The Dirty 30s

Growing up in Cape Girardeau, Dirty 30slead singer Jason Riley listened to just about any musicians that played at the town fair, so naturally he saw old-time country musicians like Charlie Daniels. Consequently, when the bootheel-raised Dirty 30s are tagged with the alt-country label today, they tend to shrug it off. "We just play what comes natural to us," Riley says, where "natural" ranges from slow, soulful narratives of downtrodden folk to rockin' commemorations of Cape's most well-known strip joint, the Purple Crackle. Still fresh from recording sessions in New York with producer Eric Ambel (the Bottle Rockets), the Dirty 30s put on solid shows as long as the liquor's running light. And even if they tip the bottle a little heavy and let precision slip, city slickers and country boys alike will still be impressed with the band's rowdy showmanship.