Chickadee Mountain Martyrs

Chickadee Mountain Martyrs, the local honky-tonk, hanky-pank gangstas, will be making a rare above-ground appearance at the Turf Club this Friday, where they will be sure to spout their devilish lyrics to an inappropriately excited troupe of heathens, and possibly make a mess on their faces. The four- (and sometimes more) piece are known for stoking their drawling twang with hyperkinetic musical belly flops and hell-bent excursions into country-and-Western two-steps, occasionally joined by prog-ish asides that magically seem not at all out of place. Group leader Luc Parker, whose vocals sound like a mix between a vampire and a werewolf, lures his bandmates into repeated sonic boat trips akin to that tunnel in Willy Wonka with all those freak-out lights and scared children. The danger must be growing, for the rowers keep on rowing. But those lights...oh, they're probably just in your head. With Seawhores, the Conformists, and Chibalo. 21+.
Fri., June 5, 9 p.m., 2009