Kent rockers Xtra Crispy chose a name that makes them sound like inner-city R&B artists, but one listen transports you, not to the grittier parts of Cleveland, but to the kind of boondocks drinking hole that ignores no-smoking laws and has a parking lot full ofpickup trucks. Frontman Jerry Principe’s voice channels the bluesier notes of Eric Clapton with a little of GreggAllman’s notorious growl, delivered afloat a current of John Gmerek’s funk-flecked guitar. Tony Rockichkeeps cadence with splashy drums that evoke ’70s rock. The band’s first EP, a self-titled number released at Kent’s Stone Tavern in October, features six original songs that almost beg to be heard live. A little old-school country twang kicks things off with “On My Way,” and Gmerek delivers a few delicious licks of electrified riffs in “Black Cat Walkin’.” These local boys know their way around blues-rock — the smoky, sticky, who’s- gonna-drive-me-home genre that’s the aural equivalent of dive bars and beer in non-ironic cans. Pair Xtra Crispy with that lager and (what the hell, if their name’s made you hungry) an order of jo-jo potatoes at Checkers –n– Trophies on May 5, when the trio will open for Skychief at 10 p.m. In the meantime, you can also download the EP — it’s less than $4 — from CDBaby or the band’s website, reverbnation.com/xtracrispy, or purchase songs for 79 cents apiece.