Vermillion Lies
If Edward Gorey had a band and he also was somehow two adorable, ecologically conscious sisters, that band would be Vermillion Lies. The duo of Kim and Zoe Boekbinder travel the country in a biodiesel van, peddling a sound that mixes vintage blues and mountain ballads with cabaret and vaudevillian novelties. They've also got a sense of style that's a hybrid of Prohibition-era porn and the attic contents of a retired circus performer. Their latest album, What's in the Box?, released earlier this month, is a compendium of smart, poisonous and witty takes on everything from global warming ('It's Not Cool") to the more ribald side of astronomy ('Your Milky Way is All Over Me"). Angelic harmonies and junk-shop sound effects (slide whistles, kazoos, typewriters) sweeten and lighten wryly gruesome lyrics ('Mummy, when grandfather dies / Can we cut him open to see what's inside?"). The experimental cellist Helen Gillet opens with her project Wazozo, serving chansons with a wink. Tickets $5. — Alison Fensterstock
10 p.m. Tue., March 25
Hi Ho Lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave., 945-HIHO
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