Beers with the Band: Those Darlins Issue #42

Our writer grabs drinks with the country-rock trio

By Nona Willis Aronowitz
Published: July 26th, 2010 | 1:28pm

Over drinks at Chicago's Schubas, I realize that Nikki, Jessi, and Kelley of Those Darlins share a lot-a poppy countryish rock 'n' roll band; a house in the Tennessee college town of Murfreesboro; and, of course, a stage surname.

No, they're not sisters, they assure me. But they're practically related.

"It's like you're married when you're in a band," quips Nikki, who plays baritone ukulele. "You have a life together."

The trio, all from different pockets below the Mason-Dixon line, bonded through dance parties and porch jam sessions in Murfreesboro before they formed Those Darlins.

"It was a real relaxed, silly hillbilly feeling," Nikki explains.

"Everyone'd come hang out and drink beer at our bizarre little shanty."

It's not long before we discuss the F word-do the Darlins get down with calling themselves "feminists".

Jessi cracks up suddenly. "You know what's funny? People make this huge deal out of our armpit hair!"

I take a look-the three are going au naturel.

"We don't even talk about it," Jessi goes on. "I think it's our way of saying, 'We're feminists, and we're normal just like you.' You don't have to be a freak of nature to be a feminist. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, they were feminists."

Damn straight. My religion on Facebook is "Dollywood," I admit. But do they like being called a "girl band"?

They roll their eyes in unison.

"One time I saw a listing that referred to us as a 'girl-only band'," Kelley tells me. "For some reason, it's still okay to do that."