Country Modern

If Music Row is looking for another gritty original to follow Jamey Johnson down the road of critical acclaim, Gattis is poised and ready. A one-time traditionalist, he created a stellar major-label album a dozen years ago that got him nowhere. So Gattis shifted to California, where he became Dwight Yoakam’s guitarist. He also began honing a fresh, rocking perspective that crosses Tom Petty with Creedence Clearwater Revival, then delivers it with cowboy swagger. Like Johnson, Gattis knows the ins and especially the outs of modern honky tonk life, which isn’t about crying in your beer, but instead throwing your mug at the mirror behind the bar. Residing once again in Tennessee, Gattis stomps hard yet shoots from the heart.
Tue., Jan. 20, 8 p.m., 2009