AMERICANA | Driftwood 

Sometimes music fans are eager to pigeonhole a band: These fans see musicians playing string band instruments and they figure, "OK, string band." In the case of Binghamton's Driftwood, they'd be right — but only to a certain extent. For all intents and purposes, Driftwood is a bluegrass band playing old-tyme instruments such as banjo, fiddle, and upright bass, but the sound is louder and more engaging than you might expect. And don't sweat it: There's a kind of rock aesthetic dealt out liberally, as an unrelenting fingerpicking style propels songs of both happiness and woe. It all swirls like smoke, with both lyrical sadness and hope.

Driftwood plays with The Dawn Timbers on Saturday, October 12, 8 p.m. at Flour City Station, 170 East Avenue. $17.50. Ages 21 and over. 413-5745. flourcitystation.com; driftwoodtheband.com.