Washington DC

Eric Underwood Band Concert and photo session

Acoustic songwriter pop as good as this only comes along once every couple of years, and when it does, I'm awfully glad for the opportunity to review it within these hallowed pages.

The Eric Underwood Band put a fresher face on what I feel is a musical format that has been hopelessly bled to death. Listening to this disc brings the feelings of freshness and the newness I felt the first time I heard Nick Drakes's Five Leaves Left, 10,000 Maniacs' In My Tribe, or REM's Fables.

Eric Buddington's tasteful violin alone could set the band's sound apart from all the other drivel out there, but this band goes further with songs that actually mean something, with lots of emotion and lots of integrity, sporing a wide array of folk and rock influences spanning decades.

Fans of Jeffrey Gaines, Michael Penn, and pre-crap era Dave Matthews would enjoy this disc with a candlelight dinner and a bottle of chardonnay. Bon Appetit!-JOEL SIMCHES (THE NOISE-ROCK AROUND BOSTON),

The Eric Underwood Band is a Massachusetts based group that's led, not surprisingly, by guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Eric Underwood. The band's CD, The Light Behind You, is an evocative, acoustic collection of originals. Rich harmonies, crisp melodies and lush acoustic guitars are prevalent throughout, but the band doesn't have your normal "acoustic" sound. It weaves rich, percussive textures and grooves with soaring violin fills.

Ther's some excellent material here, especially the jazzy meanderings of "Patagonia Blue," the sweeping "Exodus" and a rendition of the traditional "America the Beautiful." Fans of the Dave Mattews Band and From Good Homes, among others, should find this of interest.-RELIX

Ceremonial Masks from Coban, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala