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Nashville, Tennessee has long been a city revered for it's music, but if you should ever wander into the outskirts of the city you might encounter the unique and wonderful sounds of a seductive duo known as The Sugar Dames. Amongst lonely antebellum homes, farm relics and rolling hills the Dames have been hiding away--hard at work on their first project. Jenn Palmer and Christina Elen are hardly your typical musicians. Shying away from the bluster of the city's music scene, they've preferred to privately concoct and perfect their haunting musical compositions together.

Having both been solo acts for 5 years, Elen and Palmer's meeting seemed to be just a matter of fate. "We come from a long line of preachers, prophets, singers, sculptors, painters, and musicians," says Elen. "Though we're not related, our upbringings were remarkably similar. Tent revivals, traveling evangelists, inner city churches... all of these experiences led us to meeting, relating and having a deep musical connection."

Now having been a group for the past two years, The Sugar Dames deliver music that is a hybrid of the past and present, an all encompassing style. "We're influenced by anything and everything from the alternative genres to the classics, from Debussy and Tom Waits to old black gospel and Etta James." says Palmer. "We like to go the unexpected direction, but keep it applicable to the current (and future) music movement."

It's evident by the taxidermy, antique carnival posters and strange medical equipment that adorn their studio that there is a fascination with the darker side of life. Elen laughs when asked why The Dames are drawn to such morose stories and subject matter in their music. "Of course. We both grew up in the church. Scripture is full of dark and glorious stories of life and death. Palmer adds, "But there is also a therapeutic quality involved in expressing horrific situations through art. We have both experienced a great deal of gloom and gladness. That is life."

The Sugar Dames songs reflect heavily on times of grief, of heartsickness and of loss; the perfect potion to musical expression. Recording since late 2007, their music features Jenn Palmer and Christina Elen's musical prowess in all areas of its production. Their sound is both dreamy and powerful--evoking ghosts from the past and drawing upon an original take on the future. It is both familiar and mysterious. A new musical force to be savored and reckoned with. 

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