I have actually written about Echo Black before, but now that I’ve seen and met them, I have more to say.

First and foremost, Echo Black is definitely meant to be experienced live. I have rarely had more fun during a band’s set. The music made you want to dance — which vocalist Danny Blu did, a few times — and their level of enthusiasm was contagious. The quartet knew how to work a crowd, the interaction between band and audience creating that connected feeling that is best shared through music. The highlights for me were “Poison Apple” and the sing-along chorus of “Teach Me,” which seemed to get even the most reluctant people in the room to participate.

For those who don’t know, Echo Black hails from New York. They label themselves “dance rock” on Facebook and while accurate, their music blends multiple styles — including pop, rock, and electronica — into an eclectic mix that is super catchy and ridiculously pleasing to the ear. I stand by my comparison of Echo Black to Blutengel, Blaqk Audio, and Kill Hannah.

I can’t close this post without mentioning how sweet the guys were. I talked to bassist Rob Gnarly before the show, as well as Danny and drummer Billy Long. My mom actually ended up in a conversation with Billy after he commented on her Beatles shirt and honestly, if you’re nice to my mom, you win about 1000 points with me. I went to the merch table at the end of the night to finally buy a physical copy of Dawn, and Danny was only too happy to pose for a picture (and discuss contouring). A lasting impression was made, and I will definitely see Echo Black every chance I get.

As always, here are three of my favorite songs from the featured band! And you know I’m gonna urge you to stalk their various social media/music streaming accounts: official site, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, etc.

“Dawn”

“Poison Apple”

“Reckless Heart”