There are good band names, and then there are perfect band names. Tyrannosaurus Chicken's may fall in the latter category.

True, a band's music is what's important, but in describing the Arkansas duo's far-out sound, there's really no metaphor more apt.

A Tyrannosaurus Chicken would be familiar in a way, but also bizarre to the point familiarity wouldn't matter much.

In the same way, you've probably heard the blues before, but probably not played on a Theremin.

Rachel Ammons and "Smilin' Bob" Lewis are madcap sonic alchemists, fusing Delta blues, psychedelia and trance music with reckless enthusiasm.

"We call it Arkansas hill stomp music," Smilin' Bob said.

"I don't know if we're trying to do anything," Ammons added. "It's such a blend of styles."

A Tyrannosaurus Chicken would be a mixture of the modern and the prehistoric. And no, we're not talking about Smilin' Bob, although he did have a band with Ammons' father before Tyrannosaurus Chicken was formed.

Instead, we're talking about the material they play: a mixture of original compositions and repurposed folk songs well suited to their slide-guitar work.

"Any covers we do are from the late 1800s to about the early '40s," Ammons said.

"Yeah, things like old work songs or field holler tunes, and they're all heavily arranged," Smilin' Bob agreed. "Sometimes, to the point of being unrecognizable."

We can only speculate, but a Tyrannosaurus Chicken also probably would be pretty much unstoppable once it really got rolling, and the band's shows indeed have earned a reputation for having a bigger sound than one might expect to come from just two people.

Ammons and Smilin' Bob are multi-instrumentalists, incorporating guitars in a handful of alternate tunings, harmonicas, cello (Ammons is a classically trained violinist), banjo, mandoline, Theremin and more.

"We both sing, too," Ammons said.

"Well, I make noises; Rachel sings," Smilin' Bob clarified. "And the whole thing is kind of one big drum set."

And no matter what instrument they find themselves using, they're always eager to see where a song takes them.

"[Our shows] are going to be a lot more jam-y," Ammons explained. "We'll stretch a song way far out."

"We go on grooves," Smilin' Bob agreed. "We might play a five-minute song for 20 minutes."

Tyrannosaurus Chicken will be playing tonight with Cape Girardeau's own The Big Idea at Pitter's Cafe & Lounge, 811 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7.

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627