Gig Alert: The Black River Belles Tonight at Opening Bell Coffee

If you're not heading to Allen to catch Lil Wayne or headed to tonight's sweet, all-local neo-folk (and free) show at Trees or watching Texas beat Alabama in the BCS title game tonight, you might think about braving the frigid temperatures and heading down to Opening Bell Coffee and catching...

By Darryl Smyers

January 7, 2010

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If you're not heading to Allen to catch Lil Wayne or headed to tonight's sweet, all-local neo-folk (and free) show at Trees or watching Texas beat Alabama in the BCS title game tonight, you might think about braving the frigid temperatures and heading down to Opening Bell Coffee and catching The Black River Belles.

Hailing from, of all places, Cleveland, The Belles feature Dallasite Helena Thompson on vocals and guitar. The two other Belles completing this fine trio are Sara Sasaki (fiddle, vocals) and Erin Lobb (bass, vocals). All three members attend Oberlin College and Conservatory where they study, you guessed it, music. As of yet, The Black River Belles haven't released an album, but the fine picking and singing of all three members should make for a good concert experience. Sticking mostly to traditional bluegrass numbers, the band adds a spunky flair to even the most ancient folk chestnuts.

On the band's website, the ladies bemoan winters in Ohio. Sadly, the trio won't get much of a break here in Texas. But the heater should be working just fine in Opening Bell Coffee and these gals can generate quite a bit of heat themselves.

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