Little Rock trio The Midnight Thrills brought some Southern-rockin' soul to the Showcase, boasting an incredibly full sound that would be the envy of any number of bands, but especially considering that there's just the three of them up there. You might recognize guitarist/singer Drew DeFrance as he also plays guitar in The Stephen Neeper Band, who'll be in the finals Friday, March 1 at Revolution.
In my chicken-scratch notes from Thursday evening, I wrote: "Replacements x Neil Young & Crazy Horse = The Midnight Thrills." I'd probably had a couple beers at that point, but I think that still holds up pretty well.
Showcase judge CT wrote, "Very tight — rhythm section had it on lockdown! Nothing better than a solid three-piece band." Mandy McBryde wrote "Man this guy can play guitar... Holy smokes!"
Grayson Shelton wrote "Drew really does a standout job with Stephen Neeper Band and I really like what he brings to them. It's good to hear him out in the front. Good tone and a solid, solid lead guy in his own right." Guest judge Eugene Whitmore wrote simply "Great guitarist!!"
Check out more photos and a video after the jump.