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Whiskeytown was an American
alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...
band formed in 1994 from
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary,
Phil Wandscher Phil Wandscher is the former guitarist of the alt-country band Whiskeytown, and is now a member of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. Wandscher appeared on Death Cab For Cutie's album ''Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth stu ...
, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and
Mike Daly Mike Daly is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Daly attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1994. Daly first came to prominence as the Whiskeytown resident multi-instrumentalist and co-wr ...
. They disbanded in 2000 with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career. Whiskeytown gradually expanded its sound outside the confines of alternative country while still maintaining its alternative roots. The band released three albums. No two albums shared a consistent lineup; Adams and Cary remained the only constants.


History

After performing punk rock with a band called The Patty Duke Syndrome, Adams founded Whiskeytown in 1994 in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
. The music of country-rock artist Gram Parsons served as his inspiration. The band initially consisted of Adams, violinist Caitlin Cary, drummer Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, bassist Steve Grothmann and guitarist
Phil Wandscher Phil Wandscher is the former guitarist of the alt-country band Whiskeytown, and is now a member of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. Wandscher appeared on Death Cab For Cutie's album ''Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth stu ...
.


''Faithless Street'' era (1995–1996)

'' Faithless Street'', released on Mood Food Records in 1995, established the band as one of the genre's leaders, thanks to glowing reviews in publications such as '' No Depression'', and helped the band score a major-label record deal with the Geffen Records imprint Outpost. ''Faithless'' was re-released on the imprint in 1998 with nearly a dozen bonus tracks from the era. Among the bonus tracks were previously unreleased tracks and tracks that had been released on earlier albums and EPs, including ''
Strangers Almanac ''Strangers Almanac'' is the second studio album by American alternative country band Whiskeytown, released on July 29, 1997 on Geffen and Outpost Records. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and an additional disc of pr ...
'' and '' Rural Free Delivery''. One track, "Oklahoma," was removed. Adams claimed that the reason for the re-release was the muddy sound of the original version and his distaste for "Oklahoma," which was added to the album despite his objections.


''Strangers Almanac'' era (1997–1998)

Whiskeytown's 1997 major-label debut, ''
Strangers Almanac ''Strangers Almanac'' is the second studio album by American alternative country band Whiskeytown, released on July 29, 1997 on Geffen and Outpost Records. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and an additional disc of pr ...
'', helped to establish Adams' reputation as a songwriter. In the midst of the album's recording, Gilmore and Grothman left, and Wandscher left soon after the album's release. The band cycled through numerous members throughout the next year, including
Jeff Rice ''The Night Stalker'' is an American made for television horror film which aired on ABC on January 11, 1972 as their ABC Movie of the Week. In the film, an investigative reporter, played by Darren McGavin, comes to suspect that a serial killer in ...
and
Steven Terry Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
, both of whom were involved in the recording of ''Almanac'' but left later that year. The band's reputation preceded it in the live setting. In a 1997 ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'' article title
Whiskeytown: half band, half soap opera
a June 1997 show at Mac's Bar in
Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...
was described by fans as a half-baked performance. Despite the band's internal strife, ''Almanac'' was a successful album with critics, with the tracks "16 Days" and the Replacements-esque "Yesterday's News" receiving significant radio play. The positive reviews came from increasingly mainstream publications such as ''Rolling Stone'', who claimed at the time, ''"If there's to be a
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
among the bands that are imprecisely dubbed alternative country, look to Whiskeytown."'' In January 1998, the band taped a live performance for '' Austin City Limits''. During the tour for ''
Stranger's Almanac ''Strangers Almanac'' is the second studio album by American alternative country band Whiskeytown, released on July 29, 1997 on Geffen and Outpost Records. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and an additional disc of pr ...
'', most of the band was fired or quit at a concert in Kansas City. The only people who started and finished the tour were Adams, Caitlin Cary,
Mike Daly Mike Daly is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Daly attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1994. Daly first came to prominence as the Whiskeytown resident multi-instrumentalist and co-wr ...
and tour manager
Thomas O'Keefe Thomas O'Keefe (born January 22, 1964) is a North Carolina musician and author, best known for his work with Antiseen, Whiskeytown and Train. Early years O'Keefe was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and lived in Connecticut until the age of 14. Hi ...
.


''Pneumonia'' and the band's demise (1999–2001)

The band managed to add a new core member in multi-instrumentalist
Mike Daly Mike Daly is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Daly attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1994. Daly first came to prominence as the Whiskeytown resident multi-instrumentalist and co-wr ...
, who contributed significantly to the band's sound on their third album, ''
Pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
''. The album's recording was a much different affair from the first two—likely because of the band's constantly changing dynamic. The traditional country of the first two albums, especially ''Faithless'', was largely replaced with a more sophisticated country-rooted pop sound, very similar to Wilco's 1999 album ''
Summerteeth ''Summerteeth'' (stylized as summerteeth) is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Wilco (stylized as ''wilco''), released on March 9, 1999, by Reprise Records. The album was heavily influenced lyrically by 20th century li ...
''. Also adding to the different flavor of the album was a cast of guest stars, including The Replacements'
Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...
and
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
' James Iha. Despite the album's completion and Whiskeytown's sizable fanbase, Outpost Records closed during the merger between Polygram and Universal, and as a result the album stayed in limbo for nearly two years, effectively ending the band. Lost Highway Records, the roots-minded label imprint of
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
, picked up the album after signing Adams (who, in the interim, recorded his highly acclaimed debut solo record ''
Heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *''The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American f ...
'' on indie label Bloodshot Records) and released it in May 2001 [].


Post-Whiskeytown and talk of reunion

Since the band dissolved, most core members have chosen to remain active in music. Cary, who married original drummer Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, has released three solo albums and created a female folk trio named
Tres Chicas Tres Chicas are an alternative country group from Raleigh, North Carolina. History Blakey and Cary met in 1997 when Glory Fountain shared a bill with Whiskeytown. Blakey met Lamm when she attended a Hazeldine show in Chapel Hill, and soon all ...
. In 2010 she formed a duo group called
The Small Ponds ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...
with Matt Douglas of Raleigh band The Proclivities. In 2013, Cary and solo artist
Jon Lindsay Jon Stephen Lindsay (born 4 December 1935) is a Republican former member of the Texas Senate, having represented the 7th District from 1997 to 2007. He was succeeded in 2007 by fellow Republican Dan Patrick, who would later be elected as Lieut ...
co-founded th
NC Music Love Army
– a collective of many notable musicians from North Carolina who oppose the leadership of the newly emerged Republican supermajority in their home state. Between 2013 and 2014, the group has put out nine releases on their own label (Love Army Records), as well as thru
Redeye Distribution Redeye Distribution, is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1996 by Tor Hansen, Kim Hansen, Glenn Dicker. The label focuses on independent music. History Redeye is represen ...
and Bloodshot Records. Adams has remained in the spotlight since the band's breakup, releasing numerous solo albums, including three in 2005. In 2004, Adams founded Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, an alternative rock band. The band released several albums before disbanding in 2009. He has drawn considerable praise from such legends as
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
and
Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...
for his songwriting. In February 2001, original Whiskeytown guitarist
Phil Wandscher Phil Wandscher is the former guitarist of the alt-country band Whiskeytown, and is now a member of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. Wandscher appeared on Death Cab For Cutie's album ''Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth stu ...
joined Adams at a Seattle show to perform two songs. It was the first time the two had appeared onstage together in 3½ years. Adams and Cary have claimed to be reuniting Whiskeytown on multiple occasions, as recently as 2010, but nothing new has been released yet. He told an interviewer in January 2017 that he was writing a book about the band, but had no plans to record or tour with Whiskeytown. A scheduling conflict was blamed as the reason for the reunion not taking place. The band did reunite for a one-off, impromptu gig after one of Adams' shows in Raleigh, NC, in 2005. Gilmore, Cary, and Adams were joined on-stage by Adams' pedal steel player,
Jon Graboff Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Catherine Popper.


Members


Founding members

* Ryan Adams –
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
* Caitlin Cary –
fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
,
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
*Eric "Skillet" Gilmore –
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, percussion *Steve Grothmann –
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
*
Phil Wandscher Phil Wandscher is the former guitarist of the alt-country band Whiskeytown, and is now a member of Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. Wandscher appeared on Death Cab For Cutie's album ''Transatlanticism ''Transatlanticism'' is the fourth stu ...
 –
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
, vocals


Later members

* Ed Crawford –
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*Ron Bartholomew - bass guitar *Steven Terry – drums, percussion *Brad Rice – electric guitar *
Mike Daly Mike Daly is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Daly attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1994. Daly first came to prominence as the Whiskeytown resident multi-instrumentalist and co-wr ...
 – bass guitar,
keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
, guitar,
mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
, vocals *Jeff Rice – bass guitar *Jenni Snyder – bass guitar *
Chris Laney Whiskeytown was an American alternative country band formed in 1994 from Raleigh, North Carolina. Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000 with ...
 – bass guitar *Bill Ladd –
pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...
 – studio session musician, appeared on ''
Theme for a Trucker ''Theme for a Trucker'' is a limited edition double 7" vinyl EP by alternative country band Whiskeytown, released by Bloodshot Records in 1997. According to the Bloodshot Records website, only 2000 copies were pressed. Music and lyrics The so ...
'',
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
' movie '' The End of Violence'' *Mike Santoro – bass – Former member of "The Selves," a band from Northern New Jersey *Chris Riser –
lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...
, pedal steel guitar – 1994–95, also a member of Chapel Hill's Pine State *Nicholas Petti – pedal steel guitar – 1995–96, also a member of Chapel Hill's Pine State *
Jon Wurster Jonathan Patrick Wurster (born October 31, 1966) is an American drummer and comedy writer. As a musician, he is best known for his work with Superchunk, the Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould. He is also known for appearing on '' The Best Show'' with ...
 – drums * James Iha – guitar


Discography


Albums

Studio albums *1995: '' Faithless Street'' *1997: ''
Strangers Almanac ''Strangers Almanac'' is the second studio album by American alternative country band Whiskeytown, released on July 29, 1997 on Geffen and Outpost Records. The album was reissued as a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and an additional disc of pr ...
'' *2001: ''
Pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
'' Unreleased *1996: ''Those Weren't the Days'' *1996: '' The Freightwhaler Sessions'' *1997: ''
Forever Valentine ''Forever Valentine'' is an unreleased studio album by alternative country band Whiskeytown, recorded between their '' Strangers Almanac'' and ''Pneumonia'' albums. The album, produced by Chris Stamey, is notable for featuring Ben Folds on pian ...
''


EPs

*1995: '' Angels'' *1997: ''
Theme for a Trucker ''Theme for a Trucker'' is a limited edition double 7" vinyl EP by alternative country band Whiskeytown, released by Bloodshot Records in 1997. According to the Bloodshot Records website, only 2000 copies were pressed. Music and lyrics The so ...
'' *1997: '' Rural Free Delivery'' *1997: '' In Your Wildest Dreams''


Singles

*1997: " 16 Days" *1998: " Yesterday's News" *1998: ''
Car Songs A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
(split 7" w/ Neko Case &
The Sadies The Sadies are a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band from Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky. Dallas and Travis are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good, and nephews of Bria ...
)'' *2001: "
Don't Be Sad "Don't Be Sad" is a song by alt-country band Whiskeytown, from their album, ''Pneumonia''. It was co-written by Ryan Adams, Mike Daly, and James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), and issued as a single to radio in 2001. Ryan Adams says this about the tra ...
" *2009: "San Antone" / "The Great Divide"


Compilations

*1996: " Blank Generation" from ''Who the Hell? A Tribute to Richard Hell'' *1996: ''Smash Hits Opry'' *1996: "The Great Divide" from ''Power of Tower: Live from the WXDU Lounge'' *1997: "Bottom of the Glass" from ''Straight Outta Boone County'' *1997: "
Theme for a Trucker ''Theme for a Trucker'' is a limited edition double 7" vinyl EP by alternative country band Whiskeytown, released by Bloodshot Records in 1997. According to the Bloodshot Records website, only 2000 copies were pressed. Music and lyrics The so ...
" from ''The End of Violence Soundtrack'' *1997: "Busted" from ''Revival Vol. 2: Kudzu & Hollerin' Contest'' *1998: "Wither, I'm a Flower" from '' Hope Floats: Music from the Motion Picture'' *1998: "Me and My Ticket" from ''The Garden Place: Songs By Our Friends'' *1998: "I Hope It Rains at My Funeral" from ''Real: The
Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "the Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more ...
Project'' *1999: "Nervous Breakdown" from ''
Alt.Country Exposed Roots ''Alt.Country Exposed Roots'' was a 2 disc compilation released in 1999. Track listing Disc 1 # Lucinda Williams - "Passionate Kisses" (Lucinda Williams) - 2:39 # Blue Mountain - "Blue Canoe" ( Blue Mountain) - 4:42 # Gillian Welch - "My ...
'' *1999: "A Song for You" from '' Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons'' *1999: "Silver Wings" from ''Poor Little Knitter On the Road'' *2003: "Choked Up" from ''Lost Highway: Lost & Found Vol. 1'' *2004: "Faithless Street" from ''No Depression: What It Sounds Like Vol. 1'' *2006: "Give Me Another Chance" from ''
Big Star, Small World ''Big Star Small World'' is a 2006 tribute album to the American power pop band, Big Star. It was produced by Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, who also created the cover art. It was originally due for release in 1998 on Ignition Records, with co ...
''


References


External links

* *
Extensive Whiskeytown discographyLost Highway Whiskeytown artist page
nbsp;– Includes 1-minute song samples from ''Pneumonia''
Whiskeytown
at ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' {{Authority control Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups from Raleigh, North Carolina Lost Highway Records artists Ryan Adams 1994 establishments in North Carolina Bloodshot Records artists