East, West meet in The Biscuit Burners

To outsiders, the fast instrumental breaks and high, lonesome wail of the vocals make many bluegrass bands sound pretty similar. But with the Asheville, N.C.-based quintet The Biscuit Burners, it doesn’t take long to hear a difference.

After all, it’s not often to hear a ’grass band singing in Hindustani accompanied by an Indian slide guitar (chaturangui).

“We live in an incredible time with so many incredible kinds of music, but it all comes from our roots,” said fiddler Odessa Jorgensen. “To be able to experience that and bring in the music of other cultures is really amazing.

“I think it’s awesome to make people aware of other music and make it all one.”

Jorgensen and Indian musical traditions are both fairly recent additions.

A Nashville convert, she joined Billy Cardine (resophonic guitar, vocals), Mary Lucey (acoustic bass, vocals), Dan Bletz (acoustic guitar) and Wes Corbett (banjo) to replace a founding member, Shannon Whitworth, who left the band in September 2006.

Saturday, they’ll return to the Barking Legs Theater after a yearlong hiatus.

With just five years under its belt, the band has garnered plenty of attention, making appearances on BBC World TV’s “Destination Music,” NPR’s “Mountain Stage” and at the 2007 Bonnaroo Festival. They’ve also received praise from such luminaries as Dobro legend Jerry Douglas and Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry.

From the Tar Heel State’s MerleFest to RockyGrass in Colorado, the band draws crowds with its blend of traditional and exotic elements, Jorgensen said.

“I think it’s interesting to people to see a band that isn’t exactly run-of-the-mill, and that’s what we do,” she said. “I think it’s attractive to people to hear something they’ve never heard before.”