Wednesday, March 14   10:00 p.m.
BD Riley's   (204 E 6th St)

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The Isle of Man, just off the West Coast of England, can boast many things: the world's oldest continuously running Parliament; indigenous tail-less cats; the TT races...but, aside from being birthplace to two thirds of the Bee Gees, it's hardly known for its musical heritage. All that is
about to change, with the arrival of a talented trio fronted by a 19yr old guitar prodigy. Taking their name from the Robert Cray blues classic, "Back Door Slam" are poised to take America by storm and put their tiny Island home on the musical map.

From the moment singer & songwriter Davy Knowles first picked up a guitar at the tender age of 11 - and taught himself to play every note of Dire Strats' complicated classic "Sultans of Swing" - it was fairly obvious music was to be his passion. Displaying the kind of ambition and dedication that evades most of us, he quickly latched on to and started gigging with anyone that could accommodate his precocious talent.

'Back Door Slam' was formed in 2003, with 16yr old Knowles on guitar and friends Brian Garvey (vocals), Ross Doyle (drums) and Jamie Armstrong (bass) - they took the Island by storm and soon gigged themselves to hero status. But shortly after the group won yet another national competition in 2004, they suffered a tragic loss when singer Garvey was killed in a car accident.
It was an event that affected not only the group, but also touched the entire Island's close-knit community.
Determined to carry on in his friend's memory, Davy wrote the emotive song "Stay" about the tragedy and took on the role of singer to accompany his lead guitar part. It was immediately apparent that night that this boy's talent on guitar was easily matched by his astonishingly rich
vocal range. To add to this, his own songwriting style has developed a very personal and individual voice, with tracks ranging from the stunning ballad "Too Good For Me" to the all out blues rock of crowd pleaser "Come Home."

With Jamie recently heading to University to pursue a career in music production, the band have found new energy with schoolmate Adam Jones taking over on bass. Previously a member of a heavy rock band his talent and ideas have taken the band's sound in a new and very original direction.

With the solid, inventive rhythms and suberb onstage camaraderie provided by Ross, these three teens are now using their precocious talents to create their own mindblowing brand of contemporary/traditional blues-rock. The result is a sound reminiscent of the greats (BB King,
Howlin Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, SRV) but with a nod to the modern music and songwriters they all share a love of (Clapton, Knopfler, Mayall, Mayer). And with Knowles' endless talents fronting this exciting mix, it seems their tiny Celtic home has produced a perfect musical package.

Back Door Slam has opened for Don McLean in concert, released two live EPs in England as well as a DVD of their electrifying performance at the Gaiety Theatre in May, 2006. They are preparing for the spring release of their debut album on independent label Blix Street Records (distributed by Ryko). Titled “Roll Away” and produced by Dave Armstrong, it's a collection of original songs well
beyond the boys' years, with one superb cover version that reflects the blues background they've grown up in. The release will be supported by a series of dates that kicks off with their U.S. debut at the annual SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas in March.

Website: backdoorslam.com
Myspace: myspace.com/backdoorslam
Management: Running Media Group (bds@runningmedia.com)
Label: Blix Street Records (office@blixstreet.com)