eden's poets (live)

Eden's Poets took the stage at Lulu's on the night of July 31 with a lot of obstacles stacked against them.

They were playing in DC first of all. Despite their loyal fanbase from Baltimore to New York, they are still cutting their teeth in DC. They haven't played a lot downtown, but are hoping to change that in the upcoming future. They were also following a cover band who, obviously, had just finished a set of covers. Eden's Poets were playing an entire set of originals. Good originals, but still songs unfamiliar to most of the crowd. Then they didn't get a sound check before they began playing. They had no idea how their instruments were going to sound. Their drummer was off to the side of the stage due to a weird set-up, and he had a hard time knowing where everyone else was in the song. And to top all of that off, the crowd gathered in Lulu's was there to see the main act, Clarence Clemons. And yet, after the show when I asked them how it went, I heard, "Great!", "I had such a good time!", and "Really, really good."

Eden's Poets are a seasoned band. They have played together for four years, weathering a long time in a business that is notoriously tough. Most of the band grew up together around Westminster, MD, and 3 brothers and 2 sisters are involved in the band. They know each other well, giving them staying power, an advantage over some other bands.

Starting off as a cover band, they began playing around the Baltimore area, working out kinks, getting the band to sound right. Then they began writing their own songs, music that reminds one of a Cranberries/Belly/Indigo Girls mix. They knew they wanted to keep doing this and worked harder. Refusing weeknight shows from clubs, they insisted on playing Friday and Saturday nights, promising the owners the crowds would be there. They didn't lie.

Their music is good. Self described as a girl group, Kim Hall and Kellie Hall Malone (sisters) front the band on vocals, and their voices blend wonderfully together. Kim adds keyboards to the sound. Matt Malone and Brad Ruby play the guitar, bringing influences from Enya to Rage. Craig Tambascio, the bassist, just joined a year ago and has fit into the group dynamic well. Scott Malone is the drummer who provides the driving beats in their songs.

The set they played was short, maybe only 8 songs. It ranged from one or two slower songs to mainly fast moving tunes. The crowd enjoyed the show and responded well to the group. Even with all the problems, including weird feedback from the monitors, the group quickly got into the same groove and were obviously comfortable with each other on stage.

They were disappointed the set was so short, they felt they were just getting started as they are used to longer, fuller shows. It wasn't obvious to me that they felt a little off, they sounded great, the show felt good.

The band members are excited to be playing music, keeping up with 2 or 3 gigs a week. They are so glad to be able to do something they enjoy so much. The band isn't signed yet, so they all work day jobs; landscapers, teachers, businessmen. Being rock stars would be great for them, but they just want to go up on stage and play for as long as they can. "When the crowd is singing the lyrics to your original songs louder than you are, " Brad pauses, "the feeling is incredible." Hopefully, that feeling will continue for a long time.