Posted February 7, 2008
By RDaniels

The Brian St. John Quartet sound has traveled far. It has made it all the way to the Dirty South. The Quartet hails from New Jersey, a state that has produced plenty of musical talent. Vocalist/guitarist Brian St. John began his musical journey in the summer of 2002, when he first started playing guitar. Percussionist Matt Carlson, bassist Jon Irizarry, and pianist Brian Cornish joined St. John shortly thereafter. The Quartet’s sound recalls a group with a similar name, The John Butler Trio. St. John’s band references influences like Ben Folds and The Grateful Dead on their MySpace page. A bit of these can be heard in the quartet’s tunes, however their sound isn’t nearly as jam-tastic as The Dead’s. The track “Elixer” is reminiscent of The String Cheese Incident, mixed with an exciting harmonica solo. The band released their EP, “Southern Discomfort”, in 2007.

The Brian St. John Quartet w/ Eli Rhodes The Corner Bagel Shop Feb. 8 8 p.m. (864) 231-9400 www.myspace.com/brianstjohn13