The Rubber Knife Gang is a trio of serious Roots/Bluegrass/Americana musicians who don't happen to take themselves very seriously. Even their name evolved out of a joke. "The name came from this band of friends that get together on weekends and ride these 50CC Hondas," says RKG stand-up bassist/vocalist John "Johnboy" Oaks.  

Concept albums have long been considered the kiss of death in Rock, but you couldn’t prove it with the history and catalog of Bloomington, Ind.,'s Murder by Death.  

There is that old cliche among Blues purists that says, "You have to live the Blues to play the Blues." Don't tell that to the dozen or so teenagers in the Blues in the Schools Band who will take the stage Jan. 30-31 at the Southgate House performing as one of 25 acts on three stages for the annual two-night Winter Blues Fest.  

Royal Bangs' sound could be accurately connected to numerous archetypes of Modern Rock: the proverbial so-and-so meets so-and-so comparisons generally apply. Surprisingly, they remain relatively unknown and in the last two years have gone from virtually being broken up to pedal-to-the-metal touring and recording.   

James Conlon and Paavo Jarvi and a professor or two from CCM might be able to tell you that Zelazowa is the birthplace of Frederick Chopin, but they might not be able to translate the Polish name into its loose English meaning, which is 'steel will.'  

How do you explain the amazing success of dobroist Jerry Douglas? Perhaps a unique ability to compartmentalize or maybe a touch of creative schizophrenia. Whatever it is, Douglas has it by the metric ton.  

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's must be so relieved that we've elected a president in office who can pronounce their name. But there are other things the band has to be thankful for, as the Indianapolis outfit is becoming a force to be reckoned with.  

The great clichéd conceit, advanced by the fiction of Spinal Tap, is that drummers are inconsequential and as interchangeable as automobile parts.  

Perhaps the only thing more striking about The Faint's sound (somewhere between Dance Punk, New Wave, Indie and Post Punk) is the fact that it originates in Omaha, Neb. - not quite the first place one might associate with images of a future overrun by technology.  

If there's any truth in the old adage that "the family that plays together stays together," the Peytons of Indiana will be tight until the next ice age. The Big Damn Band coalesced a mere three years ago, but in that time the Country/Blues trio has averaged 250 shows a year.