Flat Duo Jets

The Chapel Hill, N.C., duo of Dexter Romweber on vocals and guitar and the elusive Crow on drums have been bashing out shine-running hillbilly anthems since the 1980s. Incorporating elements of Swamp Rock, Rockabilly and Country Swing, Flat Duo Jets records are volatile mixes of croon and clamor. With a carny's sleight of hand, the Jets can switch in a flash from the empty bottle sadness of "You Belong to Me" to the hell-busting-loose furor of "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "Go Go Harlem Baby." Romweber possesses Jerry Lee Lewis' ability to transform mild-mannered '50s rock 'n' roll standards into noise-scorched powderkegs in a dance of rowdy flames. They're at their best live, when every song they touch becomes an unburnished gem of ragged power and worthy testimony to the legendary rock thoroughbreds who once called Sun Records home.