Brooklyn can't escape country music. No matter what kind of music is hovering on the forefront of the Brooklyn music scene - be it the arty garage punk of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or the disco funk of !!! - there is always an undercurrent of country. Less noticed by the rest of the US but perhaps more cherished and depended upon by the locals. Bands like Brooklyn Brown Grass and Oakley Hall have had a place to thrive. Most Brooklyn country bands study the greats, the Grand Ole Opry heroes and then take what they've learned and apply it to something new. But, some people are just straight up doin' it old school.

That's what you'll find if you happen to wander into a bar in the South Slope called Buttermilk on the last Thursday of every month. Those who know about Buttermilk may have chuckled at that last sentence. You don't just "happen to wander into" Buttermilk. It is in the middle of nowhere. Definitely a destination bar. I was happy I wasn't alone that night because exiting the Prospect Street R station past dark is, like, scary.

After walking parallel to the Prospect Expressway for a few blocks we knew we were close from the sound of twangy music drifting out onto the street. I was getting more excited by the minute. We opened the door to Buttermilk and were suddenly in a sea of people. It was crowded and sweaty in there. The main attraction was not just $3 High Lifes, but the Cashank Hootenanny Jamboree.

As the name suggests, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams are the main guys being celebrated here but any popular classic country song is fair game, provided it has 4 chords or less. Everyone is welcome to sing a song or play an instrument. The Hoot is run by a good-lookin' cowboy named Alex Battles of the band Whisky Rebellion. The man knows his country classics. He was joined onstage by a raggedy bunch of musicians of all ages playing, among other things, mandolin, violin, guitar and an upright bass that looked like it was made out of a beat up old Pelican case. The crowd was a fun-loving (read: drunk or getting there) group of people who sang and danced along to the music. The atmosphere of this lovely dive bar was joyous and festive.

I came slightly underprepared to sing a song. My selection was "Still Doin' Time" by George Jones. It meets all of the requirements. It has 3 chords, it's well known, and was written before 1970. But, in the end, my pansy-ass chickened out. The Cashank has been around for a while. The people going up on stage were very familiar with each other and it seemed hard to infiltrate that. Also, it was a major sausage fest. I didn't see any ladies up there until Battles' own mom got up to do a few numbers. Maybe if I go a few more times I'll get comfortable enough to inject some estrogen into the proceedings.

I get a little bummed out when the music scene is so in-your-face man-heavy (Note to self: Man-Heavy - good band name). When my band loads into clubs I regularly get stopped by bouncers and have to prove that I'm part of the band. I don't know why they think I'd be carrying a 75 pound amp if I wasn't in the band. None of the boys in my band ever get stopped. What's so unbelievable about a woman playing music? OK. The rant is over. Sorry. I've been needing to get that out of my system for a while.

The next Cashank is March 26th! It's free! Go to it, drink a lot and then have the ovaries (or otherwise) to sing a tune!

This month my recommendation is Beck's new album Modern Guilt. Beck has teamed up with Danger Mouse to produce this collection of dynamic songs. Some are lively party tunes, some are hauntingly beautiful with arresting sonic textures. It's kind of like the best of all of Beck's previous styles in one. This album's big beats pushed me through a couple long runs in Central Park last weekend. It's great workout music and the perfect thing to snap you out of the Winter blues. Get a copy and let it be the soundtrack to your Spring!