Tony Peyser's Blue State Jukebox Review

In this Yard Sale! side project, Jill Olson teams up with two gal pals from Oakland who also write and sing and are veterans of area bands: accordion player Melanie DeGiovanni and guitarist Denise Funari. Some all-girl groups can be a little airy-fairy as if (as my wife Kathy once said) they have closets full of wind chimes. But the sensible women of Yard Sale! seem to have deep roots which aren't affected by prevailing musical gusts.

They slyly describe their sound as a "thrift store mix of pop, folk, and country music." Whether they call it yard sale or thrift store, what's clear is the casual, back porch vibe that they aim for and deliver. The DeGiovanni-penned "Sunday Afternoon." is a perfect place to start: "I'm sitting on the porch on Sunday afternoon/Trying to do nothing, just waiting for the moon/If I had my way, if pennies were wishes/I'd never have to vacuum or do any dishes." Even though it's set on a Sunday, you know everybody's wearing their Casual Friday clothes. You can practically smell the barbecue and feel your hand getting cold as it fishes around in the ice chest for that last bottle of Dos Equis.