Shotgun Party

Shotgun Party's self-titled release steps into the swing-trio wake, as if the Hot Club of Cowtown rear-ended the Damnations. Slap-bass man Christopher Crepps most recently thumped for the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, but it's the divine teaming of fiddler Katy Rose Cox (ex-Uncle F*cker) and singer/guitarist/composer Jenny Parrott that makes this roots-rock outfit crackle. Parrott reveals a marvelous feel for back-porch poetry in her lyrics; with good-humor titles like "Haunted House Bear," "Devil Town," and "Pickled Eggs," they'll appeal to Southern Culture on the Skids fans. - Austin Chronicle

Unheralded opening trio Shotgun Party blew the house away with a set of Texas swing that had one foot among the tumbleweeds and the other in outer space. Singer Jenny Parrot has an arresting, brassy voice with a permanent, fluttering vibrato, and a stage presence that was just art-school enough to let you know somebody up there’s a-thinkin’. Kind of like a two-step Björk, without the annoyance factor. Fiddler Kay Rose Cox gets virtuoso honors for the night; her solos were hair-raising, heroic statements. Shotgun Party will be back, and when they are, go. - Metroland Online

Shotgun Party - Shotgun Party (country?): I’m ashamed to admit that I had never heard of Shotgun Party before Google errantly delivered Shotgun Party’s lead singer, Jenny Parrott, to the front door of this site, but I can’t thank Google enough. Shotgun party is a Texas three piece (Upright bass, guitar, fiddle) whose style seems to sit somewhere between the old-time fun of 1930’s jazz revival bands like the Squirrel Nut Zippers and the sad, sweet, dance hall country feel of Patsy Cline. It’s rare for me to fawn over an indy debut, but the band’s simple melodies like “Gladiola” are home-baked, auditory comfort food that stick in my ears long after the disc is over. I have almost the same love for this album that I have for the Old97’s debut, Hitchhike to Rhome, which has spent so much time in my CD player in the last decade that I’ve had to replace it at least once. Let’s hope I’m a little more careful with this disc. A- - Shotgun Reviews