Leslie, 4.14.09

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Shows in 2008: 250
Miles on the van: 350,000
Sets at South by Southwest: 3
Having Leslie play in your town: Priceless!

Come to a Leslie show and you will swear to God you are watching Lynyrd Skynyrd circa 1971. Ok, Leslie is a trio and Skynyrd had like 17 members, but the point is you are seeing a southern rock band in their prime. Forget about the fact that these guys weren’t even born when Skynyrd was shaking the south. They are serious about this music, and damn good at it – oh yeah, and they have the hair to prove it.

"Leslie pays homage to its southern roots without selling out to, or making fun of them.”

Despite their striking looks (hey – you don’t see early 20’s guys with waist-length hair, tight jeans and cowboy boots much anymore), Leslie is more than just an image. They play authentic, honest southern rock. What do I mean by authentic? It’s southern without being corny! Leslie pays homage to its southern roots without selling out to, or making fun of them. (Leslie has sold out its roots in one respect. Upon hearing they were from Charleston, the chick next to me goes “Do they sound like Grateful Dead?” “No,” I say. “But I thought they were from Charleston!” she says. Haha…yes, Charleston does have a few groups that aren’t jam bands.)

While Leslie does have some pretty good instrumental chops, the group is definitely not a jam band. The closest they came was an extended guitar solo on the set’s first tune, followed by an instrumental song that featured bass and drum solos. But the solos were kept short and even at their most virtuosic, you got the feeling that each note had been calculated to a point. (The band confirmed this in a post-show interview. The songs vary some from night to night depending on the vibe they get from the crowd, but for the most part there is a method behind the madness.)

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The set featured eight songs total, showcasing material from the new Rebel Souls EP. The band told me they were pleased with the crowd’s reaction to the new material and said that it has gone over particularly well in Midwest touring dates like Minneapolis. They also threw in a cover of the old Memphis soul tune “Hold On I’m Comin”, which was nicely done. My favorite song was the next-to-last one (sorry, didn’t catch the name). The track was an epic that combined a Middle-Eastern, modal guitar motif with passages of straight rock and roll. Singer Sadler stepped on one of his 38 effects pedals to create the Middle Eastern effect.

Bottom line: Leslie plays legit southern rock even though they look like they’re 20 years old. They’ve got the instrumental chops, songwriting ability, and hell-raising attitude to be really good at it. And give them a chance even if you usually find southern rock corny – these guys are serious about what they do, they’re nice as hell, and they just may be the next band to blow up on the southern rock scene if local press, word of mouth and three dates at SXSW have anything to say about it.

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For More Info, visit: http://www.myspace.com/leslierock