Material: The Holy Broken is a five-piece band playing original old school rock & roll, but presenting it in a very modern fashion indeed. Mixing in a few different styles, they seem to be summoning up The Grateful Dead for some help with their grooves. But help is not what they needed with this band’s unique sound firmly planted in their rock roots. The Holy Broken delivered one of the best sets of 2019 so far, mixing it up with the help of a little bit of country, some folk and of course rock & roll.
Musicianship: The Holy Broken is made up of tried-and-tested music veterans playing good ol’ rock & roll. They were superb in every aspect of their job and had a grand time doing it. Persico blistered up the fret board on a couple of the songs, leaving you in awe, and when you think it can’t get any better Lieberthal laid down a perfect melody on the keys. All this couldn’t be done without an excellent rhythm section. Keil and Brown went well together like pancakes and syrup. Playing well off each other, they gave Blanco the backbone on which to sing his song and soul to the world.
Performance: These guys sounded great and it made for a better evening because they seemed well rehearsed. Blanco engaged the audience throughout the set and grooved to the songs even when it wasn’t his time to shine. Persico was just having too much fun to even care, and when you’re that relaxed everything seems to come off just right. Clean, crisp guitar solos and driving rhythms made each song a treat. No stick twirling from Brown, but he kept perfect time while Keil complemented Blanco very nicely with backing vocals.
Summary: Funny how a little bit of rock & roll, placed and played just right, made everything better on this cold, dreary, rainy night (“It Never Snows in California” but it sure does rain). Great well-rehearsed tunes made for an impressive evening of live music. Although at times the set lacked a bit of melodious harmony, as in “Coffee for the Road” (which is probably their objective), the songs are excellently crafted, as if the band took its time to get every note just right, and with the unique riffs and even better lyrics, the songs allow the listener to eavesdrop into Blanco’s soul. The Holy Broken came ready to play and it was just what the doctor ordered.
Contact: [email protected]
Web: theholybroken.com
Players: Scott Persico, guitar; Toby Keil, bass; Adam Lieberthal, keyboard; Kevin Brown, drums; Giovanny Blanco, vocals
