Eric McFadden Trio

December 8, 2005
By Danny Cross

Wait, wait, wait … it's Eric McFadden

It's hard to believe that Eric McFadden is associated with people from Widespread Panic. I shudder to imagine the bar tab that would accompany a night subjected to that jim-jam racket. But the Eric McFadden Trio and its bassy, sinister rock sound is well worth a few $5 gin and tonics.

The trio, McFadden's vocals and guitar with James Whiton on the stand-up bass and Paulo Baldi, formerly of Cake, on drums, is most often compared to Tom Waits. The comparison is valid enough to be repeated, with slower, deep rhythm guitar and creepy leads going along with a story-telling lyrical approach. But McFadden's voice is more like an angry, deep-voiced grunge rocker than the satanic Russian that Waits imitates.

The band's newest album, Joy of Suffering, glides from the crunchier, Waits-esque tracks into faster, country sounds and on to noisier, apathetic diatribes. "The Ghost of Saint Patrick" touches on McFadden's frustration when he sings, "We wanna change the world but there's no time/ We want to celebrate but there's no wine/ We want you to please give us a sign/ The ghost of Saint Patrick's doing time." There's an overall vibe on the album of "I know what's really going on here and this is what I think about it … you jerks." And it's quite refreshing.

For Further Information, Interviews or CDs, Contact:
Ariel Publicity • www.arielpublicity.com
Official Website • www.ericmcfadden.com