Reckless Kelly

Reckless Kelly is, by default, practically the poster child for high-desert alt-country these days, at least in the self-described “hick rock” subgenre. The other bands are winkin’ out, but the Kellys are doing just fine. Led by the Braun brothers, Willy and Cody, the band has swallowed whole the soul of classic country. (The Brauns, after all, earned their chops playing in their father’s western swing band.) Onstage, though, they also burn with the attitude of them skimey fellers who work for Deadwood‘s Al Swearengen. On their latest, Wicked Twisted Road, songs such as “Motel Cowboy Music” and “Sixgun” rub chord changes with dire love songs like “Nobody Haunts Me Like You.” Let’s face it — Reckless Kelly nails the sound that brought people into the dissipated, tubercular outlaw fold in the first place.