County Liners

Two veterans of the Olympia, Washington underground music scene take a detour into lean, hardscrabble country rock in the the County Liners, a vehicle for the talents of Mary Jane Dunphe and Chris McDonnell. The project began in 2016. Dunphe was best known for her work with the punk band Vexx and an electronic pop duo known as CC Dust. Dunphe was forced to take time off from both groups when she suffered a severe ankle injury that left her confined to her bed for several weeks. She was sharing a house with Chris McDonnell, a member of the electronic pop combo Trans FX, and with little else to do, she and McDonnell began collaborating on songs. Combining the grit of indie rock with the lovelorn outlook of vintage country, the pair were happy with their songs and believed they deserved an audience. Once Dunphe was ambulatory, she and McDonnell teamed up with Riley Kendig, another musician sharing their house who worked with the group Guram Guram, and Mirce Popovic, one of McDonnell's Trans FX bandmates. The group, calling themselves the County Liners, headed into the studio with producer and engineer Captain Tripps Ballsington (aka Dave Harvey), and they began work on an EP. The five-song release, Mary Jane Dunphe & Chris McDonnell in the Country Liners, was released by Wharf Cat Records in November 2017.
© Mark Deming /TiVo