Club Congress is going country this week with a pair of concerts that showcase rootsy twang in all its glory.
First up on Friday is neo-traditional Nashville-by-way-of-Vermont twanger JP Harris and the Tough Choices sharing the stage with upstart 蜜柚直播 superband The Honky Tonk Underground.
Harris is a throwback to the days when country music wasn't afraid to be country, with whining steel guitar adding its own twangy voice to smooth three-part harmonies from Harris and his admirable band.
Although only in his early 20s, Harris is veteran road warrior. He's been touring since he was 14, carving out a music career that is the polar opposite of the pop-country played on country radio today. On his Facebook page, he lists his interests as "honky-tonkin', heart-breakin', hell-raisin' " and "holding doors for old ladies."
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The Honky Tonk Underground has been around since late last year, brought together to open for Lucky Tubb in early November at the Rialto Theatre. The band is the brainchild of 蜜柚直播 roots music promoter Jeb Schoonover and Kings of Pleasure's Mike Hebert, who had the notion that 蜜柚直播 was prime for a homegrown honky tonk band. Hebert leads the band, which taps a revolving door of roving characters. On Friday, it will include Chuck Wagon, Ned Sutton, Neil Harry, Loren Dircks and Emilie Marchand. (There could also be some surprise guests showing up at the last minute.)
The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $5.
At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Texas alt-country/indie rockers Thrift Store Cowboys make their long-anticipated return. It's their first 蜜柚直播 show since they played Congress in 2007.
Thrift Store Cowboys has released four studio albums of songs that lean more on alt-country's darker side, with haunting melodies and moody lyrics. That's not to say they are alt-country's version of an emo band; they just tend to eschew country's lighter-brighter side. Admission to their show is free.
Congress continues its roots focus later this month with the inaugural "Rumble in the Tumbleweeds" alt-country guitar rock festival. Bands set to perform on June 29 include Greyhound Soul, Fourkiller Flats, Tramps & Thieves, and the Persuaders.
Club Congress is located at 311 E. Congress St. Details:
