Sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson were the secret weapon behind Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis' acclaimed solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, which dropped in January of last year. Their haunting, plush harmonies added a mournful, Southern Gothic twinge that was a perfect foil for Lewis' complex, California folk-pop narratives, underscoring her voice with a ghostly murmur like whispers on an Appalachian breeze. Their solo work has drawn comparisons to other dark-edged alt-country songbirds, including Neko Case, Emmylou Harris and Chan Marshall of Cat Power. Their recording debut, the 2006 EP Southern Manners, is packed with sweet, whispered country-gospel melancholy that's as thick as molasses and rolls as gently as the hills of the sisters' native Kentucky. New Orleans-based singer/songwriter Kelcy Mae opens. She's a former Loyola University poetry student whose melodic, acoustic folk-pop slyly sugarcoats her often-biting lyrics. Tickets $10. "—Alison Fensterstock

9 p.m. Thu., Oct. 11

The Parish at the House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 310-4999; www.hob.com