The Austin Family Jewels is a five-piece band, which was formed in the spring of 2005. Full of foot-stomping rhythms and flowing harmonies, their style has been likened to the Greencards, The Be Good Tanyas and The Roches. Each member of AFJ is a songwriter in their own right, so their repertoire is full of original tunes. As a mostly-female band, AFJ hails the vocal talents of Elizabeth Suggs (guitar), Gretchen Janzow (bass) and Lauren Dickson (percussion). As per the male contingency, Stephen Kearley and Bill Sneed from Colorado bring 12 years of picking experience as the Kudzoo Brothers, opening for the likes of David Wilcox. Among their accomplishments in their short career, AFJ have played the Arlo Guthrie and made quite a splash at the Kerrville Folk Festival. They have opened up for the Austin Lounge Lizards and performed at the Americana Music Festival in in April of this year. Their live-recorded, self-titled album debuted in July.