When some people hear the words “country music,†they cringe and change the station. But then when they hear Shooter Jennings, they hear a side of country music that could convert any music fan. This kind of country sure ain’t Rascal Flatts.
Jennings returned to Lexington last Thursday night to perform at The Dame with his band, the .357’s. His last visit was in April of 2008 at The Dame’s previous location. But he made it clear the venue didn’t matter — all he needed was his instruments and a rowdy crowd to stomp and sing along.
For those of you unaware of Jennings’ legacy, here is a little schooling about his genetics. The product of country music royalty — Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter — it seemed Shooter Jennings was destined to make good music. And one listen to his albums will make you believe in fate. With albums like “Put the ‘O’ back in Country,†and “The Wolf,†Jennings is a throwback to the days of outlaw country when songs talked freely about booze, guns, women, lost love and, in general, just being a badass. He makes the occasional reference to his daddy and how he grew up on a tour bus watching his parents hang out and smoke cigarettes with Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and the like.
But his country influences often have a harder edge to them, expanding his fan base beyond corn-fed, homegrown country folk. He is a second-generation outlaw, but he is bound and determined to make his music his own, all while paying homage to the country greats. Jennings takes the core of outlaw country and adds a little more rock n’ roll than his predecessors. And the result is a damn good time.
Jennings is suited for this sub-genre of “outlaw rock†with his raspy vocals, screaming guitar and drum beats that shake your bones. Much of this can be attributed to the .357’s, who make you want to give a “Yeehaw,†if you could only stop dancing long enough to catch your breath.
But when Jennings stands alone with his guitar or keyboard, that same rasp and drawl sings songs about a woman long gone, sweet enough to make a grown man go misty-eyed. It is those moments where you feel you are watching a ghost of Waylon — wearing a T-shirt and jeans instead of boots and a holster. In his encore he played a ballad version of one of Waylon’s songs, the title which is unfit to print. But here’s the jist — FBI agents, an out of control cocaine habit and the realization that this outlaw label has gone way too far.
That music style may have given way to the lighter, pop-ier country music we hear currently, but Jennings isn’t about to let this lifestyle die. Watching him on stage, you just know he still sips his shine from a Mason jar and likes to sit on front porches. But Jennings wasn’t much of a talker at the show. He made his entrance to the stage by simply picking up his instrument, and his exit was a beeline for backstage. He prefers to stay beneath a long black curtain of hair and his signature aviator sunglasses, and lets his songs speak for themselves. From toe tapping to heart wrenching, Jennings delivers a show that makes you long for the days of outlaw country, but leaves you liking what you’ve got instead.
Download: “Manifesto No. 1,†“Sweet Savannah,†“Daddy’s Farm.â€
Katie Saltz is a journalism junior.
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