Here’s the skinny, Barbara in the Attic (or BITA for short) simply impressed the hell outta’ me. I happened upon this talented group one night and was fixated with what I heard. The first thing that caught my attention was Barbara, the slightly short chick with the microphone belting out unbelievably soulful notes reminiscent of the greats like Aretha and Janis. The rest of the band was no less impressive, each member bringing a unique flavor. From the rhythm section to the violin, it was a seamless exercise in genre blending. Like a master chef, BITA draws on a number of musical ingredients to make something tasty. BITA recently released their first EP (self titled) with four tracks, my favorite being a haunting little number entitled “Anthem”. The band was cool enough to hook me up with a copy of their EP which I promptly listened to repeatedly. Do yourself a favor and look these guys and gals up or, even better, check them out live! – Cory Huennekens