Second Stage: Drug Rug

by Robin Hilton

Download "Never Tell" by Drug Rug (Right-click or control-click to save to your computer).

Drug Rug seems like an entirely random name for a band. But apparently it's what you call a kind of striped poncho "hippies" wore back in the '60s and '70s. Drug Rug the band is a duo featuring the music of Thomas Allen and Sarah Cronin, and their songs owe a lot to the bands of those decades, particularly groups like The Byrds or The Velvet Underground. Allen and Cronin say their latest album, Paint the Fence Invisible, was inspired by "early folk musicians, comic books, campgrounds, funny hats," and the images of Garth Williams, the illustrator who did the artwork for books like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. That might explain the playfulness and innocence that you can hear in Drug Rug's music. Allen and Cronin make lovely, two-part harmonies, with joyful melodies and propulsive rhythms. It's the perfect batch of songs for the dog days of Summer.

Thomas Allen and Sarah Cronin of Drug Rug

This cut from Paint the Fence Invisible is "Never Tell."

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3:01 PM ET | 08-13-2009 | permalink

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