by: Shea Carver

Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs
with Taylor Hollingsworth, Bibis Ellison and The Beatups
Soapbox, upstairs
255 N. Front Street
December 16th; 9pm
Tickets: $8-$10

If listeners had to visualize the sound of Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, cast-iron pans, washing boards, front-porch jams and especially a half-drunk jug of moonshine—or a fifth of bourbon—most likely would dance around their heads. The country-blues romp that this two-person act puts out comes born of traditional Americana by way of a British invasion. And it cradles the raw South’s rickety charm and edge, tipping its hat off to the honky-tonks of yesteryear—maybe with an unrefined wink and a grin.

“I grew up in Texas,” Brokeoff Lawyer Dave told encore last week, referring to the South’s inspiration on the duo. “Naturally, it’s the best place on Earth, as it is to everyone down there. I figure it may play a part in what I like to do, but I don’t think too much about it.”

While Lawyer Dave’s counterpart hails from across the pond, in Sussex, England, she sounds as if she invented Southern roots music, finessing a hypnotic drawl that transcends time and place. As only one-half of the Brokeoffs, Holly Golightly’s musical prowess makes up at least four members alone. And when paired with Lawyer Dave, their compositions sound like an entire family is mashing against a host of pots and pans, forks and spoons, and whatever else may appropriately bang, click and clang.

Golightly has evolved comprehensively over an almost two-decade musical career, wherein her soulful vocals have wrapped around genres of all sorts. Her early days in the English garage-rock band Thee Headcoatees (the female version to Billy Childish’s Headcoats) paved the way for a career that would manifest 12 LPs, all of varying sounds, from jazz to blues to ‘60s soul, and over 15 singles for many a label. She has also collaborated with numerous artists, including another beloved blues-rock duo, The White Stripes, on their acoustic love ballad “It’s True That We Love One Another” (2003, Elelphant).

Today, as she and Dave make house along the Georgia plains, she noted her immersion into country and blues came naturally. “I am fairly set in my ways, and have a pretty narrow view when it comes to what I like to listen to and have in my own collection,” Golightly admitted. “The covers I’ve done over the years tend to reflect that tunnel vision—from my first solo record, up to this point. Cover[s] aside, there are a percentage of songs on each one that have followed that familiar country/blues formula. I have just drawn on everything that I know and like over the years, as everyone does.”

The Brokeoffs’ 2008 release Dirt Don’t Hurt proves a perfect case-in-point to well-crafted roots music. Not only does Golightly coyly prune and croon in singsong, story-telling fashion, Lawyer Dave adds to it an impressive kaleidoscopic instrumental range. Never does the music fall on deaf ears during any of its tracks—it’s virtually impossible with the layers of pitch sounding off measure after measure.

“On Dirt I just used whatever I could find at the studio in Spain,” Lawyer Dave explained. “I can’t remember everything they had; I think I used some keyboard stands and springs, stretched out over sheet metal, as well as the standard box of percussion studios tend to have on hand. As any kid knows, things are fun to bang on because everything has a different sound. And there, of course, is a bit of my live foot-percussion rig, which is five kick-pedals configured to hit a bass drum, snare, hats and a ride.”

The rig of which he speaks has become the third member of the Brokeoffs, so one can assume. Naturally, being in a studio allows for more tricks on the editing floor; but, live, when only two people play, the fullness of sound may not compete. Thus, the rig adds abundance—not to mention, it captivates audiences.

“We aren’t really interested in replicating recordings,” Lawyer Dave clarified. “To us, playing live is a different animal with its own charms. We try and make it as interesting as possible for two people to pull off. We didn’t wanna bore everyone with just two guitars and singing all night, so I came up with this foot contraption to make it sound bigger, and give it a little more drive. I suppose it also has a spectacle element to it, which we like.”

With cleverly titled songs, like “My 45” and “Getting High for Jesus,” the stories behind them add to the duo’s quirky and audacious approach which makes their sound a complete art form. Perhaps most endearing about them are hearing how their sonic conversations emote beyond the typical heartbroken man versus woman.

“I figure duets are largely sappy and painfully dull,” Lawyer Dave said. “There aren’t nearly enough that celebrate the fact that men and women don’t get along all the time. It’s relatively easy to write songs like [‘My 45,’] and I don’t know why more folks don’t do it. I find it’s fun to argue in public in that way, and I guess it’s human nature to want to eavesdrop on fights.”

Golightly agreed reticently: “What he said—for the sake of a quiet life.”

Like any good dose of country blues, when the Brokeoffs sing, “I’m getting high for Jesus/’cause he’s got some love for me,” the gospel vibe runs heavy, with a twinge of tongue-in-cheek sacrament. Their brand of sound creates a sacred jubilee, something that came natural for a “lawyer” from the South and a spellbinding Brit songstress.

“I had an overly religious upbringing,” Lawyer Dave revealed, “and although I am not a true believer, I love the music. I don’t think nonreligious people should feel like they can’t participate in spiritual music. It’s something I relate to in a manner that I cannot describe and don’t even try. This song is a bit of how I don’t buy into religion but done in a kinda spiritual way.

Unlike the Biblebelt’s multitudes of followers, Golightly wasn’t influenced or contained by the gospel during childhood or thereafter. Yet, the interest and ethos evoked from the music continues to keep her intrigued.

“I thoroughly enjoy music ‘for praise sake,’” she said, “and can fully appreciate the sentiment of this song, despite the fact I don’t buy a word of the story myself.”

Religious talk aside, the mien of their music-making remains inspired, whether from the Delta blues, the Baptist church, big Texas or across the pond. “Everything influences us,” Golightly maintained, “both what we like and don’t like.” With the lo-fi process continuing its success on their latest EP, Devil Do, it’s apparent their muse is going strong, weighing in for a new full release this spring—March, to be exact.

“This new record has a lot more of that rig played a bit ambitiously,” Lawyer Dave explained, “and I’m still surprised it was pulled off in such a way. It also has a bit of the same found objects, as well as an old church organ we got to use.”

“The thing that stands out most to me,” Golightly added, “as being different from the last two albums, is the ice-rink feel to it.”

Ice? Blades? Sounds chipping away within every chord? For what it’s worth, these two could make the sound of paint drying on a wall something to adore. And their aloof approach in the studio to mastering a genre as old as the hills makes every one of their records all the more compelling.

“We just kinda hit ‘record’ and see what happens,” the Lawyer noted.

Usually, the outcome is derelict rhapsody, still robust and healthy, alive and well—something not to miss live come December 16th at the Soapbox. Playing with Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs will be Taylor Hollingsworth (of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band fame), Wilmington’s own local love Bibis Ellison, as well as garage-rock, mod and pop/punksters The Beatups.

My prediction: Hands down, the best show Wilmington will have seen in 2009.