Saucy southern band Those Darlins has been performing for the last three years, but since its self-titled debut album finally arrived last June, the band has been touring like mad. Produced on the group’s own label, Oh Wow Dang, the album features delightfully original ditties from bassist Kelley Darlin, guitarist Jessi Darlin, ukelele diva Nikki Darlin, and drummer Linwood Regensberg (aka Sheriff Lin). The group’s sound is distinctive: as if June Carter Cash was transplanted into a 60’s garage band. The catchy single “Wild One” is an anthem for rowdy girls everywhere: “If you can’t handle crazy, go ahead and leave/ If you don’t want a wild one, quit hangin’ round with me.” The Advocate managed to catch Nikki Darlin between adventures and ask her to paint a picture of what it’s like being a darlin’.
What’s it like to tour and live and play together? You must really get along well.
We do like each other a lot. I mean we drive each other crazy, too. We have a relationship like sisters—we have to put up with each other, and we do love each other, and we piss each other off, but we’re in it for the long haul. We’re all really good friends, and really close, and we all live together. I grew up with two sisters in a really small house, so very close quarters, very poor, so we were around each other all the time, out in the country trying to entertain ourselves. So nothing’s really changed. Living in a van is kinda like living that poor lifestyle, so I don’t find it that strange; it’s really nothing new. I feel really comfortable being on the road with them and living with them, as well. I love it. I mean, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.
Did you guys decide to post up in Tennessee to be near the Nashville music scene?
Kelley came here to go to school. I was a travel-bug...and ended up moving to Nashville with no intentions of playing music, really. I mean, I’ve played music all my life, but never seriously. It’s always been kinda like a joke, or for fun. And I ended up moving to Murfeesburough and that’s where I met Jesse at the rock camp. We didn’t all move to Tennessee to be close to Nashville, it just kinda happened organically.
Has it been good to be close to the Nashville scene in terms of getting exposure?
Yeah, it is, but Nashville I find is one of the hardest places for acceptance for what we’re doing. People are more interested in our band in NYC than they are in Nashville…[In Nashville] everybody plays music, so they’re looking at you with different eyes, checking out your technique and style.
How would you describe your music to someone who never heard it before?
It’s fun music…Everybody wants to [define us as a] country band or bluegrass band...I would say rock and roll, because all of our influences—that’s what rock and roll is, right? Country music, blues, soul, all of that. I would just say that it’s fun rock and roll. I hate this whole “alt-country” genre label; that’s not what we’re doing.
From lyrics like “keep my skillet good and greasy,” it’s obvious that your rural lifestyle has influenced your songs. Are there other inspirations, in terms of what you look for in songwriting material?
We write songs about personal experience. I don’t think we have any fictional songs that are just made up completely. They are pretty raw, or cheerful, like how we feel. Or mainly they are stories. What’s so similar about us and country music is that there’s a plot, and there’s a storyline, which is in a lot of country music more so than other genres.
How autobiographical are your songs? Are they true to how you live your life in a rural setting?
It’s completely true. I drink and I get into trouble.
What do you do when you’re not touring, other than playing music?
Recently, I’ve been painting a lot..Shooting BB guns...Jess and I made a video last night for the King Kahn tour that’s really, really funny, so we spent the whole evening giggling. Pretty much, I just laugh and laugh and goof around with the girls. I do lots of art projects…we do crafts and make dresses together and stuff like that”
Also, all of you teach at the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp. What words of wisdom to you give to young rock-and-rollers about how they can make their dreams come true?
I pretty much just say let your inhibitions go, be creative, have fun with whatever you’re doing, don’t get too serious about it. I mean, be serious, but don’t take yourself too seriously or you won’t have any fun. I pretty much tell them to just have fun and do whatever…write something simple or fun and just go with it and have fun performing it. That’s what we do.
What is it like living the dream? Did you ever think you’d be performing at this level?
I always wanted to. Since I was a little kid I wanted to grow up to be a rock-star. Then, I met these girls and was like “this is really, really fun.” Even the first year of playing with them I never really thought that it would [be more]; we were just having fun. We were just doing acoustic Carter family songs, and it was just kind of a novelty, and it kept evolving. I had no intentions of this happening, but it’s the most amazing thing. I’m so happy I met these girls. I couldn’t have even imagined that this would’ve happened.
Those darlin damsels
THREE SOUTHERN LADIES THAT’LL GIVE DENVER A ROUSIN’ GOOD TIME
Published: Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 23:10
 "Photo: Those Darlins")
Those Darlins
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