The alternative country trend that Uncle Tupelo helped usher in in the early '90s is alive and well. But just giving alternative guys or gals a violin doesn't necessarily make country music the exclusive source of their creativity; the giddy-up in their gallop.

For instance, Carla Bozulich may love country music. And the Geraldine Fibbers may play country covers live. But that doesn't mean they are an alt-country band, or even a "country grunge" band, as they've been described.

On their debut, Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home, and on their new release, Butch, they do twist the country genre a bit. But Jessy Green's violin and viola are not to be confused with fiddles. In her hands, they are classical instruments. Country is not the main focus. Instead, the Fibbers plug in and play like minstrels from the Middle Ages. Bozulich shrieks and sings beautifully, and she never, ever twangs.

Her fondness for fairy tale lyrics is as much medieval as any other period. She sings for the common woman whose life was brutal: "I still have hands and a head so it's been a good day/ So I say my prayers." In Bozulich's hands, these words are not sarcastic, they're thankful and still topical.

On Butch the band experiments more than they did on their debut, and it usually works. More punk than before and just a tad less consistently excellent than Somewhere Between the Earth and My Home, Bozulich and her merry band of Fibbers are wonderfully unpredictable. With that, they can be forgiven for small eccentricities.

-James Coyle

Sound Clip:
"Toybox"
MPEG-LayerII
64kpbs.44kHz.
258k.33sec.