FUNKY NASHVILLE

Oh, how misleading a band name can be. Suffice it to say, the Danish band Funky Nashville doesn't sound anything like you'd expect it to based on that particular, misplaced moniker. Imagine Coldplay calling itself Kamikaze Blitzkrieg. Got the picture?

Thankfully, Funky Nashville's music saves the day and restores all faith. No, they are not funky (or, if they are, they're about as funky as Clay Aiken covering a Lionel Ritchie ditty). And no, they do not sound like a band out of Nashville (Memphis, maybe... but even that would be a stretch).

So... what DO they sound like? Well, they've got the American thing down, to be sure - but it's the American Southwest that comes to the fore. Think Calexico. Maybe a dusting of Ennio Morricone. Think pedal steel & surf guitars. Think mariachi bands playing '60s spy themes.

Maybe this all sounds like a great big mess. Well, it's anything but. In fact, it's rather undeniably beguiling. And leave it to three guys from Denmark to do the Americana thing better than just about any American you could name.

Funky Nashville released their second album, Hitch a Ride, in the U.S. in July on 215 Records. Their first effort, A Good Day to Drive, hit the streets in 2003 and features a peyote-cloaked, spaghetti-western spin on Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." It also finds them getting about as funky as they're capable of getting on the bass-driven "Witch Queen of New Orleans."

If anything, though, the new record is the far more assured effort of the two and is certainly worthy of your exploration. For starters, you could visit their Myspace page [here]. Just remember: don't judge a book by its cover; and don't judge a band by its name. Because when you're roadtrippin' south on I-169 and hit Tulsa, you might just find yourself making a right turn instead of a left.

From the LP Hitch a Ride, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Hitch a Ride"
[MP3] "Mexican Stars"

From the LP A Good Day to Drive, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Witch Queen of New Orleans"
[MP3] "I Will Survive"