The New Bluegrass: Five Acts to Watch

Those Darlins

Sound: This Tennessee-based trio are the riot-grrls of folk music: bassist Kelley Darlin, guitarist Jessi Darlin and ukuleleist Nikki Darlin crank out unhinged jams about snaggle-toothed women who wear their Daisy Duke shorts too high. "I write songs about growing up poor in the country," says Jessi Darlin. "I'm not ashamed to be a girl with crooked teeth."

Story: Jessi Darlin — the niece of contemporary country singer-songwriter Steve Wariner — hooked up with her bandmates when she enrolled at the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which was founded by Kelley. The trio instantly bonded over their love for country music legends the Carter Family. "We would sit around the porch and jam to their songs," says Jessi Darlin. "But it was hard for us not to make their songs more rocking. Plus, we couldn't pull off the whole good Christian country girl thing."

Key Track: "Wild One," a jazzy number about nice girls who get nasty after one too many whiskeys.

Expert Opinion: "I like that track 'Snaggle Tooth Mama,' " says Bush. "That's not so far fetched from old-time string band subject. The idea of the snaggle tooth mama comes from the tradition of good old fun songs when you talk about how ugly your girlfriend is. This is fun music. They come from a tradition of laughing at yourself and having fun."