Nashville's Promised Land Sound to play Biltmore Cabaret on October 31

Since emerging from Tennessee’s rich garage rock scene in 2012, Promised Land Sound have rapidly cultivated a diverse sonic palette for themselves.

Their self-titled 2013 full-length debut received critical acclaim and enthusiastic praise from outlets like Uncut, which described it as  “what the Byrds might have sounded had Gram Parsons joined the band a year or two earlier.” The four-piece followed it up this October with the release of their sophomore effort, For Use and Delight. Like the Chuck Berry song they’re named for, Promised Land Sound are all about the journey, and here make pit stops in British psychedelia, American folk, and German experimental rock through an ambitious congregation of influences such as The Pretty Things, Bob Dylan, and Can.

Tracks like “Push and Pull (All The Time)” and “Otherworldly Pleasures” are perfect examples of Promised Land Sound’s distinct and diverse sound, combining easygoing harmony with darker distortion, washes of sunshine, and rootsy riffs.

Promised Land Sound has also caught the attention and admiration of other musicians: fellow Nashvillian Jack White is a fan, releasing a live 7” of theirs on his label, Third Man Records; and after seeing them perform in Los Angeles, Ryan Adams called the group his new favourite band while comparing them to Big Star, The Grateful Dead, and The Band.

But don’t be mislead: Promised Land Sound isn’t the sum of their record collections. In fact, both their fearless experimentation and respects to historical precedents are, in a sense, a faithfully southern quality of a band – keen to pay tribute to tradition while still pushing boundaries and challenging the norm.

Promised Land Sound is currently on tour in support of For Use and Delight and are set to open for Natalie Prass in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret on October 31.

Natalie Prass with Promised Land Sound

When: Saturday, October 31

Where: Biltmore Cabaret – 2755 Prince Edward Street

Time: Doors open at 7 p.m.

Cost: $15