Austin-based country rock outfit Reckless Kelly is giving country music a run for its money. While mainstream country seems overrun by either pop divas or over-the-top hillbilly posturing, these Oregon transplants are cranking out solid, rocking tunes for fans of country, rock and roll, and Americana.

The band has been together for over a decade, and during that time has released eight albums, four with the high-profile Sugar Hill record label. Their latest, Bulletproof, was released last June on Yep Roc Records. With its album art an interpretation on the homemade armor that Australian outlaw and band namesake Ned “Reckless” Kelly wore for his infamous shootout, you might get the impression that these boys glorify a lawless lifestyle. However, their band bio assures you that their outlaw connections are limited to an appreciation for outlaw country, the style personified by Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard.

Bulletproof is consistently solid, with a few particular stand-out tracks: “Ragged As The Road” is a driving tune with just the right amount of Americana imagery to be inspiring but not cloying, and “Love In Her Eyes” is a catchy love song you’ll be singing on the way home. The sad but defiant “God Forsaken Town,” about a reluctant evacuee during Hurricane Katrina, was co-written by consummate songwriter Robert Earl Keen. Now there’s a feather in the cap for any artist.

Founder Willy Braun, who started the band with his brother Cody, has said their sound is “more like a rock band with a fiddle” than a country band that rocks, but their country element is not mere influence. Though they owe something to American rock of the likes of Bruce Springsteen, their sound is rooted firmly in country, as fiercely as they may rock out.

The band is currently touring with Texas psychobilly favorites Reverend Horton Heat, and both bands will play at Toad’s Place this Friday, November 7, along with Southern metal quartet Nashville Pussy. With three such different bands playing in one venue, this show should be a real treat.

UPCOMING EVENTS
What:  Reckless Kelly
With Who:  The Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy
When:  November 7, 2008 Doors @ 8 p.m. Show @ 9 p.m.
Where:  Toad’s Place 140 Virginia St.
$20 in advance $22 at door

WEB | http://www.recklesskelly.com
WEB | http://www.myspace.com/recklesskelly