Wagoneers Roll Within Modest Boundaries

There’s nothing revolutionary about the sound or themes of the Wagoneers, a country-rock quartet from Austin that opened Friday night at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim for Willie Nelson. (Yes, he’s back on the road again.)

You won’t find the culture clash of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ blend of country sentimentality and rock commentary in the ‘60s, or the maverick heroism of the “outlaw” brigade in the ‘70s.

Within more narrow and modest boundaries, however, the Wagoneers serve up enough winning songs to earn themselves a few choice spots on any good country jukebox. “I Wanna Know Her Again”--from the band’s just-released A&M; album--is a medium-tempo tune about re-establishing contact with a loved one that stands up to anything Randy, Dwight or, yes, Willie has given us lately.

Monte Warden, who fronts the band in a pleasing, energetic manner, doesn’t sing “Know You”--or some other inviting ballads--with the classic county signature of a Haggard or Jones, but there is a convincing ring to his somewhat understated approach.

The group--which likes to inject some rock bite on drums and guitar wherever possible--came across as an eager, crowd-pleasing unit in its 30-minute set Friday, even though the Celebrity’s revolving stage worked against establishing much contact with the audience. The Wagoneers should have a stronger showcase tonight at the Palomino, where the set will be longer and the audience won’t have to spend half its time staring at the back of Willie Nelson’s equipment crates.