They've been called "soulful," "sassy," "sultry" and "Arizona's most ass-whoopin'-est band."

Also dubbed a "meat-shakin' blues band," the Sugar Thieves play an old style of music with some new energy.

"The Sugar Thieves have a sultry blues roots foundation and powerhouse delta sound that will take you back in time," singer Meredith Moore told the Prescott (Arizona) Daily Courier.

Moore, an Omaha native, has described the band as playing "a meat-shakin', root-shakin', feel-good, toe-tappin', finger-snappin', head-bobbin' kind of music."

Moore didn't perform solo while she lived in Nebraska, but sang with her church choir and in her high school's chorus. She said stage fright kept her from singing solo, but later discovered she was good at singing the blues.

Moore and Mikel Lander met at a party in 2006 where Moore pitched him to form a blues band, but he blew her off. Later, he reconsidered and they formed the Sugar Thieves.

Since, they've won the Arizona Blues Showdown and were voted one of the top 10 unsigned blues bands in 2009 at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

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402-444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com

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