Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans

I love pickers who leave vapor trails behind wherever they go. Corb Lund and his crew sound like a jazz band that accidentally grazed in the loco-weed patch and tried to overcome the effects by drinking a bucket of coffee. Sidekicks Grady Valgardson (drums), Grant Siemens (guitar) and Kurt Ciesla (stand-up bass) are one of the tightest can't-miss-a-lick ensembles around, attacking Lund's apocalyptic cowboy visions with pure Albertan abandon. Press sister paper Nashville Scene named them 2006's "Best Unsigned Act," and their sixth LP is due in November.