Struthers is of a fairly rare breed: school teachers who switch to careers as singer-songwriters, rather than the other way around. She grew up in New Jersey singing bluegrass with her dad, taught English lit in Brooklyn, then picked up and moved to Nashville. She’s the sort of roots performer who emphasizes staying true to traditions, rather than blending new in with the old. Her website calls her what she does “classic Americana.” In Struthers’ repertoire, that translates into a mixture of mostly pre-electric American music, from points East and West: Appalachian murder and marriage ballads, bluegrass and cowboy — or in her case, cowgirl — songs, the lion’s share of them original. Her upcoming self-titled debut features a swinging little number called “Cowgirl Yodel #3” that has her yodeling like Patsy Montana. Now that’s a niche that’s hurting for some solid young female singers.
Fri., March 26, 8:30 p.m., 2010
