Chicago – I’ve never really had a good understanding of what “alt-country” means, so when I read that Elliott Brood was an alt-country band, I was totally unclear as to what I was in store for – were we talking Johnny Cash? Dixie Chicks? Garth Brooks? Taylor Swift? I ended up discussing at length with my concert-mates what vibe Elliott Brood gave off – I settled on Mumford & Sons meets the White Stripes while my fellow concert-goers pegged them as Smashing Pumpkins meets Nirvana meets the Dropkick Murphys.
Either way we all agreed that they were completely enjoyable. The band was affable, they played for a full two hours, they sported vests over flannel plaid, they rocked out on banjos and harmonicas and they passed out pots and wooden spoons for the audience to wail on. There wasn’t much not to like – definitely go see them if you have the chance and you might become a fan of alt-country as well if you aren’t already.