Tin Roof hosts Americana bands, graffiti documentary

It is always interesting to find out from a performer what their favorite artist in the same genre is.

For local singer-songwriter Megan Jean, it is all about Alabama ghost music, specifically the kind played by the Pine Hill Haints.

Hailing from Huntsville, Ala., the Pine Hill Haints perform their own brand of music that could be called a cross between Americana and rockabilly but in reality is much more difficult than that to categorize.

Listening to songs such as "Ghost Train" and "Whiskey Broke My Fall," there is a certain beauty to the Haints' music, while at the same time one might find it more than easy to get a little creeped out by the songs.

It's not that there is anything wrong or disturbing about the Haints' songs; it's just that when you listen, the hairs on the back of your neck begin to stand up.

Jean first ran across the Pine Hill Haints when a friend in Georgia showed her a video of the band online.

"I was amazed at how skeletal the band's music is," says Jean. "I love dark and creepy things, and this is really music for ghosts."

While the Haints have played in Charleston before, at the now-defunct Map Room in West Ashley, Jean has never seen the band live.

Now touring in support of their latest CD, "To Win or to Lose," the Haints will make another stop in the Lowcountry this Sunday at the Tin Roof in West Ashley.

Jean and fellow bandmate Byrne Klay moved to Charleston a little more than a year ago after performing here and being impressed by the local music scene.

Her band, Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band (KFB), has played its own brand of jazz-tinged Americana music steadily since arriving. Now that she has established her music locally, Jean has been looking to bring in other artists who she thinks might make an impression on the local music scene.

Although Sunday's show coincides with the year's biggest professional football game in America, Jean is determined to make the appearance a success.

"It's all about convincing people that a band they've never heard of could blow their minds. I want folks to be thinking about this show for the next week."

Megan Jean and the KFB will open for the Pine Hill Haints on Sunday.

Before either band plays, there will be a screening of Bill Daniel's black-and-white hobo graffiti documentary film "Who is Bozo Texino?"

Doors open at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. screening of the film, while the music starts at 8 p.m.

In addition to playing around town, Jean and Klay are hard at work on their first full-length album, tentatively titled "Welcome to the Big Top."

Asked if she is nervous about finally getting to meet the members of a band she is this crazy about, Megan advises, "I'm super nervous, but I just want to dance."

If you go

Who: The Pine Hill Haints, with special guests Megan Jean and the KFB and a film by Bill Daniels.

When: Sunday, 6 p.m. (film); 8 p.m. (music).

Where: The Tin Roof, 1117 Magnolia Road.

Cost: $7 at the door, call 571-0775.

Hear the Music: www.myspace.com/pinehillhaints; www.meganjean.net.

Info: 571-0775, www.myspace.com/westashleytinroof.

Contact Devin Grant at chucktowncritic@yahoo.com.