In the Mix

Austin is home base for roots music heroes like Willie Nelson, Joe Ely and Alejandro Escovedo, but when the ever growing SXSW comes to town to clog traffic, alt-country twang often gets drowned out by amps turned up to 11 and the hubub of music bizzers scurry down Sixth Street searching for something to sell.

There was plenty of sweet country harmony to be heard, however, on Thursday in the ballroom of the stately Driskill Hotel, former LBJ campaign headquarters that sits smack in the middle of the Sixth street action, for a tribute to Emmylou Harris that, naturally, was timed to the release of an upcoming box set of rarities.

It was a who's who of the daughters of Emmylou: Claritin saleswoman Kelly Willis (with husband Bruce Robison), Jenny Lewis helpers the Watson Twins (who twinned their voices around "Blue Kentucky Girl"), Nashville hellcat Elizabeth Cook, and for some reason, Paula Cole, who once had a big with a song about cowboys. A couple of Charlies, Louvin and Sexton, showed up. But the absolute killer was rugged voiced Buddy Miller and strawberry haired soulwoman Allison Moorer knocking Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's "Love Hurts" dead in a rendition that might have been even better than Cher's.