LOS ANGELES--"That's the biggest f***ing bass drum I've ever seen."

So said one of the dozens of hipsters packed into the Silverlake Lounge last night as Earl Greyhound drummer Ricc Sheridan carried his massive bass drum to the stage.

Luckily for everyone in the building, Sheridan knew exactly what to do with the girth he was packing.

In fact, he nearly tore it to pieces.

Earl Greyhound is a Brooklyn-based retro blues rock band with its roots--heck, its entire sound and style--planted firmly in the early 1970s. If Wolfmother did it for you in 2006, Earl Greyhound might very well be the train to catch in 2007.

The trio--Sheridan, frontman/guitarist Matt Whyte, and bassist/singer Kamara Thomas--ripped through a scorching 45-minute set last night, with each member assaulting their respective instruments with such fury that much of the crowd was left with their jaws agape.

The band looks the part as well. The hulking Sheridan sported shades and a dashiki, the long-haired-and-lanky Whyte epitomized the classic rocker, and Thomas--her giant Afro unable to hide her striking good looks--was the answer to what a young Angela Davis would have looked like ripping on a thunderous bass.

But while the sound is certainly balls to the wall, the trio does Wolfmother one better with some intricate songwriting, weaving in great tempo changes and Thomas' soulful harmonizing with Whyte amidst the rawk.

Highlights of the set were the opener, "S.O.S.," the first single off the band's debut album, Soft Targets, which hit stores last October, as well as "Yeah, I Love You," in which Thomas took over lead vocals and lent a classic Sly Stone air to the sound.

Let's not overstate it: this is derivative, head-banging stoner rock, drawing just as heavily from the psychedelia of the likes of the Jimi Hendrix Experience as from Led Zeppelin and early Black Sabbath.

But with their rock star looks and charm, powerful, hook-laden songs, and brains to match Sheridan's drum-pounding brawn, this is a band to watch.