Honky-tonk angels

The Darlings take on outlaw country

by Brett Milano

You've gotta feel grateful when you happen to wander in on an inglorious gig -- say, a band playing second on the bill at Club Bohemia the night after Thanksgiving -- and happen to find that band playing its heart out. Not because it's a headline show, or because there are label execs in the house, or because it will help their career any, but just because it's what they do. Such was the case at that club last month, and the band onstage was the Darlings, the loose, countryish outfit formed by singer Kelly Knapp (also of the Bristols) and singer/guitarist Simon Ritt (ex-Two Saints, Daughters, and Unattached).

Together for four years and never too heavily buzzed about, the band this night had all it needed -- terrific songs, tight but unfussy playing, stand-out vocals (Knapp's voice always had a natural, sultry twang), and a great obscure cover (Dwight Twilley's "TV") for the encore. Plus a garage-rock ambiance that set them apart from the rootsy, earnest country bands that tend to proliferate in town; their take on country took in outlaws like Keith Richards, Carlene Carter, and Johnny Thunders, along with the ever-popular Gram Parsons and Patsy Cline influences.

The Darlings' upcoming show at Johnny D's on January 2 will be a little different for two reasons: it's one of their first headline gigs at a roots-oriented venue, rather than the rock joints they usually play. And it's their last show for at least a few months: Knapp and bass player Buck Williams's wife are both about to have babies, so the band's going on maternity leave. The timing isn't exactly ideal, since the band's finally beginning to catch on; but they swear they'll use the time off to write new originals (at the moment they've got about a dozen, though it takes a collector to recognize all their covers) and get a new studio tape together.

Friends for years, Ritt and Knapp dreamed up the idea of a country band over drinks one night; they performed as a duo for a while before putting together the current line-up (with Williams, ex-Figures on a Beach guitarist Rik Rolski, and ex-Atlantics/Willie Alexander drummer Boby Bear). Onstage the two leaders make an odd pair: he looking the rock outlaw in long hair and leather pants, she exuding a more down-to-earth sweetness (especially lately with maternity looming). But it works, and the spiritual echoes of the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris duo don't hurt.

"Country and folk music isn't an affectation; it's something that's always been around for us," Ritt says. "What we do is country as played by rock musicians. Whether you're talking about the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith, people always love the outlaws. We all grew up in the British Invasion, so it's not like we're all going out and buying Garth Brooks records. You've heard the cliché that the blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll -- well, there had to be two parents, right? And I think that's where country music comes in." So far the best definition of his band is one that a West Coast friend suggested: "y'all-ternative."

Knapp has logged in some 15 years with the Bristols, a band whose members remain inseparable even if they seem to average only one gig a year (usually a good one, though). The country showed up in her voice during later Bristols shows, when they took a sharp turn from the bubbly '60s sound they'd started with. "For awhile I was just trying to find my way of singing. I started getting a more throaty quality to my voice, but it just came naturally -- really because it was tough trying to sing over all the loud amps."

Ritt's own history goes back to the early '80s, when he hit town from Florida and scored a gig playing with his all-time hero, the late Johnny Thunders. His then-band the Daughters became Thunders's back-up band of choice when he played Boston; that's the Daughters playing on the extremely impromptu rendition of "Louie Louie" that appeared on the 1983 Thunders album In Cold Blood (New Rose). Thunders was a notoriously prickly character, and the Daughters were some of the only locals who got to know him. So was he a nice guy after all?

"Well, he wanted to be a nice guy. I've thought about this a lot in later years; to be frank, I think he liked us because we didn't suck up. And we weren't into the drug thing, which I think he found refreshing. He was Johnny Thunders, and he was a big-time junkie. And so many people would try to get through to him that way. There were shows when it got pretty hairy. But he'd come to our dressing room, say `You guys got any drugs?', we'd say `Well, we've got some pot,' and he'd roll his eyes and walk out."

Can folks who've been around the local block a few times get a new buzz going? Sure, Ritt says. "I know we're too old for the people who go to the Middle East every week. I have a lot of friends in that age bracket, but I'm not kidding myself. We're not going to be part of that scene. On the other hand, I don't know anyone who does the same kind of hybrid we're doing. This is the first band I've ever started from scratch and written the original material myself, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather play with."

The same sentiments are echoed by Knapp in a separate interview: "It's cool to feel we've got momentum going. But there's a strong friendship involved, and, most of all, it's a very fun band." And that's a darling situation by any standard.

ROCKY HORROR ALERT

You've seen local rockers do their versions of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wall, and Preservation -- so are you ready for a Boston version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Such a project is currently in the works, and is set to appear at a local venue, probably the Lansdowne Street Playhouse, in late March and early April. The event will be co-sponsored by WBCN and will benefit the AIDS Action Committee. Lined up in the cast so far are Rick Berlin as Riff Raff, Cynthia von Buhler (Women of Sodom) as Magenta, and Space Pussy's Ryan Landry in the Tim Curry role of Frank-n-Furter. You can probably guess which local female rock star, who's lately been involved with Boston Rock Opera, is now being courted for the Susan Sarandon role of Janet. Meanwhile, time to pull the fishnets out of the closet and start loading up on rice, toast, and water pistols.

COMING UP

Okay, Christmas is over and the clubs are set to heat up again. Girl on Top are at the Phoenix Landing tonight (Thursday), Moon Boot Lover play acoustically at the Middle East, and Mind the Gap are at the Tam . . . Local hero Peter Wolf plays a rare acoustic set at the Middle East tomorrow (Friday). Meanwhile, Mark Morris plays the Kells and Plank and Verago-go are at Club Bohemia. And send birthday greetings to John Felice when the Devotions play the Linwood . . . Gifted songwriter and local expatriate Melissa Ferrick hits T.T. the Bear's on Saturday with ex-Scarce bassist Joyce Raskin; the Hornets and Deliriants are at Mama Kin, the Swinging Steaks play at House of Blues, and Bette Rolle is at the Rat . . . Chevy Heston headlines Sunday's 'FNX night at Mama Kin, comic/commentator Barry Crimmins reviews the year at Johnny D's . . . In terms of this year's New Year's Eve prospects, all we can say is that we hope you like hippie bands. Groovasaurus is the Middle East headliner, Machinery Hall headlines Mama Kin, and Flunky is at the Linwood; not to mention Phish out at the Centrum. In a different vein, Expanding Man is at T.T. the Bear's and the Allstonians do the Phoenix Landing. There are more options if you're in an R&B mood, with the Love Dogs playing the Tam and Monster Mike Welch and Susan Tedeschi at Johnny D's. Our personal pick would be a toss-up: Charlie's Tap, where Crown Electric Company funk it up for your pleasure, the deep-then-rowdy double bill of Mighty Sam McClain and Kenny Neal at the House of Blues, or Club Bohemia, where Slide headlines with the Sugar Twins and Kenne Highland.