The Mighty Lumberhorn is a Milwaukee band with a difference. The group recently released its first CD, but, you might say, "So, what?" Lots of bands put out CDs. The quintet plays a smart, funny brand of hillbilly music. Yeah, yeah, you saw that Coen brothers' movie, too.

But, ask yourself, "How many bands -- local or otherwise -- have invented their own instrument?" OK, Victor DeLorenzo tossed a wash tub up onto a snare drum stand, but that's ancient history.

No, the Mighty Lumberhorn is in a class by itself these days, because it is the only band in the world that features -- and is named after -- the mighty lumberhorn, a type of home-made acoustic bass. And ... and! ... its members have also invented a drum set that serves as its own storage case.

"Around August 2003," recalls frontman and banjist Ted Jorin, an Indiana native who is also a member of Milwaukee's New Harmony Indiana, "I mentioned to BJ (Bob Jorin, Ted's uncle) that I was going to construct a washtub bass. Before I got around to it, he built the world's first lumberhorn, the gold standard of the 2x4 and plywood variety acoustic stand up bass-type instrument."

No frills and no nonsense, the mighty lumberhorn might not look like much to the untrained eye, but in the hands of BJ, the lumberhorn it becomes a rock-solid foundation for The Mighty Lumberhorn's uptempo, twangy mix of bluegrass, country, folk, rock and all-out hillbilly sound.

That sound got its start when the Jorins hooked their lumberhorn up to a full band in an attempt to remain down with the backwoods boys.

"I'm proud to say the band is my fault," Ted says. "I was afraid I was losing hillbilly cred playing emotional anti-pop with New Harmony Indiana and thought about starting a side project.

"I called my friend Jeffro (Jeff Calvert) and coerced him to play the American Tourister Drum kit, which is another of BJ's creations. It's a drum set constructed from an actual suitcase that he played when we were in another band."

"Cuzzin Uncle Dan (Dan Werner) plays the vest pocket sized trump (mouthharp). He's the only guy I know who owns one. He also plays washboard and leads the people during the kazoo parts. I met Buster (Jake Orvis) via the Internet. I was intrigued that he could play both Motley Crue and The Stanley Brothers on the mandolin. Buster's been around the Milwaukee punk and hardcore scene in bands like Penalty Box and Swillrotten and performs with Comedy Sportz."

Soon, the songs were flowing like moonshine...

Ted penned "I'm Gonna Burn in Hell, Hallelujah," "I'll Come Back and Haunt You When You Die" and "Ballad of Tupac Shakur" and posited, "What Would Jesus Drive." BJ chipped in "Armageddon Over You" and the racy "Sit On My Bass."

The Mighty Lumberhorn then spent a weekend at a local studio and recorded "Blood Is Thicker Than Moonshine," which was just released and is available at shows and via the band's Web site, www.lumberhorn.com. You can also find it at Rush-More Records, Tip-Top Atomic Shop, Atomic Records and Lotus Land.

With their own material and a mix of traditional fiddle tunes, country standards and obscurities and bluegrass, The Mighty Lumberhorn has been rockin' Milwaukee crowds.

"We play out about two or three times a month and we have a Rib Nite engagement every other Tuesday at O'Keefe's House of Hamburg, 5937 S. Howell Ave.," says Ted Jorin.

"We have a lot of audience participation at the shows -- free kazoos for everybody, sing alongs -- and we try to leave out the slow parts and the response has been really good so far. Also, we're all married and our wives aren't afraid to tell us when something's not working."

Go see the band soon and if you really want to make a statement, go first to their Web site, download the instructions, and build your own lumberhorn. Bring it to the gig and odds are they'll let you sit in. If not, build two lumberhorns and beat them at their own game.