If You Go:Who: Earl Greyhound with IllinoisWhere: Schine UndergroundWhen: Thursday at 7:30 p.m.How Much: $5 for SU and SUNY-ESF students with ID, $10 for general public

Rock bands Earl Greyhound and Illinois will kick off University Union’s first Bandersnatch Music Series concert of the season this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Schine Underground.

‘I heard about them when I was interning in New York City,’ said Andrew Freeman, president of Bandersnatch. ‘Their sound is really raw, kind of like Led Zeppelin, and I’ve wanted to bring them to campus ever since I heard them.’

Earl Greyhound’s debut full-length album, ‘Soft Targets,’ was released last August to glowing reviews from magazines such as ‘Rolling Stone,’ ‘Spin’ and ‘The New Yorker.’ They have been collecting buzz by playing major music festivals like Lollapalooza and South by Southwest.

The band was originally a duo made up of Matt Whyte (guitar and vocals) and Kamara Thomas (bass and vocals). The addition of Ricc Sheridan on drums gave the band a heavier sound, which led to comparisons to English rock acts like Queen and David Bowie.

The band currently is touring with ‘Soft Targets’ while working on its second full-length album.

‘They’re really all fantastic musicians,’ Freeman said. ‘They’ve been getting a ton of buzz all across the country, and I think it’s great that Bandersnatch got them to play here at SU.’

Folk rock band Illinois will open for Earl Greyhound. The band is touring in support of its debut album, ‘What the Hell Do I Know?’ The record was released in March of this year. Illinois has played with other rock bands like The Hold Steady and The Old 97’s.

‘With Bandersnatch this year, I really want to bring bands that no one has really heard of,’ Freeman said. ‘There’s lots of great music out there that people haven’t heard of, and I think the Underground is a great venue for bands like that.’

Published on September 18, 2007 at 12:00 pm