Last weekend, I caught Toronto trio Elliott Brood‘s phenomenal performance at the Emerging Music Festival in Canada. While the four-day festival boasted numerous French-speaking acts, frontman Mark Sasso asserted, “In English or French, we just want you to dance.”
And dance they did.
Perhaps the most energetic crowd of the festival, the audience were on their feet until 2 a.m. stomping and clapping along. With rousing banjo and harmonica coupled with Sasso’s raspy Dylan-esque vocals, the band transformed the church where they played into a loud honky tonk where fans drummed along during their set on makeshift tambourines the band handed out.
Standout tracks like “Fingers and Tongues” impressed while banjo driven “Write It All Down For You” featured heavy hitting percussion alongside Sasso’s relentless singing.
“It feels really nice and hot in here. That’s how rock shows should be,” Sasso commented.
With intricate finger picked guitar and the band’s rich harmonies, their alt-country rock & roll satisfied as the enthusiastic audience hung onto every note played.
Elliott Brood’s new album, Days Into Years, is due out Sept. 27. For more on the band, visit their Web site. Watch them perform “Miss You Now” below live in studio Q from their Polaris Prize nominated album Mountain Meadows.