Countrify Your Tuesday

It's surely coincidence that tonight should see such a great blend of country-influenced music all across town, but it's a great chance to broaden your tastes if you've avoided the genre in the past. I'm giving you a SITKOT 90% no-twang-guarantee.

If you lean toward the jam, the bluegrass-hippie stylings of Yonder Mountain String Band always please the ear, as they will tonight in Millvale. If you're in the over-35 crowd or just in the mood to chill, western-style, you might consider staying in town for the lush compositions of Cowboy Junkies.

I'll be in the South Side for Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses.

Bingham stands to take his place somewhere among the likes of John Hiatt and John Prine, with perhaps a tip of the ten-gallon hat to John (Cougar) Mellencamp. His songs are deceptively tight, and his sound and style belie his relative youth. My initial interest in country led me to my introduction to Bingham. Lyle Lovett made the move to Lost Highway Records, and I noticed that several other artists along alt-country lines started to put out records on that label. I signed up for the newsletter, and was soon turned on to Bingham. The first song of his I heard remains my favorite, but his recent material is as good as anything on the first record.

Likely soundboard problems notwithstanding, I expect great things from tonight's show at Club Cafe.