Folk Uke—a hilariously deadpan, three-chord-favoring folk duo comprised of Amy Nelson and Cathy Guthrie (daughters of Willie and Arlo, no less)—devote their sweet-sounding and not-overly-rehearsed harmonies to very un-sweet folk spoofs ("Shit Makes the Flowers Grow" and "Motherfucker Got Fucked Up" are two examples from their 2005 EP, which features both of their dads).
RANDALL BRAMBLETT Its elegant formulations suffused with irony, Randall Bramblett's new full-length Now It's Tomorrow is white soul with a nervous, jazzy edge. Hailing from Jesup, Ga., the singer and multi-instrumentalist writes songs with hypnotic guitar lines and literate lyrics. Much like recent records by Larry McMurtry and Steely Dan auteur Walter Becker, Now It's Tomorrow describes a world where middle-aged white men find themselves suddenly adrift. "Used to Rule the World" elegantly lays out Bramblett's vision of downward mobility, while "Let's Go" includes an acrid guitar figure that wouldn't be out of place on a Captain Beefheart record. Meanwhile, "Sun Runs" is a declaration of eternal love that tastes funny in light of global warming and economic instability. " 'Til the ocean crawls up on the dry land / You give me something nobody else in the world can," he sings. It's a brilliant, unsettled record.
Sat., Sept. 20, 8 p.m., 2008
