Local band’s ‘Growing Up Country’ show features stories behind the songs

The sounds of sweet, classic country music will be echoing through Millheim Saturday night.

Fresh off of an out of town gig the night before, Kristi Jean and Her Ne’er-Do-Wells bring their show to the Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks starting at 8 p.m. Saturday. Called “Growing Up Country,” the show has a bit of a different format.

“It is really, really exciting,” said lead vocalist Kristi Branstetter. “It not only features really great, old country songs, but it also features the stories behind them.”

Interestingly, going one step further, the show not only features the stories behind the songs, it features Branstetter’s connection to the songs via her musical life, which deepens the intimacy of the show.

“It’s Ken Burns’ documentary,” said Steve Branstetter, lead guitarist and Kristi husband. “We’d also played a show where we talked a little bit about the stories behind the songs. People seemed really interested in some of the stories.”

The personal component emerges from Kristi Branstetter’s upbringing in a small, Texas town where she was immersed in country music. Her father and grandfather listened to country music, the radio played country music and she watched shows like “Hee Haw” regularly. However, she branched out as she grew older only to make a triumphant return to her roots, from which we all benefit.

“It’s all about how she grew up with country music, tried to distance herself from it, and inevitably found her way back,” Steve Branstetter said.

“There’s such a rich history,” Kristi Branstetter said. “We have stories of women’s empowerment. We have stories of what it really means to be a country person and why they tell such great stories.”

Along with the Elk Creek show, Kirsti Jean and Her Ne’er-Do-Wells are finishing their second studio album, which is set to be released this spring. The new album will feature new original songs influenced by country and rockabilly music.

“The first song we’re really going to push off of it is a western swing tune that tells a story,” Steve Branstetter said.

The couple used to play music for a living, traveling around living the late night entertainment life with a van packed full of gear, and the first song being released off of the new album is about that lifestyle.

“The song is all about that lifestyle, staying in band houses, and the miracle that we actually somehow got home and didn’t die on the highway,” Steve Branstetter said.

Much of the album was recorded at Bill Filer’s studio in Port Matilda, but some was also recorded in a home studio to accommodate some needs of members of the band. After the recording is finished, it will be sent to Cris Burns in the Austin, Texas-based Ameripolitan Studios for mixing and mastering.

“He’s done stuff for award-winning musicians Dale Watson, Asleep at the Wheel, Sophia Johnson and Brennen Leigh,” Steve Branstetter said.

I was able to have a sneak listen to a song from the new album, and it was awesome. Kristi Branstetter’s voice carries the band with an energetic lucidity; the rhythm section — which includes bass player extraordinaire Jason Ebersole, super steady Sean Hershey on drums and Mike Russel on rhythm guitar — joyfully marches along; and Steve Branstetter’s electric guitar playing is slick, reminiscent of Brian Setzer once he went full-on swing. Dave Mudgett’s steel guitar has not been added yet, but promises to be amazing as per Mudgett’s usual.

Kristi and Steve met when they were sophomores in college. They played music together, which enabled Kristi to pay her way through school. After getting married, they worked in Austin before moving back to Colorado where they played quite a bit of music. Becoming parents and returning to school led to a musical hiatus. Eventually, though, they made their way back to music thanks to an opportunity Kristi had to audition for “Always Patsy Cline.”

“She was my idol and had been forever,” Kristi Branstetter said. “I got the job, but I told Steve I wasn’t going to do it unless he did it with me. He played in the band for the show, I was Patsy Cline, and that’s how we started up again.”

As for the future, the band is focused on the upcoming weekend and is hoping to keep performing music people can dance to as well as unique formats like “Growing Up Country.”

“It’s something different,” Kristi Branstetter said. “It’s not just listening to a band. It’s listening to a whole show about the music and the stories behind it. It’s going to be really fun. We’re hoping to get a chance to play it in a few different venues.”