BUZZ BANDS

Miss Derringer's woozy cabaret

The husband-and-wife combo recalls the Dresden Dolls. Also, Nikhil Korula Band.

December 14, 2006

It's her life, in his words

Like Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, Liz McGrath is more of a performer than she is a singer. Her woozy, weary rasp is perfectly imperfect for Miss Derringer's cabaret- and country-tinged ditties as she narrates the band's excursions into the dark and the foreboding.

You'd almost think they were her words. And, well, they are and they aren't.

Her husband, guitarist Morgan Slade, wrote most of the songs on Miss Derringer's sophomore album, "Lullabies" (released in August on Sympathy for the Record Industry). But he did so "based, a lot, on things I told him about my childhood," McGrath says. "I'm just not very good at lyrics."

It's a circuitous channeling, to be sure, but effective. "Death Car Ride," "He Hung on a Sunday" and "Lullaby" hold up well against Miss Derringer's cover of Nick Cave's "People Ain't No Good." And the presence of guests such as drummer Clem Burke, guitarist Rick Ballard and singer Sean Doe gives "Lullabies" an all-star flavor. (Plus, Zalman King directed one of the band's videos.)

McGrath, a sculptor well-known on the city's lowbrow art scene, Slade and bassist Sylvain de Muizon have rounded out Miss Derringer's lineup with guitarist Bill Woodcock and drummer Cody Cox.

The quintet performs Friday at Spaceland with Eskimohunter, Sky Parade and Lovelikefire.

A taste of Africa and lots more

Think of the Nikhil Korula Band as the rainbow snow cone of the local rock scene: plenty of flavors, all adding up to something cool and sweet. Afro-beats, Latin grooves, calypso, jazz — the six-piece group jam-bands them all together in a manner that leaves its growing audience dancing.

"I think the turning point for me was visiting Africa in 1999," says Korula, the vocalist who studied classical music at USC and surrounded himself with players who have a strong jazz background. "There was so much rhythm, energy and harmony to African music, I really felt at home.

"With this band we focused on building a big sound where the instruments don't step on each other, but complement each other to form something special."

Fans who've streamed to the NK Band's recent shows at the House of Blues (where they play Monday) seem to agree. "It's definitely feel-good music," Korula says. "Life is tough enough as it is, but when people come out, they want to dance with us."

Korula formed his own label, Groove Infinity, to release this year's album, "The Way Things Work." He and bandmates Anthony King, Leo Nobre, Dan Boissy, Adam Gust and Jack Lees recently had a label showcase, but Korula knows his band's style might be a tough fit. "Labels want to package you," he notes, "and we're definitely a band that takes a lot of risks."

Fast forward

Yes, those Silversun Pickups shows Saturday and Sunday at the Troubadour are going to be a tough ticket.... And so is that Cold War Kids gig Saturday at the Detroit Bar.... The Blood Arm, the L.A. quartet just back from riling up the U.K., plays the Echo on Friday.... Heavy hitters OTEP visit the Whisky on Tuesday.... Meanwhile, OK Go was originally scheduled to play Franki Chan's Check Yo Ponytail night at Safari Sam's in September, but the treadmill-trundling quartet postponed so it could appear at the MTV Video Music Awards. Tuesday is the makeup date; should be a full house.

Recommended downloads

Stream Miss Derringer's "Death Car Ride" at www.myspace.com/missderringer.

Stream Nikhil Korula's "Walk on Water" at www.myspace.com/nikhilkorulaband.

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