Shivers in the swelter of summer

Like Tina Turner, Austin's own White Ghost Shivers can do "nice and easy." Or they can play "nice and rough."

When I first encountered this mix-and-match big band at the Broken Spoke five years ago, their material proved shamelessly, almost shockingly bawdy. While reviving the harsher, jazzy sounds of the 1920s and '30s, they also toyed with references to drugs, race and sex.

Nervy stuff.

Over the years, I've encountered this outfit a dozen or so times in settings private and public. So I can assure readers tempted to see their outdoor show tonight under the huge Lone Star at the Bullock Texas State History Museum that one of their many personalities is "nice and easy."

Still witty. Still musically complex and theatrically satisfying. But clean as a whistle and family friendly.

The museum's eighth annual Music Under the Star concert series continues through July 31.