First-rate snapshots

Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids releases new EP

Lindsay Holler spends her days "head hunting" for qualified restaurant managers. On weekends, she slings drinks at Gene's Haufbrau. She's busy enough that if you're not seeking her out, it's easy to go way too long without hearing her perform.

So when she releases a new EP, it's always a stunning, wonderful reminder of just how good her songs are. Beyond the fantastic wording and stirring delivery, Holler surrounds herself with the finest young musicians around. Western Polaroids' drummer Nick Jenkins plays drums with a controlled but voracious energy that perfectly frames the multipart segments of the band's songs. Ben Wells' steady bass, Bill Carson's rollicking guitar and Sam Sfirri's methodically melodic key work lend themselves perfectly to songs like "Keep Bleeding," the opening track on their new six-song disc, "Helltembre."

Holler's voice sounds eerily similar to Melissa Etheridge when she wails away, "I don't know how/I don't know how/I don't know how to tell you," but the similarity to the other diva ends when the band chimes into the country art-rock sing-along, all clearly pouring their soul into the spirited song.

Sunday's Pour House release party ought to be as rambunctiously polished as the new EP. Tent Revival, the alt-country collaboration of drummer Benji Lee and songwriter Owen Beverly, start off the multipart evening. "They're amazing," says Holler, humbly stressing the importance of coming early for the 8 p.m. show. "The performances should be flip-flopped."

Between shows, local poet (and Preview editor) Marcus Amaker will perform on the deck, followed by an "auxiliary band" of a tuba, flute, alto sax, trumpet, melodica and four drummers.

"It'll be pretty spooky," Holler says with a smile. "They'll start on the porch and make their way onto the stage, then play the first song with us."

With all the skilled friends that Holler surrounds herself with, the "Helltembre" release is bound to be a who's who of Charleston talent. The singer claims to defer to her band on recording and song composition decisions.

"I'm a worker bee," says Holler. "I want someone to tell me what to do."

But having studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Holler is no pushover -- far more than just a pretty voice with a knack for words and songcraft. She collaborated with local drummer/producer Josh Kaler to record the album at Kaler's Radcliffe Street studio, Hello Telescope.

"It's the only professional studio of its kind on the peninsula," says Holler. "You walk right out the door and you're right by AC's. It gives the music a real feel of being downtown, in the city."

If Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids is the sound of the Charleston peninsula, the scads of cover bands littering King Street better watch out. Because "Helltembre" gets released this Sunday, and it's fine stuff.

If you go

Who: Lindsay Holler's Western Polaroids.

When: Sunday 8 p.m.

Where: The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway.

Cost: $7 at the door.

official web site: www.lindsayholler.net.

Info: 571-4343 or www.charlestonpourhouse.com.