“In a nation of frightened dullards, there is always a sorry shortage of outlaws, and those few who make the grade are always welcome.”– Hunter S. Thompson

This is a story about kindred spirits. It’s a story about small-town chicks with big-city dreams, a story about the evolution of a band, about grit and determination. It’s a story about campfire sing-alongs and beer-soaked jamborees. It’s a tale about strangers coming to town, about true believers embarking on a journey. This is an age-old tale with a modern twist… one that takes the grand tradition of country and folk and infuses it with rockabilly blues and backwoods swagger.

This is the story of Those Darlins, and it begins in Murfreesboro, Tennessee—home of the Southern Girls Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp—in the summer of 2003.

“We didn’t really set out to be a band originally,” Kelley Darlin recalls. “We were just hanging out and playing music ’cause it was really fun. In that sense, it’s definitely one of the most organic things I’ve ever been a part of.”

Kelley Darlin (AKA Kelley Anderson) founded the Murfreesboro chapter of the Southern Girls Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp after teaching guitar at a similar camp in Portland, Oregon a year prior. Jessi Darlin (AKA Jessi Wariner) attended the Murfreesboro camp during its first year and the two bonded via a mutual appreciation for country greats like the Carter Family and Hank Williams. Before long, Nikki Darlin (AKA Nikki Kvarnes) joined the fray, and what began as a couple of friends playing porch-swing standards for kicks slowly evolved into a full-blown trio.

After playing gigs in and around Tennessee, starting in 2006, Those Darlins were approached by (manager) John Turner, who suggested they travel to New York City, where there were industry connections and producers-o-plenty, recording studios and clubs to play.

“That first trip to New York City was awesome,” Kelley recalls. “I mean, going there to record just felt really professional and it gave us the sense that what we were doing was for real.”

Not only was it for real, but the band was making valuable inroads as well. They eventually hooked up with (Vampire Weekend producer) Jeff Curtin, who helped them record tracks for their self-titled album. They had an extensive touring schedule during the first half of ’09, which included stops at New York City’s Mercury Lounge and the South by Southwest Music Festival, and several big-name media outlets began to herald the band as “one to watch”—SPIN, TheNew Yorker, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone among them. Suddenly, Those Darlins were the toast of Tennessee—renegade rock stars who played every bar as if it were in their own backyard. They drank and cussed and grew armpit hair. They were irreverent and charming and wholly unimpressed. They were a self-proclaimed posse of snaggle-tooth mamas with tremendous appeal, and they were playing their guts out for peanuts in jerkwater joints and chicken-wire dives all across the country—a non-stop labor of love that sometimes made it difficult for the band to make ends meet.

“At times it’s been frustrating ’cause we’re working really hard 24 hours a day, but we’re still not at the point where we’re making much money,” Jessi Darlin explains. “So it’s kind of like working full-time for free. And that’s fine. We love doing it or else we wouldn’t. But sometimes it’s just hard to figure out how you’re gonna pay the rent ’cause you’re on the road for the whole month and you can’t really work otherwise, y’know?”

“The other thing is that we’re putting out the album ourselves,” Kelley adds. “So we set up the label with our manager, JT. And we took care of all the expenses associated with that so we don’t have to work with a major label and we maintain control of our creative output.”

While the choice to release the LP on their own falls very much in line with the fierce independence Those Darlins hold so dear, the band doesn’t necessarily dismiss the possibility of signing with a major label somewhere down the line.

“As long as we can maintain our friendship and we can continue to do what we want musically and creatively, that’s the ultimate goal,” Kelley explains. “I wouldn’t rule out working with a major label. But it would have to be the right deal, and it would have to make sense for us. The core of the group is really strong right now. And as long as that remains intact… well, that’s kind of the genuine purpose.”

“We’re at the point where we’re kind of like sisters,” Jessi continues. “So, it’s one of those things where you just have to love each other no matter what. Even on the rare occasion when we do have arguments, it never really lasts that long…”

“We just get out of the van and fight,” Kelley admits, half-jokingly. “Then we hug it out and we’re fine.”