Crib Notes

Tonight (Tues., Dec. 30th), Atlanta-based singer Diane Durrett performs a rare and intimate gig at Blind Willies. Durrett has been around the Atlanta Blues and singer/songwriter scene for many years, and has released four well received albums.

In 1999 Durrett took the plunge most musicians only dream of and moved to Nashville, with the big plans to make it in the music industry. Several peripheral jobs later (including a rather interesting stint as a limo driver) she has written a book called Driving Music City. Basically, Durrett has compiled a collection of vignettes describing her experiences chauffeuring some major superstars around Music City. Interspersed with anecdotes from her own music career and family history, Durrett pulls back the curtain just a bit to expose a few somewhat shallow and trivial “secrets” about the stars. Scattered and tangential, this ain’t Shakespeare, folks. Hell, it ain’t even the National Enquirer for that matter.

But Durrett is a much better singer than an author, and her show at Blind Willies will be a real treat for her local fans. Hopefully she will sing more than she talks.

Diane Durrett plays Blind Willies tonight. $Call. 9 p.m. 828 N. Highland Ave. 404-873-2583.

(Photo courtesy of Diane Durrett).

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The three little ladies who make up Murfreesboro, Tenn. trio Those Darlins kick out an awful lot of twang with their debut, three-song EP, “Wild One.” Together they helm an unruly marriage of ornery wit and traditional country sounds that come together with an indie rock M.O.

I caught up with guitarist and vocalist Jessi Darlin last week and talked about everything from the old Nashville music scene to the production on the new Vampire Weekend album.

Those Darlins play the Earl w/ O’death and Vortex Park on Tues., Dec. 2nd. $10. 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.

Is Wild One EP your first release?
Yes. It’s our first release. The other songs on the Myspace page are just older recordings. Live stuff and things that we just have.

Are you all from Murfreesboro , Tenn. or did you come there from somewhere else?
We all live in Murfreesboro now. I’m from Kentucky, Kelley’s from South Carolina and Nikki is from Virginia. Kelly went to college here and me and Nikki just kind of moved here and we all met … It has one of the top recording schools in the country, so a lot of musicians move here who know that they’re supposed to go to college but don’t know what to major in beside music, so they move here and do that.

Who plays what in the band?
I play guitar and bass, Kelley plays guitar and bass and Nikki plays some baritone Ukulele and we all sing.

And you are all Darlins, like the Ramones or something?
Yep, exactly.

Who’s your drummer?
Linwood Regensburg Jr. He’s our roommate.

Are there many places to see music in Murfreesboro?
Off and on … There have been some really awesome venues that have opened here, but they all end up getting shut down for a million different reasons. This town is cursed like that. But whenever something good opens the town has a ton of incredible bands coming through. Currently there aren’t any music venues open.

Is there a good house show scene?
Definitely. There are always house shows here. Whenever a venue closes down someone will just start booking at their house until someone else comes up with enough money to get another venue open.

Tell me about the EP and the full-length that you’re working on now.
We recorded the EP in Brooklyn and the album in Brooklyn, so we’ve been playing New York a lot. We’re recording with Jeff Curtin who has a studio, called Tree Fort. He helped produce Vampire Weekend’s debut album and he does all the sound for Pitchfork TV.

darlins from t.v. on Vimeo.

“Wild One” MP3

(more…)

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For today’s Roll Call we call out Nikki Darlin, vocalist and Ukelele player for Murfreesboro, Tenn. country trio Those Darlins.

Who are you?
The infamous Nikki Darlin.

Describe yourself in three words.
magic, drunk, smashy.

Who — dead or alive — would most you like to meet?
The Marx Brothers. The best entertainers of all time without a doubt!

Whom would you most like to slap in the face?
There are so many I don’t know where to start, mostly old smart ass men (not in the funny way) who are condescending creeps to young women like myself and the rest of the Darlins.

What song do you wish you had written?
“Awesome” by Nick Lowe

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Elvis Costello winked at me on a plane, Presley didn’t. I’d rather flirt with Presley. He makes me shake my ass harder than Costello.

LP, CD or MP3?
LP! I throw CDs around like trash and I can’t throw mp3s so I don’t bother with them.

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Back to the basics. Leather, furs, bones and feathers.

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Beards.

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
All the Marx Brothers. It wouldn’t be sexy at all but would probably be the most hilarious spin the bottle ever.

Those Darlins play the Earl w/ O’death and Vortex Park on Tues., Dec. 2nd. $10. 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.

(Photo courtesy of Oh Wow Dang Records)

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