Twanged If You Do

Dang! This is some twang. From the first galloping Telecaster notes, these five Bozeman fellows prove they're the real thing. Their web site promises we'll get none of that 'smarmy whiny country that comes out of Nashville these days.' They're right. What we get is some good old honky-tonk, true to country's roots. The band, formed in 1998, is Sandy Dodge, steel guitar; Jim Lewis, electric and acoustic guitars; Buck Buchanan, guitar (and song writer); Russ Olsen, bass; and Johnny Regan, drums. Friends Duke Sharp, Mike Parsons, and Mike Gillan on guitars, fiddle, and percussion, respectively, contribute as well. In between numbers penned by Buchanan are tunes good country bands aren't afraid to cover, sung originally by country legends: 'Glad to Let Her Go' and 'The Race Is On' (George Jones), 'Lonesome Fugitive' (Merle Haggard), and 'Wine Me Up' (the late, great Faron Young). And don't forget Ned Miller's 'From a Jack to a King.' Shuffles, jitterbuggers and beltbuckle-shiners abound. There's Buchanan's 'Live in Town' ('If you really love the country, live in town'), 'Clayne and Virgil,' about a Mexican fishing trip, and the kick-it dance number 'Morina.'· Trucks, broken hearts, runnin' from the law, booze. It's all here, wrapped up in searing guitar licks and cookin' bass and drums. Throw in excellent lead singing by at least three voices and you've got twang in a big way. Besides, any band featuring killer pedal steel is worth listening to in my book. -Mariss McTucker State of the Arts.