DEBORA SHAULIS | On the Scene Wailers perform original old-time country

They call themselves the Cockamamy Wailers.
No foolin'.
These are five diverse women -- a 30-ish singer-songwriter, her accordion-playing mother and three friends, one of whom sings and twirls a hula hoop simultaneously.
I kid you not.
For the last several months, this quintet has been writing and singing original songs that defy mainstream radio today. That's because their hearts lie with the sounds of old-time country (comparable to the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain" movie soundtracks) and 1950s-style vocal harmony groups.
Now the Cockamamy Wailers and leader BJ O'Malley, who also fronts an alt-rock band, are preparing for a double-CD release party, at 10 p.m. April 10 at Cedar Lounge, 23 N. Hazel St., downtown Youngstown.
Cockamamy (also spelled cockamamie) describes that which is ridiculous or incredible, according to the dictionary.
"That's my word. I use it for everything," says O'Malley, a hair stylist at J.C. Penney in Austintown.
Dreams aren't ridiculous. O'Malley's girlhood aspiration was to be a honky-tonk singer. She wanted to sound like her mother, Ginnie Davis, who's a medical transcriptionist for a Warren doctor.
Mom filled the house with her alto voice and love of traditional country music when O'Malley was growing up. The daughter's natural voice was higher and more operatic-sounding, so she worked at bringing it down.
How she started
Some people would call her dedicated. O'Malley thinks of herself as obsessive-compulsive. Several years ago, she bought a guitar. For six months, after her now-14-year-old son got on the school bus and when she wasn't at work, she would do nothing but practice and write songs.
She launched her second career by performing four songs at an open-stage night at Royal Oaks Bar & amp; Grill on Oak Street.
Being able to do that was incredible to O'Malley. "It's just been a growth [experience] since then," she said.
Davis says her daughter has since performed at hometown clubs and in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, even Texas.
O'Malley invited Davis to some shows to add vocal harmonies. Then she met Kristina Pokopatz, a massage therapist, and her hula-hooping friend, Shaye Cahill, at Royal Oaks. ("She's so original. She's true cockamamy," Davis says of Cahill). They formed a singing group that was "just a girls powwow," O'Malley said. They met on Thursday nights to smoke cigarettes, drink tea and make music.
O'Malley also invited substitute teacher Alaina Mitchell, a shy young woman who is now the group's fifth vocalist. Mitchell didn't want to sing, but O'Malley enticed her by learning Mitchell's favorite song -- "Plastic Jesus" from the movie "Cool Hand Luke."
Gradually, the Cockamamy Wailers have become O'Malley's opening act. "Everyone has been very receptive of the group," she said.
O'Malley is a hands-on leader. "I'm a little bossy. ... I get very focused," she said. Being the boss has been challenging at times with her mother in the group. She has resorted to calling her "Mom" when they're not onstage and "Ginnie" during shows in order to distinguish their personal and professional relationships, she said.
Mom's contributions
O'Malley also is proud of her mother's contributions. Davis wrote and plays keyboard on "Just You," which evokes girl-group memories with its strong vocal harmonies. It's O'Malley's favorite song on the Wailers' CD, she said.
There's much more country than oldies music on that recording, but none of it sounds like Shania Twain. "Sometimes I turn on the country channel and say, 'I'm going to write one pop country song, make money and run Little Town Records,'" O'Malley said, referring to the small label she and a friend have started.
When she listens to current music, she said, "I hear a good voice, I hear a lot of polished instruments, but I don't hear the pain, like the old country."
Not that the Wailers perform only cry-in-your-beer stuff. "Mama Don't 'low," one of the few covers on the new CD, is a lively, folksy tune that's been around but doesn't have a copyright. O'Malley wrote her own version of the lyrics without hearing the original song.
The Wailers keep things fun with color-coordinated costumes, some choreography and, for a few songs, Cahill's hula-hoop skills. "It's quite crowd-mesmerizing," O'Malley says.
Now Davis is getting into the act, as have some audience members.
O'Malley promises dancing, hula-hooping, some accompanying videos that Cahill is assembling and lots of wailing April 10. The band's slogan for the evening: "Come early. Stay late. Satisfy your inner 'Wailer.'"
XDebora Shaulis is entertainment editor. Write her at shaulis@vindy.com.