Hillbilly Idol set to Rock 'Sco

With the rise of "Hot" Country, country music has crossed an ugly threshold to a place where it is no longer distinguishable from radio pop. The beacon of this crossing is embodied by Shania Twain, whose use of electronic beats and a high profile belly button have simultaneously made her one of hot country's hottest and alienated her from many of the die-hards of traditional roots-oriented country. Since no trend can exist without a counter trend, all is not lost, and in the face of what's wrong with country comes what's right. In the face of what's wrong with country comes HillBilly Idol.

The quintet's new agreement on indie-roots label Egg Records has put a lot of momentum behind the group and given them national attention among roots music enthusiasts. Using their bluegrass oriented instrumentation that adds banjo, pedal steel and mandolin to the mix of the Nashville sounding Telecastors, HillBilly Idol is a hard band to place in the narrow spectrum of today's country field. Their harmonies have been likened to the Everly Brothers, and their live show runs the gamut from blues oriented rock-a-billy, to straight up boot wearing Appalachian bluegrass, HillBilly Idol has enough stylistic diversity to highlight their technical capabilities.

But it would be wrong to think of HillBilly Idol as just a band who can play though a bunch of styles. While their first release on Egg, Town & Country, gives unquestionable nods to rootsy predecessors, the album reserves the best of these styles in a new blend. Not unlike the increasingly popular Derailer's, the players of HillBilly Idol are not deaf to genres other than branches of country.

The playing on Town & Country includes moments of 1950s up-tempo rhythm and blues and superb electric leads, and these moments are worked brilliantly into the category of "neo-trad-country" in which the band places themselves.

In their seven years together, HillBilly Idol has appeared in about every remaining jook in the Midwest, and their Wednesday night show at the 'Sco is sure to draw an audience from the Cleveland area. With the recording sensibilities displayed in Town & Country, and that highlights their diversity and technical understand of country's past, HillBilly Idol might be the salvation for country's future.

Hillbilly Idol performs Wednesday Feb. 14 at the 'Sco. $1 OCID, $3 others.