Kick it with the Can Kickers

If you think fiddle music belongs to ol' timers in the mountains-think again. The string-band spirit was alive and well during a "can-kicking" good time Thursday night at the Nightlite in Chapel Hill when the Can Kickers hopped through N.C. for a show with Counter Clockwise, Teh Vodak, and The Rip It Ups.

Starting in their home state of Connecticut, the Can Kickers hit the road and headed south. The tour began with a touch of misfortune when burglary befell the New London trio. Luckily, the individuals who busted into their van didn't steal the Kicker's drive to spread tunes. The boys persevered with a window fashioned from record sleeves, pressed on with the tour, and gave southern folks a taste of rock-n-roll from the mountains.

The Nightlite is a hidey-hole of a club, a quaintly decorated basement-venue strewn with random floral-print sofas and sparsely hung Christmas lights. While it doesn't look like much from the exterior, the bar has a good selection and, most importantly, the floor is big enough for dancing.

The first group to perform was, Counter Clockwise, a duo from Alabama. who started things off on a comparatively softer note, especially when followed by Teh Vodak, a four-piece outfit from Durham. As Teh Vodak puts it, they sound "like the B-52s and Sleater-Kinney beating the crap out of Henry Rollins."

Armed with a guitar emblazoned with "slut" on the body, guitarist and vocalist Betsy Shane does a riot girl proud. With Can Kicker's Doug Schaefer on drums, Ben Donnelly backing up the guitar and vocals, and Kevin Slater on bass, Teh Vodak is super high-energy and has a sound resonate of the Pixies on speed.

Following Teh Vodak was the Rip it Ups who took the show to the floor-literally, turning the place into something of a hootenanny. Amplifiers weren't required when the Durham-based combo set itself in the middle of the crowd, completely unplugged, and incited a knee-slapping riot. Fiddling man Sam Duffy, guitarist Kevin Samuels, and a guy named "Corn" Lewis on the upright bass, set the string-band tone. They bowed, strummed, and plucked their way into the hearts of the crowd, filling everyone with a hefty dose of dancing fever.

Being up close and personal with the audience splashed over into the Can Kicker's set, who called for everyone to be up front and on their feet, made participation necessary and the urge to clap-along irresistible. The Kicker's style resembled old-time fiddler music with a whole lot more punk-inspired thump. The kind of thump so powerful, it completely fills the room of a basement-venue, or cuts clear across a festival field.

That thump is thanks (in part) to the fiery percussion talents of Doug Schaefer. It's rare to find a drummer who stands out from behind the kit, and more than standing out, Schaefer shines. Being no average cymbal-crashing monkey, Schaefer doesn't just hit the skins-he annihilates them. It seems he'd to be more suited for a drum line than a string band, but when Schaefer puts drumsticks aside for more "washboarded" means of rhythm, his fervor for the old-time musical tradition is clear.

Dan Thomas and his bright green fiddle carry a tune allowing for a rich sound usually achieved by a bass. In contrast to the thin, tinny sound typically associated with fiddling music, the Can Kickers make a robust medley of melody, like fine punk rock gumbo. Songster and guit-fiddler Daniel Spurr's accent is more Creole than Connecticut when he slurs and strums away to both original and traditional songs.

The Can Kickers are a fiddling, kazoo-filled, washboarding fun time; an encore was totally necessary. They joined the Rip It Ups in the center of the floor for one last ditty. "Lonesome Road Blues," a hopped-up rendition of the popular folk song made famous by hard travelers like Woody Guthrie who paved the way decades ago. Although it was hard to feel lonesome when an entire room is flailing around enthusiastically and clapping like maniacs.

The Can Kickers kicked it hard, and sure to keep on kicking as they make heir way to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras. Although their tour schedule doesn't bring them back this way anytime soon, the Can Kickers can be found at www.cankickers.com.