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Honky Tonk Confidential likes to say that it plays both kind of music -- country AND western. The band has a hard core country sound, but often veers into the land of rockabilly, western swing, and roots rock. HTC's book includes the best of the 50s and 60s, but the band also has released four albums of original material.

Yes, Virginia, a country band from DC can be (and is) authentic. Washington was a crossroads for a lot of country music in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and spawned stars such as Patsy Cline (Winchester, VA), Jimmy Dean, and Roy Clark. DC was (and is) a melting pot of genres, including country, R&B, jazz and hip hop.

HTC's brand new CD, Road Kill Stew and Other News, is the culmination of the collaboration of HTC with CBS News' Bob Schieffer, who penned the lyrics to four of the tunes: the sardonic "TV Anchorman," "Hard Choices," "Little LuLu & Sister Hot Stuff" and "Long Shot Love." We just wish that Bob's friend, Imus, would quit referring to us as "that band you drug in off the street!" Most of the remaining tunes were written by Diana Quinn and Mike Woods.

The band cites many influences, including country music giants such as Johnny Cash and Bob Wills. Three-part harmony is emphasized. Diana comes from a punk/classical background, and so HTC is not your typical country, or even alt country band.

The band's four CDs are: the eponymous Honky Tonk Confidential, which won WAMMIES (Washington Area Musicians Association awards) for Best Country CD and Debut Album of the Year, Your Trailer or Mine, which won Best Country CD, Album of the Year, and Record Design, Who Gets the Fruitcake This Year (released in 2006) and Road Kill Stew and Other News (release date February 2007).

For more information, please visit HonkyTonkConfidential.com You can buy HTC's records there or on cdbaby.com