Townies

Don't call Prairiedog a country band. It's "scrappy rock," says lead singer and songwriter Sarah Nelson. "The music is numb rock that you want to drink rum to." The cowboy boot-wearing four-piece has been playing Northern California porches and dive bars since 2005, primarily for the love of it. The band's only full-length recording, To Set Your Calendars on Fire, quickly disappeared after its limited pressing of 100 was sold and given away, leaving fans without much other than the occasional live performance. The group plans to record another album in the fall and continues doing what it does best -- wooing drunken hipsters. Although Prairiedog now calls San Francisco home, it started out in Sacramento -- perhaps it was the lazy, hot summer days of the valley that helped form the sound of longing so prevalent in Nelson's heavy-hearted songs. Nelson has her own reasons for playing the music she does: "I hope to get rid of all burdens," she says, "and prove that you can let go of everything."

Marabelle Phoenix opens.
Tue., July 15, 9:30 p.m., 2008