There's a hell of a fine line between country cool and kitschy/camp sometimes — one that only a few bands (BR5-49, for instance) are ever able to erase completely. Western shirts and ribbon ties are easy finds around Nashville, and any hairdresser worth their molding gel can do you up all Hawkshaw Hawkins or Patsy Cline provided you have 60 clams. The Sweetback Sisters, then, seem to be already behind the magic eight ball, at least in time-lapse terms. What to do? Close your eyes. Zara Bode and Emily Miller might outfit themselves in matching dresses, but there's nothing ordinary about the gals' corset-tight harmonies. Ross Bellenoit's sparks-a-flyin' Tele runs are the equal of anyone on Lower Broadway, and fiddler Jesse Milnes knows just when to slice his way into the mix. Several members of the band have had jazz training, which might sound odd on the outset. That is, until you consider twang titans like Willie Nelson and Bob Wills. Is there a strong element of theater here? Sure. But the play here — the playing, moreover — is the thing.
Wed., Feb. 17, 7 p.m., 2010
Wed., Feb. 17, 7 p.m., 2010
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