Localized: Little Pink

Well, the flood gates have opened with this, our SECOND unsolicited CD sent in by a band for review. That's how we roll here at LET.

This time around, we have the latest from Little Pink, their third release, Gladly Would We Anchor. Taken from a line by Ralph Waldo Emerson from his essay on Experience ("Gladly would we anchor, but the Anchorage is quicksand"), the title is apt. While rooted in Americana, the band's music does tend to float around a bit beyond that. We've got tinges of folk, forays into alt-country and even a scootch of old-timey rock 'n roll.

The most immediate comparison for me is the Cowboy Junkies, but they also remind me a fair bit of Hoax Funeral and, at times, Pink Martini.

There is definitely some strong back porch music here. If you happen to own a hound dog and drink homemade corn liquor and yet still attended a liberal arts college and passed with above a 3.0 GPA, you're really doing yourself a disservice if this one isn't in your collection.

Localized: The Bourbon Dynasty

Before I begin, I'd like to thank the Bourbon Dynasty for being the first band to actually reach out to LET for us to review their music. I've anxiously been awaiting the day when bands would start coming to us to help spread the word on what they're doing. Sure, we love to find stuff on our own and tell the world about it, but I consider it "reaching the big time" when the tunes start coming to us. For this, again, thanks, Bourbon Dynasty.

But who is this Bourbon Dynasty of which I speak? Well, they're a DC-area band that specializes in a mix of rock, blues, hillbilly and alt-country that is bound to get your toes a-tapping. In their own words, "We take it down to the basement laboratory and mix it all up, and it comes out swinging."

While their recorded stuff tends to veer a bit more towards the alt-country side of things, their live performances conjure images of everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Black Keys, infusing a raunchier, more garage band swagger to the music. This music is perfect for a shot and a beer before heading out on the floor to do a little two-step/mosh combination. Think line dancing in shit kicker boots and you've got a pretty good idea of who you're dealing with in the Bourbon Dynasty.

You can check out a whole lot more at their website.