earthless on the other hand is the type of band weaker musicians would probably try to emulate.

If jam band, real-school rock is your thing, Earthless hits the nail on its head, guaranteeing a great show and total satisfaction.