The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
By Jennifer Maerz

THE PROM, TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, THE DIVORCE, Ashtray Hearts (Crocodile) Minneapolis' Ashtray Hearts remind me a lot of the Counting Crows when August and Everything After first came out. The Hearts CD, Old Numbers, is full of similarly styled, twangy, angst-filled Americana, and the singer's voice is a dead ringer at times for the Crows' Adam Duritz. Luckily, there are no "Mr. Jones" nods to the more commercial side of the genre, as most of the CD moves at a slumbering pace suitable for broken-hearted rainy days and other occasions that call for slow country waltzes. This show is also the pre-CD-release show for the Prom.