Those Darlins are more than happy to let you know that they get drunk and they eat chicken. Tonight at 7 p.m. at the Highdive, they’re bringing their southern charm to bear, along with fellow charmer Angie Heaton, who opens. Cover is just five bucks, so stop in.
Those Darlins – “Wild One”
Nikki Darlin (lower left in the picture above) spoke to us from the road yesterday afternoon, and here are the blessed results:
Smile Politely: Are you guys all from Murfreesboro originally?
Nikki Darlin: No, we all live in Murfreesboro, but Kelley’s from South Carolina, Jessi’s from Kentucky, Lynn’s from Virginia, and I’m from Virginia also.
SP: How did y’all end up in Murfreesboro?
ND: Kelli went to school at MTSU [Middle Tennessee State University], and I just kind of landed there. Jessi moved there because she had gone to Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp and ended up moving in with me, officially.
SP: What is the Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp?
ND: It’s a camp for girls ages 10 to 17.
SP: Who puts it on?
ND: Kelli. She’s the founder of the camp.
SP: How long have you guys been a group then?
ND: Two years, two and a half years. Have we been a group for two and a half years, Jessi? Three years, I guess. [laughs]
SP: I’ve listened to your three-song EP. Do you play original songs other than that, or have any other albums?
ND: Yeah, we have an album coming out in June on Oh Wow Dang, a label that us and our partner started. Those three songs will be on it as well.
SP: What’s the story behind the name of the label?
ND: [laughs] It’s actually something that our partner has a daughter that’s like four, and she says that a lot. That’s where that came from.
SP: That’s cute. How would you describe your live show for someone who’s never seen Those Darlins before?
ND: I don’t know, silly as all hell? We just like to have fun and be wild. We just want people to have fun, laugh, and dance, you know?
Those Darlins “Whole Damn Thing” from Tugboat Productions on Vimeo.
SP: So I’m assuming that Darlin is not all your given last name. That would be a tremendous coincidence.
ND: Yeah, it’s a crazy coincidence. It’s true.
SP: Oh, wow. Do you have a creation mythology that goes along with that?
ND: No. We just all go by Darlin. I don’t know, some people will be like, “Are you all sisters?” and we’ll be like, “Yeah, we are.” Or, “You all have the same last name and you’re not sisters? That’s crazy.” And we’re like, “We know. Weird.”
SP: So you have a date [last night], before you’re headed this way?
ND: Yeah, we’re in Indianapolis.
SP: Oh, right. Tonight’s with the Avett Brothers, right?
ND: Yeah, we’ve never played with them before.
SP: OK, have you been to any of their shows?
ND: No, I’ve never seen them. I don’t think the girls have.
SP: I think you’ll have fun with them. They’re good-looking dudes.
ND: Good-looking dudes don’t get us if they can’t make us laugh. [laughs]
SP: Oh, they’ve got some personality too. They break banjo strings every song, they’re crazy.
ND: They are crazy? Well good.
SP: Yeah, they’ve got a pretty wild live show.
ND: Good. That’s good to hear. We’ll have to try to one-up ’em. [laughs]
SP: Well, what would you like to tell the folks of Champaign-Urbana to prepare them for your arrival?
ND: We’re coming to get ’em. I don’t know.