Carolyn Mark's body language indicated a full band in her head, even though it was just her and a fiddle player set up by the Abilene jukebox Thursday night. Mark is half of The Corn Sisters, a countrified duo whose other half is wailin' alt-country siren Neko Case. In a pretty frock and cowboy boots, Mark intoned folky, with her plaintive and pretty voice. I've seen her before with a full band, and could still see one in her moves in this stripped-down show. What would've been the bass walked her spine, as what would've been the drums split time between her hips and feet. What was some simple, beautiful country music moved all of us who were there from our conk to our shoes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I hear a Stacey Earle tune in there?

The other half of The Corn Sisters, Miss Case, was a no-show at CMAC Saturday night, though it's not entirely clear if she was ever going to be there in the first place. When she's not painting the world noir, Case lends vocals to outstanding B.C. rock band The New Pornographers. This is what you might call geek or indie rock if it didn't have so much depth and muscle. The band writes incredibly beautiful pieces that shun the epic in lieu of serious dashes of good ol' rock 'n' roll. The seven-piece outfit - including vocalist Kathryn Calder, who at times sounded so much like Case that I had to do a double take - came on with a profound wall of sound and zero pretense; there was no show, just a band playing. And sadly it was just a band playing to virtually no one, as the majority of the fans there to see headliners My Morning Jacket were busy tailgating and getting high in the parking lot. C'mon, hippies! You bought a ticket, go to the fuckin' show.

My Morning Jacket put on an incredible show visually, sonically, and spiritually. It was borderline psychedelic, but with more spine - atmospheric obscurity goosed with big rock guts. For a band with such a large and loud sound, it was mixed quite well, making for an unencumbered trip.

While taking a dip in the algae Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of hearing Teagan and the Tweeds play the deck at Marge's Lakeside Inn. This band is such a tight outfit with all the classic ingredients - r&b, soul, blues - and a singer who can really belt. Sure, the band had to play a few covers for the lame-o's who can't dance to it if they don't know it, but it slipped some red-hot originals in there, too. Just dig the tune "He Gotta Go." You'll be dancing, too, even if you're up to your knees in algae.