Jer Cole: Earth Quaker shakes it old school

Earth Quaker is, from left, Michael Cover, Nick Kurtz, Bill Van Vleet and Nate Farmer.

KNOXVILLE — While the status of throwback rock act 1220 appears uncertain, many of the band's members have found an additional outlet in Earth Quaker. Originally a cover band by necessity, the group drummed up enough original material in six months of playing to record a full-length debut that will be released tonight.

True to the "quaker" part of its name, the band keeps it old school in the same fashion as its predecessor 1220. These electrified Quakers write concise, guitar-driven classic rock that is difficult to pin down given the range of styles from song to song. As lead vocal duty rotates among the four members throughout the set, each song takes on a different consistency to match.

"Earth Quaker isn't a side project; it's a separate entity from 1220," says guitarist/vocalist Nick Kurtz. "A lot of the guys in the band have played in 1220, but Michael (Cover) and I have been in bands together before that even. 1220 hasn't gigged in awhile, but that's not to say we won't again.

"I am really having a lot of fun with Earth Quaker, and I didn't want to stay a cover band forever. I was still very new to writing songs at the time, and I just kind of went for it. We do share a lot of the vocal duties, and with Beatles-y backups being one of my favorite things to write, they're all over this record. We do swap lead vocals as part of the live show, and there are harmonies everywhere. We even have a tune that's an a capella, four-part harmony thing, but Michael is the default lead singer. He's got such a killer voice, and I love writing for it."

"We started out last summer as a circumstantial cover band, basically," adds bassist/vocalist Michael Cover, "and then the gigs just kept coming. Nick started writing these great songs, and we knew we were going to make a record. The songs themselves are kind of all over the map, genre-wise, but it's instrumentation that keeps them coherent."

In recording its debut LP "High Times in Early Life," Earth Quaker employed the talents of William Garrett. The album's concise 10 songs capture the raucous feel of the band's live show by utilizing minimal tracks. Recorded mostly live, the process was quick and dirty, its raw emotion kept undiluted. Upon completion of the recording, the band lost its original guitarist Matt Foster to a move, but did not miss a beat in its gig schedule as the newest Quaker Nate Farmer proved a quick study.

"We started recording last November," says Cover. "The record itself is almost completely live, with vocals and minimal overdubs being added later. We did all the tracking in 18 hours of studio time, the record has an energy to it that can only come from the first few takes."

"It tends to be pretty raw," Kurtz agrees. "Not a lot of effects, no laptops or synths or anything like that. Songwise, there's a lot of bluesy influence and definitely some pop as well. I would describe it as White Stripes meets The Kinks, but with a bit of a modern twist. We'd definitely like the songs to be able to play on modern rock or college radio and fit well.

"As far as the potential next record is concerned, I think the 'live in the studio' feel is the right feel for this band, so I can't really imagine not doing that again. We're cooking up some new tunes right now, and we'll gradually work them into the live set as time goes on."

Maybe the gringo ate your baby: Pinche Gringo joins The Mad Tea Party on stage at 10 tonight at Pilot Light. Admission is $5.

Beard science: The Bearded will play at 11 tonight at Downtown Grill and Brewery. Admission is $3.

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