Whiskeytown plays at Crowbar

The Jack Daniels will be flowing on Tuesday.

With a freshly released album, alternative-country rockers Whiskeytown, will pour into Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., for an evening of twang and pedal steel guitar.

"This is for all intents and purposes one of the most unique bands," said David Wells, director of operations for Dante's Restaurants Inc., which owns Crowbar. "There's a lot of potential behind this band."

With its new album, Strangers Almanac, Whiskeytown began a new phase in its career. By signing onto a new label, Outpost Recordings, a subsidiary of David Geffen Company, Whiskeytown has taken the next step towards greater popularity. Good reviews from Rolling Stone and a track on the soundtrack for The End of Violence are just the beginning.

"We are excited about it," said Matt Bugaj, a clerk at Arboria Records, 119 E. Beaver Ave. "They're in line with some of the alternative country bands of the moment. For people that like the sound of musicians like Steve Earle, John Fogerty and up to the newer stuff like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt and Wilco, they're right up their alley. Also, it's cheap."

Tickets for the all ages show will cost $5 and will be available at the door.

"We expect a real strong turnout," Wells said.

The show is sponsored by local radio station WGMR-FM (101.1).

Ted Swanson, general manager of The Revolution, said he has always liked Whiskeytown.

"They're great," he said. "The record they just put out, Strangers Almanac, is awesome from beginning to end."

Now Whiskeytown has made its way into the adult contemporary top ten lists and local promoters have found it plausible to bring the band in.

For students in the area, Whiskeytown may be a much needed relief from the normal music played in the area.

"I'm glad they're playing because it's better than the usual garbage played in this town," said Michael Dougherty (junior-microbiology). "I've heard their album and it sounds decent."

Whiskeytown also has been the subject of rumors of a break-up on the World Wide Web. Recently, only two members of the band have been performing, but according to a publicist at Outpost Recordings, those were acoustic performances and not a sign of a split.