Whiskeytown’s Country Is a Little Bit Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too

At least for Whiskeytown, playing “alternative country” doesn’t mean concocting a new or different form of country music. During the opening show of its two-night stand at the Mint on Thursday, the North Carolina group’s style proved more a blend of the two genres, influenced as much by punk acts such as the Replacements as by classic country songwriters such as Johnny Cash and George Jones.

Guitarist Phil Wandscher’s obvious love of the Rolling Stones was also in the mix, along with rich shadings of fiddle, organ and lap steel. Hovering over it all were front man Ryan Adams’ vivid lyrics and mournful vocals, in sorrowful songs about loss that ranged from remorseful to angry, drawn mostly from the band’s major-label debut, “Strangers Almanac.”

The final effect recalled the various works of Gram Parsons, or perhaps a more depressive Cracker. The set was never less than musically stellar, and the touring sextet (including an organ/lap steel player) displayed both chops and camaraderie while nimbly negotiating honky-tonk twang, punk-pop and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Adams proved an intriguing figure, at once scruffy and swaggering, but his songwriting sometimes reflected his capabilities more than realizing them.

Adams is only 22, however, and already able to express powerful emotions with understatement and engaging intimacy. This was handily demonstrated near set’s end, when the packed house hushed itself to an astonishing silence while he sang the quietly devastating “Avenues,” accompanied by sparse organ and his own acoustic guitar.