Review/Photos: Black Pistol Fire @ Bowery Ballroom

Words & Photos by Marco Denzer

Black Pistol Fire set The Bowery Ballroom ablaze with an absolutely riveting show that could easily pass for a spiritual revival based on its soul stirring passion and energy. The foot stomping powerhouse duo composed of Eric Owen (drums) and Kevin McKeown (guitar & vocals) is currently touring in support of their latest album Deadbeat Graffiti, released this past September, and will be on the road through December. Their live performance at the Lower East Side venue was a divine mix of rock and blues, perfectly infused with overtones of gospel and roadhouse grunge, that easily warded off evil spirits and brought joy to one’s heart.

This is a headlining tour for the band, so they enlisted the Nashville based Blackfoot Gypsies to open a few of the shows along the way. The guitar-slinging quartet is a great compliment to BPF in style and delivery, and as they flawlessly demonstrated during their set, they’re a smooth blend of equal parts hillbilly, rock, swamp blues, and Southern charm capable of delivering a fresh can of whoop ass from the minute they hit the stage. Their performance was top notch.

To say that Black Pistol Fire is an awesome live band is an understatement in every respect. They’re far more than that; they’re extremely talented musicians who work in perfect unison to deliver an exceptional performance grounded in heartfelt songs that are both visceral and ethereal by nature.

Kevin and Eric were laser focused on delivering music in its purest form: raw, direct, loud, and distorted to perfection. There were no pretentions or unnecessary distractions; it was an honest and simple invitation for everyone to let go and join their whirlwind of fun… it was straight up rock and roll.

The killer setlist included songs like “Lost Cause”, “Last Ride”, “Speak of the Devil”, and “Fever Breaks” from the Deadbeat Graffiti, and “Suffocation Blues”, “Hipster Shakes”, “You’re Not the Only One”, “Where You Been Before”, from their previous releases. Black Pistol Fire threw down a kick ass performance that featured crowd surfing while jamming on a raunchy guitar solo, and a bit of dirty dancing with a female that climbed on stage from the audience. They rocked the crowd with every note until the very end and they loved every minute of it.

The Austin, TX based duo will continue onto New Orleans (The Voodoo Festival), Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and several other cities. Don’t miss them!

Gallery +