You might be asking yourself: “What is Egypt Central?” A location in the middle east? A gang of street toughs? Neither. Egypt Central is a Memphis based rock quartet, raring for the release of their sophomore album “White Rabbit,” which drops everywhere on May 17th- the rocking first single, which shares the album’s name is available everywhere now. Perhaps even more importantly, they are embarking on the road with the newly reformed Cold for what’s being dubbed “A Tour of the American Dream.” Both bands stop in locally this Tuesday, March 22nd at the Gramercy Theatre.

Formed in 2002, the release of the band’s self-titled debut was no easy task. After a year of writing and recording material and being quickly signed to a record deal, the album was repeatedly delayed, not being released until January 2008. But the album spawned one of the top rock tracks of 2007 “You Make Me Sick” and was also promoted along with “Taking You Down.”

May 17th will officially mark the release of the band’s follow up effort, the aforementioned “White Rabbit,” which you can tell the band is excited about. Singer John Falls: “We had a lot of growing to do as men and the time was right to give our fans what they deserved and what we knew we were capable of…Kick Ass Rock!” Bassist Joey Chicago: “Collectively this is the best group of songs we have ever written.” While the album is yet to be released, if the first single is any indication, Egypt Central may be right on the money- with pulverizing riffs and catchy hooks, clearly the band has figured out the formula for getting radio air play in a period of mainstream music uncertainty. SiriusXM’s Octane channel has always been a big supporter of the band.

LocalBozo.com was incredibly fortunate to grab vocalist John Falls for an extensive interview. We talk about how the band found its name, whether middle east violence ever had them second guessing their name choice, the new album, touring with Cold, playing gigs in Manhattan, and so much more. Tickets for Tuesday night are still available and they’re cheap on top of it, so join LocalBozo.com as we check out Cold featuring Egypt Central live. And hey, send us a tweet if you’re in the house. Make sure to listen to our interview above and check back after next week for our live pre-show interview with the band and full concert coverage.

- Jane Van Arsdale