Have Gun, Will Travel are not nearly as threatening as their name implies, but they are more than ready to hit the road for little more than the chance to do what they do best.

"We just need enough to pay for gas," frontman Matt Burke reportedly said when asked to play a fan's wedding.

Soon to be one of the most notorious alt-country bands around, these hired guns deliver clap-along, knee-slapping rhythms layered with Dylan-inspired lyrics that navigate a world of metaphor and meaning. Among the usual weaponry of acoustic guitar, drums and bass, the band's arsenal also includes viola, harmonicas, lap steel and banjo.

  

HGWT's release party for their new CD, Casting Shadows Tall as Giants, kicked off Friday night at Crowbar with support from Nessie, The Diviners and Orlando's Baron Von Bear.

As Baron Von Bear played, couples romantically slow danced to the group's lite-rock sound — at least as romantically as a couple can dance while still clutching their cans of PBR.

When Nessie took the stage, a fan told me that she'd been watching the band for 10 years.

"Jesus that makes me feel old," she said, contemplating the second half of her drink.

This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2008.