Bowery Ballroom was packed tightly for the hours of rock ‘n roll that were about to ensue. Around 10PM, Cavalier Rose shook the stage with Garrett Drinon’s retro-metal guitar solos and the Heather Christian’s powerful voice and echoing shrieks on notable tunes, “Sparrow,” “Atom Bomb,” “Little by Little” and closer, “Lie to Me.” The quartet is beginning a fundraiser via Kickstarter.com to fund the recording of their debut LP. CR have a Knitting Factory residency set for every Monday in February, starting February 7. Headliners, Earl Greyhound, asserted themselves with a fiery attitude matched by an intense sound wave that radiated from the stage. Matt Whyte (vocals, guitar) flailed his long blond hair as Ricc Sheridan (drums) maintained a poker face, and Kamara Thomas (bass, keyboards, vocals), who is carrying “ a little girl rocker,” played with force on highlights, such as “Shotgun,” “Oye Vaya,” and “S.O.S.” The trio recently released an acoustic EP, showing their softer side. Both groups demonstrated that rock is alive and well in NYC. – Meijin Bruttomesso