Miss Derringer

by Mark Deming Performing a dark, lean blend of blues and country sounds fortified with a punk attitude, Miss Derringer is an L.A.-based rock band let by a pair of musicians-turned-artists, Liz McGrath (a painter and sculptor who previously sang with the band Tongue and edited the 'zine Censor This) and Morgan Slade (a photographer who plays guitar and writes much of the group's material). Rounding out the group are guitarist Mark Miller (formerly of Los Cincos), bassist Sylvain de Muizon, Julio Bell (ex-Bobsled and Bulimia Banquet) on autoharp, and drummer Mark Miller (from Skeetertruck). The group released their first album, King James, Crown Royal and a Colt 45, in February 2004; appropriately, the record-release party was held at the Copro Nason Gallery in Culver City, CA, in conjunction with a show of McGrath's artwork. The band underwent some lineup changes for 2006's Lullabies, which featured the core duo of McGrath and Slade and bassist Sylvain de Muizon, as well as Blondie drummer Clem Burke and Charley Horse member/Acetate Records owner Rick Ballard on guitar.