The Natural Life of a Spark Plug

Saturday night I went to see my friend Andy's band play; opening for him was a band that I'd heard about but had never heard--Mandy Jane and the Jaws of Life. Not being a country music fan, I didn't pay much attention to the praise heaped on this duo. But I've been missing out. It wasn't so much that the performance itself was amazing--the band seemed rather disorganized--but that the singing was so incredible. What a voice! It reminded me of a spark plug, how it can stir things up and make a whole car go, and Mandy Jane's voice stirred up each song and made it go. The country wasn't too much to put up with either; I find myself drawn more and more to country-tinged rock, and so maybe old country (mainly what was played) isn't so bad, especially if it has a comedic twist, as these songs did.

As for hair, because that's the real reason to stick anything on here, Mandy and Ken (or Kevin?), her partner, both had light hair, her's a lighter brighter blonde than his. He was balding--hair was short--and had a beard. Her hair was in a bob, or at least what I think of as a bob. On stage, the chemistry between them was palpable.

But really, it was all about the voices, hers and his occasional beat box.