"Wild One" - Those Darlins

At some point during my years at UVA, every single girl I knew (and a handful of dudes) -- mostly from suburbs near or above the Mason Dixon line -- seemed to instantly become a loyal country music fan. Out of nowhere artists such as Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, and Brad Paisley became household names. Despite the increased exposure, I never really jumped on the bandwagon, save for a few of the cross-over hits which became my guilty pleasures (e.g. Tim McGraw's 'I Like It, I Love It'). A few years after graduation, I found myself stationed in Nashville, TN on a long term project for work, basically the epicenter of the country music scene. One weekend I decided to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, and being able to sample many recordings there, realized how good a lot of the early country music artists were (think Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, et al). The sound of these artists contrasted so sharply with what passed off as modern day country music. Listening to Those Darlins, a female trio from Murfreesboro TN, one can't help but think they are listening to a band from another era, but that has just enough attitude to sound thoroughly modern at the same time. This band has been getting a lot of buzz throughout the musical blogosphere, and fortunately for us, will be playing a show at Arlington's very own Iota next Tuesday. Catch them now before they move on to bigger venues.

Wild One - Those Darlins