Rock energy coexists with old-time mountain soul. Spooky backwoods melodies combine with hip, hard-hitting beats. No electricity! No drums! Meet Crooked Still, the hot young alternative bluegrass group on a mission to bend the boundaries of traditional music. The unlikely combination of banjo, cello, and double-bass drives this low lonesome band, whose captivating vocals and high-wire solos have enraptured audiences all over the U.S. and Ireland since 2001. Aoife O'Donovan's vocals, Rushad Eggleston's cello, and Gregory Liszt's four-finger banjo combine with Corey DiMario's pulsing bass lines to create an acoustic fusion that can rock trad music without sacrificing the authenticity of the original sources. Mike Harding of the BBC says of their new CD, SHAKEN BY A LOW SOUND: "Absolutely wonderful! Not a weak track on the whole album!"

•www.crookedstill.com