Howlin Rain

If Comets on Fire is the soundtrack to a midnight psychedelic bacchanalia, then COF frontman Ethan Miller's side project, Howlin' Rain, is the house band for the next afternoon's stoned soul picnic. The band's 2006 self-titled debut is made up of eight extended classic-rock workouts that recall Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Allman Brothers, and Humble Pie at their jubilant peak. While Howlin' Rain can choogle with the best of them, there's a charming, wide-eyed buoyancy to the songs that sets the band apart from the more menacing stoner-rockers of the early '00s.