The Ditty Bops

Only in America could a lesbian ragtime duo get signed to a major label (i.e. Warner Brothers). The Ditty Bops’ success story, scored to an old-timey soundtrack that mixes Django Reinhardt and Blossom Dearie, began when guitarist Abby DeWald and mandolin player Amanda Barrett met over their search for a lost cat in New York, and were encouraged by a stranger to start a band. Fittingly, they fell in love. While their union sounds like a P.C. Nora Ephron rom-com, the band’s sunny swing (approved by Garrison Keillor) accompanies both heartbreak pangs and love-happy sighs, not to mention an L-Word appearance.

Fri., Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m., 2009