Jenkins is headed that direction. He recently finished his part of a compilation titled "Country West of Nashville" (produced by Grammy-winning Pete Anderson).

"I got to hang out with Dw"I got to hang out with Dwight Yoakam. Working with Pete was great. We recorded 'My Feet Don't Touch the Ground.'"

Jenkins sang solo and played guitar. His voice had a timeless quality that could be 1940s Texas Playboys or the Next Big Thing on commercial country radio.

"This is the new anthem for Oklahoma, 'Red dirt/ blue grass/ green country/ white trash....'" Jenkins' songs about outlaw ghosts, love faded as old denim and rolling reefer on a motel Bible, all have the ring of tent revival truth. He sang of sweet Tulsa nights and tasty big-legged women.

Get Jenkins' cool "Live at The Blue Door" (Remorseless Records 2000) via www.brandonjenkins.net.

The Groobees

The Groobees' Susan Gibson (guitar/vocals) and Scott Melott (keys/rhythm guitar/vocals) wrote all the songs for their new Lloyd Maines-produced album "Buy One, Get Eleven Free" (Downtime Records, 2001). Their influences range from Michelle Shocked to The Jayhawks. Somewhat a mutual admiration duo (with band), they each referenced the other as an inspiration. Not surprisingly, their songs share imagery. Road metaphors, sentimental trinkets and the frustrations of playing in a honky-tonk band appear in both's lyrics. The stories are fat slices of life, full of delectable details. Gibson wrote The Dixie Chicks' hit "Wide Open Spaces." Words from her "Perfect World": "I can't afford to pay my taxes/ I'll take it as a good sign/ It means I'm making money/ I just wish it could stay mine."

Asked whom he'd bring back from the Great Beyond for one more concert, Melott cracked "John Lennon and John Denver doing Simon and Garfunkel songs."

Gibson's earliest musical memory: "The nun 'The Sound of Music' was based on spoke at our church. I was in first grade. My friend Jenny Laturner singing up on stage that night was awesome."

Gibson and Melott both spoke like storytellers. They're a clever pair whose potential for songwriting is unlimited.

Gibson and Melott swarmed with Gary Thomason (guitar), Todd Hall (drums) and Bobby Schaffer (bass). They kicked off the show with the record's first tune, "Let's Go Out Tonight." Despite the title, it's sedate poetry set to hip C&W. Gibson sang a soulful version of Lowell George's "Willin.'" She has an endearing enthusiasm and unaffected stage presence that's all about knowing her art and doing 200 (mostly road) dates a year.

The Groobees played Gibson's "My Best Feature." It's a sweet ode to people's best features being skill, personality and intellect, not T&A, porcelain complexion and hard quads. She sang what few women have before: "...Take a look at this big ole butt..." It's a cool cowbabe-feminist song. Imagine Ani DiFranco was from Shamrock, Texas, not Buffalo, N.Y.

Melott scored with some dynamite accordion, rocking "Perfect World." Gibson occasionally played electric banjo. The entire band was tight as a Groobees' tush.

Groobees are the nutso human-faced bumblebees in Gumby and Pokey.

Introducing "Spaces": "This is my song that the Dixie Chicks got ahold of. It made us so happy...and bitter. No - just totally teasing," she grinned. "That song was picked by the Songwriter's Association as No. 259 in the 500 best of the century," Melott said. "Achy Breaky Heart" beat her out at No. 258," he added.

"Here's a song ('You Came Along') I wrote for my 5-year-old nephew," Gibson said. It was a touching auntie's ballad, unexpectedly tender over the Jagermeister din.