The New Kentucky Quarter "Flower Beds" Live at Memorial Union Terrace Madison, WI June 15, 2006 PODCAST EXCLUSIVE!

It's kind of amazing, but I think last Thursday's set by the New Kentucky Quarter was the first show I'd seen on the Terrace in two years. The last time I remember being there for any kind of event at all was for the freezing-ass Michael Moore rally late in the 2004 election season. How I missed out on all of 2005 I don't know, but this show was the first of several Terrace shows I'm looking forward to this summer.

I'd never seen local openers the New Kentucky Quarter before, but I'd read up and them and checked out their downloads, which I found pretty impressive. They're being written up in some places as alt. country-ish, but I think that has to do with their name as much as anything else. Their sound is more in line with sweet-souled guitar rock of early Coldplay or late Soul Asylum, only balanced with female harmonies and less weighed down by chiming lead guitars. This tune -- not yet released on a record -- is a solid opener, but it took them a couple songs to really hit their stride, partly due a number of ongoing problems with the mix.