Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Seattle drone-rockers Earth at The Echo. To start off, I was pretty surprised to learn the show would be going on at The Echo and not a larger venue. Earth is one of those bands where you know they’re critically acclaimed, but you have no idea how big they really are. The band slowly took the stage, lead-man Dylan Carlson thanked the crowd and began.

The band’s set mainly consisted of songs from their recently released Southern Lord album “The Bees Made Honey In The Lion’s Skull” although not played in exact album running order. Highlights included “The Driver” and Rise To Glory” both of which showed how much the band’s sound has progressed from distorted drone metal to their current style.

The band’s chemistry on this night was evident. Band leader Dylan Carlson’s Telecaster was clean, crisp and piercing, laced with different kinds of delay, flange and various other effects. The guitar playing worked in tandem with Don Mcgreevy’s bass playing and Steve Moore’s keyboard, filling in any empty spaces. The results of which were beautiful soundscapes and dreamy passages. However, the real pulse of the band live was drummer Adrienne Davies. It appeared as if someone had put her into slow motion, as she drummed away on each song, keeping the beat of the song with her body. Her drumming definitely brought the whole experience together.

Opening band Jesse Sykes and The Sweet Hereafter were a great support choice. Sykes lyrics and singing were folky and trippy at the same time, and her band’s gentle twang perfectly set the stage for Earth to take the stage. I’d advise anyone who can to check out this tour.

Famed drone and Southern Lord Records band Earth will be touring certain parts of the US this summer. The band has just wrapped up a tour of the East Coast and now has dates announced on the West Coast.

I’ve personally been waiting to see this band live for a while, as I never have before and I’m interested in how their quiet multi-layered approach will go over in a live setting.

Drummer Adrienne Davies is not the most furious, fast, loud or even busy player, but her drum parts fit and blend perfectly with the songs. It seems like it might be challenging to play as minimal as she plays, and as gently. I’ve seen pictures of her playing both big Ludwig and Gretsch drums but I’m also interested to see what type of setup she has.

-Earth West Coast Dates (so far)-

Earth @MySpace.com