When the West Is More Than an Act : An Emphasis on the Bakersfield Sound Keeps Wylie Gustafson Close to Rural Country Roots

Wylie Gustafson was raised on a cattle ranch in Montana, lived for a time in Van Nuys and now makes his home on his in-laws’ wheat farm in Dusty, Wash. But his heart, it seems, is in Bakersfield.

The leader of Wylie & the Wild West Show always has felt an affinity for the Bakersfield sound epitomized by such country legends as Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, and that influence keeps on taking a bigger role in Gustafson’s own music.

His most recent album, 1994’s “Get Wild,” was recorded at Haggard’s studio in Northern California (“I guess that helped us get into the Bakersfield groove a little,” Gustafson said), and Haggard even lent his voice to a duet on the album, the jokey “Ugly Girl Blues.”

Now the band’s third album for Nashville-based Cross Three Records is in the can, and Gustafson says the California influence will make its strongest show yet. On the album, due in September, Wylie and band mates--who play the Crazy Horse in Santa Ana tonight--put their stamp on a song by Bobby Wayne, a longtime Haggard sideman. And “the originals have kind of that Bakersfield sound,” Gustafson said by phone from Dusty during a rare break in touring. “We’re all from the West and the West Coast, and it’s natural to have kind of a West Coast sound.”

He said the sound comes through even though the album was recorded in Austin and was produced by Ray Benson, who, as leader of Asleep at the Wheel, is better known for keeping the Western swing style alive.

Gustafson, 34, said he never has had much enthusiasm for the country mainstream; he prefers to stick close to the music’s rural roots. Asked what he’s been listening to lately, he mentioned a few of his contemporaries--Junior Brown, David Ball, Dwight Yoakum, Carlene Carter--but returned quickly to some of the masters: Marty Robbins, Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams Sr. and Haggard.

“I don’t know how to define it exactly, but the lyrics and the simplicity of the music really move me,” Gustafson said. “I relate to that rural feeling with a lot of the lyrics . . . and the orchestration back then with the steel guitars. A lot of the country today seems like ‘70s pop.”

He thinks country radio has a lot to do with emphasizing slick formula over heartfelt music. “Everyone’s competing for those 25 slots on country radio. Back in the ‘50s you had your guys from Texas and your guys from Bakersfield and from Nashville and it was all good music.”

While drawing his inspiration from country’s roots, he is careful to add a contemporary feel. “I don’t want to be a retro guy. We’re trying to take the traditional music and put it in a new direction.”

Although country radio largely has ignored Wylie & the Wild West Show, the band has received a career boost from an unlikely source: country-oriented cable channels such as The Nashville Network and Country Music Television.

Indeed, before Gustafson was signed to a record label, he sent CMT a video of one of his tunes, “This Time,” and it was added to the rotation. A second video, “Yodeling Fool,” also got air time before the band released its first album (“Wylie & the Wild West Show”) for Cross Three.

Gustafson travels regularly to Nashville to appear on the TV shows and occasionally performs at the Grand Ole Opry, where audiences appreciate his respect for country roots. But, he said, “I think the videos are still the predominant force in terms of getting our name out there and letting people know who we are.”

He was living in Van Nuys at the time of his video breakthrough, playing Ronnie Mack’s weekly Barn Dance at the Palomino. But he was getting tired of trying to forge a country career in L.A., so he ended up with his wife’s family in Dusty--a “[grain] elevator and a cafe and that’s about it. It’s a good place to write, sort of get away from all the distractions.

“I’ve always tried to make songwriting a big part of what I’m doing, because I think as an artist you can carry out your vision a little better. All my heroes have been singer-songwriters.” He hopes to see others someday cover his material.

As showcased on the band’s first two albums, Gustafson is a strong singer and songwriter who can rock a little (“Too Late”) and have a bit of fun (“All Hat, No Cattle”) while putting a fresh face on such traditional country concerns as lost love.

And yes, he does yodel--it has become something of a trademark for him. “Yeah, there’ll be some yodeling on the new album,” he said. “We’re finding that the yodeling is going over big.”

* Wylie & the Wild West Show plays tonight at 7 and 10 at the Crazy Horse Steak House, 1580 Brookhollow Drive, Santa Ana. $12.50. (714) 549-1512.