Rebel from the North

Cutrufello understands that her story is far from typical. She didn't languish in some hayseed town in Tennessee or Oklahoma as a kid; her daddy wasn't a truck driver; and she didn't get her start lip-synching to Tammy Wynette standards at the county fair. "I mean, look at Dale Watson, he's a perfect example: his dad was a country musician, he grew up in Pasadena, Texas; he just lives and breathes the music," Cutrufello admits. "It's what he is in a way that I'll never be able to match."

To her credit, though, Cutrufello has done a reasonable job of proving it's the feel -- not the history -- that matters.

"Some people might find it presumptuous that I would say that after five years, I've got the vibe of country music down," she says. "Mine is a different take on it -- a more academic take. It's the way my head works. I don't think that invalidates what I do at all."

Mary Cutrufello performs at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, December 14, at Blanco's, 3406 West Alabama. No cover. For info, call 439-0072. Cutrufello also performs at 10:30 p.m. Friday, December 15, at the Edge, 2301 West Alabama. Tickets are $4. For info, call 524-4198.