Those Darlins / Brillobox / 06.17.2011 / Doors 9:30 / $10

Words by Brendan

Those Darlins seem like a barrel of fun. They have songs about drunkenly eating a whole chicken in one’s kitchen, lover boys on the road, brotherly love with the opposite sex, protecting one’s mama’s reputation, keeping one’s skillet good and greasy, and a snaggle tooth. And as much fun it has been to jam these tunes really loud in my apartment or on my ipod, it will be something else to watch those three darlins and their little drummer boy bang these out onstage at the Brillobox. This is the kind of show where everyone will want to drink too much whiskey and dance around all sloppy-like. And then go out for pizza. You won’t want to miss this one. Read on for more about the band and how to score 2 FREE tickets to this sure-to-be shit show.

Those Darlins / Wild One
Those Darlins / Be Your Bro
Natural Child / Hard Workin’ Man
Ursa Major / Underground

It’s tough to separate their music from the personalities driving it, but it’s a fair assessment to say that Those Darlins tunes live in the territory of Americana and rock ‘n roll. The vocals have a hint of drawl and the guitar melodies have a swingin’ back-porch twang, as do some percussion parts, but there’s an energetic sense of urgency to many of their songs that belies a love of all things rock. On their debut, self-titled LP from 2009, they played up the Southern feel. They had guitar and bass and ukelele and plenty of country kick to match their punky energy. Lead track “Red Light Love” indeed sets a punk-rock tone for the record (and has an awesome animated video), but later cuts like “Snaggle Tooth Mama” and “The Whole Damn Thing” and “Keep My Skillet Good And Greasy” are pure Southern humor and rootsy rock. One could even argue that “Wild One” is a “Those Darlins anthem”: “If you don’t want a wild one, quit hanging ’round with me / You knew right from the start that’s my personality / If you can’t handle crazy, go ahead and leave”.

The band released Screws Get Loose this March on their own Oh Wow Dang label, and it’s a seriously fun record. They’ve toned down the Southern tinges a bit and opted for some out-and-out rockers that playfully push the boundaries of country and rock closer together. As singer/guitarist Jessi Darlin (they’ve all assumed the same last name for the stage) noted in an interview with Rolling Stone, the new record has been just as, if not more, popular because “If you’re a rock & roll fan, you might not like country. But if you’re a country fan, you’re gonna like rock & roll.” The humor and edginess is all there, indeed, but the instrumentation is what really pushes this album further. Tracks like “Hives” and “Fatty Needs A Fix” and “Boy” keep the personality thriving but transform their previous twangs into mature guitar arrangements. Drummer Linwood Regensburg adds some serious energy to the mix, too, and even sings on a few cuts (with “Let U Down” being a standout example). And “Mystic Mind” is the epitome of country-fried psychedelia, and maybe it even invents the genre. If you’re looking for a real litmus test as to whether you’ll dig Those Darlins and their live show, look no further than the video for single track “Be Your Bro”. (And pay attention to see if you can spot the video frame that became the album cover photo!)
 
Those Darlins / “Be Your Bro” / Screws Get Loose [Oh Wow Dang] / dir. Ovvio Arte

 
On top of all of this, these gals and guy seem like genuinely fun and interesting folks. The band will soon play a Planned Parenthood benefit show with Best Coast (the night before their show here in Pittsburgh, actually), and they have a currently ongoing contest (deadline is this Friday!) wherein fans submit photos of themselves holding the album cover over their faces in interesting poses (a.k.a. sleeve-faces, if you know that meme). And hey! Shakey Graves totally digs them. Fucking sweet. Also playing at this show are Natural Child, a classic Southern-rock band hitting a few tour stops with Those Darlins (their track above is great), and Pittsburghers Ursa Major, who run a local house venue known as the Doo Wop Mansion and have a rockin’ kinda indie doo wop sound to match (check out the track above, it is also great). Sounds awesome. Great vibes all around. You wanna see this show. You know it.

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So, leave a note on our Facebook wall, @ us on Twitter (with the hashtag #ThoseDarlinsPgh to make it easier to find), or send me an email to enter the contest! Just say “I want those Those Darlins tickets!” or “Those Darlins keep me good and greasy!” or the like. It really doesn’t matter. We’ll pick a winner (at random) next Thursday and let you know who the lucky guy/gal is!

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Buy tickets: Online / call 412.621.4900 / Brillobox website

Those Darlins on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Insound
Natural Child on the web: Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Ursa Major on the web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp

Filed under: Live Music, Ticket Giveaway