20

SATURDAY

Forget about that bombastic new LeAnn Rimes single—the most captivating country-siren vocals available on disc today come from a pair of recent Chicago transplants signed to the small Bloodshot label. Neko Case used to be in Vancouver punk band Maow. Kelly Hogan was in Atlanta indie-rock outfits the Jody Grind and the Rock*A*Teens. On her new Furnace Room Lullaby, Loretta Lynn fan Case pours out Jack Daniels-strong tales of heartbreak and loss, robustly backed by her Boyfriends: Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet’s Brian Connelly, Freakwater’s Bob Egan, and wildman guitarist Evan Johns, among others. On Hogan’s new release, Beneath the Country Underdog, she teams up with Mekon Jon Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts to turn a batch of originals and covers (Johnny Paycheck, Willie Nelson, the Magnetic Fields) into some tasty Patsy Cline-meets-Dusty Springfield rural soul. Case and Hogan perform at 9:30 p.m. at IOTA, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $10. (703) 522-8340. (Steve Kiviat)