Edged into the dark hardback booth under the dim lighting of the Goatfeathers bar in Five Points, Rhodes Bailey takes a slow sip of his beer as he contemplates what he's trying to say.
"What's that line from 'Revenge of the Nerds'?" he asks thoughtfully. "It starts with like, 'Hey nerds!' Oh, well I guess that's how most of the one-liners in that movie start, don't they?"
Bailey's two bandmates erupt into laughter and he quickly joins in. Seated around this small booth, it is easy to see that there have been plenty of good times like these shared among the three men, and moments like this keep the rip-roaring, rebellious fire lit for Whiskey Tango Revue.
Going strong for some two-odd years now, Whiskey Tango Revue has been turning up the heat on its own brand of country music, taking cues from other country outlaws like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings to create a sound that is both distinct and relatable. What originally began as just a few friends jamming together quickly transitioned into foot-stomping rockabilly sprinkled with elements of punk and bluegrass. Eventually, saxophonist Sid Tyner, standup bass player Chris Paget and vocalist Susan Hills Nelson were added, and the Whiskey sound was fully incarnated. Their music rides like a Harley Davidson — it's loud, it's fast and if you're not ready to get rowdy, then you need to get out of the bar.
"We really see ourselves as a great live band," percussionist Steve Sancho said. "When a new song is brought to the table, we try to think about how it's going to play live and how we can keep things high energy."
And when it comes to penning new songs for the band, guitarist and vocalist Spencer Collins, who collaborates with fellow vocalist Bailey on the majority of the Whiskey tracks, says they try to keep things as real as possible.
"I usually come in with a great core of a song, and then we all add to it and really try to make sure the energy's there for the audience," Collins said. "Sometimes it's based on true things; other times it's more loosely based."
Bailey laughed and gave his take on Collins' songwriting.
"Yeah, Spencer's songs are more about philandering and being loose," he said. "I choose to write mostly about being in jail and drinking booze."
As for the final product, Whiskey Tango Revue has a little bit of everything for every taste. Some of it's twangy, some of it's raunchy and still even more is tinged with a little bit of old-school blues. Sure, there are a few hints of country sprinkled in, but Bailey says the band makes an honest effort to stay away from music that sounds too "CMA."
"A lot of what's being played today is typical blue-eyed music that just comes off as obnoxious," he said. "We're fighting to take country music back."
So far, it appears that Whiskey's guerrilla attack on country music is already working: they've built a steady fan base here in Columbia as well as Charleston. Their newest album, "Seersucker Soldiers," will be formally released tonight at 5 Points Pub, and it's already obvious that one track in particular is going to be destined for South Carolina greatness.
"'The Moon-Spangled Banner' is one of my favorite songs we've ever done, and I really think it's going to blow people's minds," Bailey said. "Our dream would be to play it at a USC game because it's all about praising our state, and we try to give South Carolina as much love as possible."
And fortunately for us, Sancho says the band has been able to avoid many of the pitfalls that can typically plague a great Southern rock band. They've strayed away from big humps in the road and found that they work really well together even when the instruments come off at the end of the set. And Collins seconds that motion.
"We're all about making mediocre music sound really good for a long time," he added.
"Yeah, we're going to ride this wave of free PBRs as long as we can," Bailey said with a grin. "But we're still not going to quit our day jobs."
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