REVIEW: Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band: Live at The EARL - ATL

Joe Chiarella
4 days ago
2 min read

The group tours their highly acclaimed 2025 album for new and longtime fans

Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band in ATL (Photo by Joe Chiarella)

December 2nd marked a distinctive milestone for Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band. Their album New Threats From The Soul appeared on a staggering number of “Best of 2025” lists, earning well-deserved acclaim. It's a beautiful album full of vivid stories spread across unconventionally long songs.

Ryan Davis performing at The EARL (Photo by Joe Chiarella)

The evening was particularly significant for Davis, who played to a sold-out crowd at The EARL in East Atlanta. Davis, wearing a red sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of the death-metal band Death, told the crowd how The EARL had established itself as a Southeast hub for touring bands trying to make it on the road. He recalled playing to 15 people in that very room earlier in his career and how the people at The EARL always took care of him, sometimes "reaching into the register" to give his crew a little help to make it to their next stop. It felt appropriate after all those years of grinding out tours to be back at The EARL playing to a sold-out room.

Despite the recent buzz surrounding the album, the room felt intimate, filled with long-time fans who had always known what the rest of the world was finally discovering. The audience didn't need convincing. They already knew the material intimately and were there to absorb every note. While Atlanta crowds are known for their high energy, I have rarely seen a packed room listen with such intent. The venue fell silent between songs, with everyone completely engaged in the performance, like it was a poetry reading in a listening room.

Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band with a sold-out Atlanta crowd (Photo by Joe Chiarella)

The band sounded in top form, with powerful vocal harmonies, pedal steel licks, and less traditional sounds provided by drum loops and a melodica. Though many songs stretched over 10 minutes, they always maintained a gripping momentum. They took the audience on a journey where it felt like we were constantly progressing through a story, building up to something bigger. While Davis's complex lyrics don't typically lend themselves to sing-alongs, I could hear a collective shout-along of "I can park the Monte Carlo in the street" when "Monte Carlo" started. "Flashes of Orange" was another peak moment, a 10-minute epic that passed by in an instant.

Ryan Davis spent years refining his craft in rooms just like this one, and that night, Atlanta paid him back with their total attention. While “Best of 2025” lists offer validation, the connection with the audience at The EARL felt like the greater reward.