El Perro

A brand new band led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/producer Parker Griggs, El Perro contains elements fans of his band Radio Moscow will recognize, but with a new, fresh spin and feel. Whereas Radio Moscow is a power trio drawing from the traditions of heavy psychedelic rock, El Perro takes that starting point and adds the additional instrumentation of a second guitar and a percussionist, pushing the music into more syncopated territory, spiced with Latin rhythms and hints of Funkadelic-style grooves.

“About a year ago I started getting into some new sounds and influences and was hungry to do something fresh,” says Griggs. “I started laying down some new ideas and was recording it like a solo project. I really liked the new direction; it was heading in a different way than Radio Moscow and I wanted to bring it to life as a five-piece band and put it out there.”

Former Radio Moscow drummer Lonnie Blanton, who is based in Salt Lake City, was traveling thru California and Parker noticed this on Instagram. “I was traveling throughout California in April of this year,” recalls Blanton. “Parker heard that I was in (San Diego), hit me up, and told me about this new project he was doing. We hadn’t played together since touring as Radio Moscow back in 2012, so I was instantly stoked. Started jamming the next day!”

Lonnie in turn recommended bassist Shawn Davis; the two had been playing together in SLC for a decade and formed a tight allegiance that made for a forceful rhythm section. Griggs knew he wanted to have another guitarist on board to create the funky interweaving lines he was hearing and creating in his home recordings. Holland Redd came to mind as he’d played guitar in Petyr, who joined Radio Moscow for a tour of the USA in 2017. Add to this additional percussion, and the El Perro sound and style coalesced.

After a few weeks of rehearsal, the band debuted in Las Vegas and quickly followed that with shows throughout Northern and Southern California, with European dates already lined up. From CBS News San Francisco reporter Dave Pehling’s preview of El Perro’s show at the Chapel:

“While Griggs was busy touring with (Radio Moscow) through this past summer with an extended jaunt through Europe, he recently announced the formation of a new ensemble called El Perro. Taking a different approach to psychedelic rock, the group cites influence from acts on the more soulful and funkier end of the psych spectrum like Black Merda, the Bar Kays and Funkadelic. The quintet featuring onetime Radio Moscow touring drummer Lonnie Blanton, guitarist Holland Redd (UFO TV, Petyr), bassist Shawn Davis and percussionist Blake Armstrong also injects some Latin flavor into its hard-grooving psychedelic jams. The band played its first ever show in Las Vegas earlier this month, supporting former Kyuss/Fu Manchu drummer Brant Bjork.”