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Shooter Jennings and Waymore’s Outlaws uphold family name

The son of Waylon Jennings and the late country music outlaw's former band didn't play it safe on Saturday night.

Take away the expensive cowboy boots and predictable, mass-produced country songs of today and replace them with ironclad tracks built with genuine experience and stunning musicality and you've got Shooter Jennings. The son of legendary singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, Shooter is carrying on his namesake with his own path of outlaw country and Southern rock. Playing to a well-versed audience at Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill on Saturday night, Shooter shared the stage with his dad's former backing band, Waymore's Outlaws.

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With only a year and a half together, Shooter and Waylon's former band mates, drummer Richie Albright, bassist Jerry "Jigger" Bridges and master pedal steel guitarist Fred Newell, along with Waymore's lead singer, Tommy Townsend, have a natural onstage chemistry that can't be bought. From covers of legends like George Jones, the Ramones and Bob Dylan to Shooter's original tracks, the veteran musicians played through the intricate lap steel solos and full-bodied melodies like they wrote the songs themselves with graceful confidence that only comes from years on the road.

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Shooter, with his basic white tee and trademark long hair, was just one of the guys onstage, telling vibrant stories of yesterday through original and cover songs with his softer, smoky chords and rock n' roll flair. There's just something about the rawness of traditional country music from the '60s and '70s, with its unapologetic buildup of intricate guitar and lap steel verses and brazen vocals that only a few can master. Shooter has perfected that bold, restrained energy that lets the songs speak for themselves.

The son of outlaw country royalty, Shooter Jennings carries on the family name with retro...
The son of outlaw country royalty, Shooter Jennings carries on the family name with retro style. (Jason Janik / 106185)

As if he was just warming up the first half hour, Shooter hit the mic like a warm shot of whiskey first thing in the morning with his rendition of "Isis," a verbose Bob Dylan track, with scratchy, screaming choruses to match the spiraling, bluesy guitar work. Continuing the fiery latter half of the set, he sang the white-knuckled wails of "Some Rowdy Women" like a true outlaw country singer with a subtle-yet-stoic stance and his head kicked back, finishing it off with a thick Southern drawl. If they weren't moving already, Shooter got the adoring crowd's feet stomping towards the end of the night with "4th Of July," which showcased Newell's nimble fingers on guitar.

For those lucky enough to catch opening act Quaker City Night Hawks, it was well worth the early arrival. Their gritty, rough-around-the-edges style was the perfect warm-up for Shooter. With their own mix of rock and country, the Fort Worth group played a well- versed, hour-long set filled with three-part harmonies, growling guitar and exploding drum work. The bluesy number, "Cold Blues," stood out from the pack and marched in with a stomping force, revealing their flexible, gravelly voices and cool, laid-back demeanor.

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Both groups showed off the best of country music by mixing the brass-knuckled style of yesterday with storytelling that stands the test of time and colorful, steadfast melodies that can beat out any radio-heavy single of today.