Best Local Country Music Act

When Drew De Man sings about warding off bears on NO RIVER CITY’s second CD, Wolves and Fishes, one can almost see the teeth and claws of his personal demons swatting at his back. De Man leads an alienated procession on a path into country music’s richest, blackest soil. With every character he creates and every twist along the path, the group adapts its dark, bucolic twang to fit the mood. Sometimes songs tumble at a galloping pace, while others move much more slowly. What sets NRC apart from the rural-music masses is a penchant for infusing alt-country songcraft with lost-in-the-moment improvisation. Wielding a nontraditional approach gives a sense of spontaneity to each song, but never at the expense of delivering a genuinely heartbreaking performance.

www.norivercity.com

NO RIVER CITY is a rustic combo that sure has somethin’ flowin’. The actively touring quintet can range from twangy rue to resolute roots stomp, or it can marry the two. Equal parts the Band, Jon Brion, Will Oldham and Blue Rodeo, No River City plays from a wavering foundation of dusky folk as expansive as a Big Sky sunset, multihued and quietly heartbreaking. An upcoming full-length album — sessions of which are previewed on MySpace — exhibits artfully faded Americana and bucolic vistas. And a fertile No River City runs through it.
www.myspace.com/norivercity.

Sure, the band is named after Plymouth’s Ram-tough engine from the early ’60s, but SONORAMIC COMMANDO’s V-8 powered country can outrun any competitor on the street today. The unassuming gang of amiable roots enthusiasts has been pickin’ n’ grinnin’ for years in various combinations. Together, the fellas make some of the sweetest back-porch harmonies you will find around town — even if you don’t catch them on an actual porch. Sure, they can rev it up when the time is right, but when they ease into their engaging dirt-road anthems, you’ll want the ride to last awhile. Old-school to the bone, them boys don’t care ’bout no “American Idol,” they’re the dual four-barrel heartbeat of rural Americana.
www.sonoramiccommando.com.