The Hamm Sammies

Maybe it's because the band is fueled by cheap beer and quality whiskey, but when the Hamm Sammies set out to write country music, their groove strayed from the lines. They gravitated toward a more syncopated, swampy sound: country music played in between the cracks. With a little twang, some Memphis soul, plenty of blues, and even a dash of Sonny Rollins (especially his Way Out West era), their arrangements get people off their seats. If they're not careful, listeners might accidentally put aside their Midwestern stoicism for the duration of the Sammies' set.