BR5-49 Gives Off Mixed Vibes as an Alternative Presence

BR5-49 takes its name from a phone number in a sketch on “Hee Haw,” which tips off the key question facing a band that’s being presented as a major new force in “alternative” country: Do they want to be a serious band or novelty-tinged revivalists?

The quintet skirted the answer in its L.A. debut at LunaPark on Tuesday, playing for less than an hour and failing to generate the kind of energy and excitement that made its reputation during its dues-paying days in Nashville clubs.

On stage and on its debut album, the band makes its loyalties clear, digging into Webb Pierce and Hank Williams, Johnny Horton and Gram Parsons. It delivers its western swing and honky-tonk fundamentals with musical flair and semi-cartoonish attitude, but what apparently passes for rebellion in Nashville sounds a lot like business as usual in Southern California, where equally talented and devoted bands regularly ply the circuit from the Foothill in Signal Hill to the weekly Barn Dance at Jacks Sugar Shack.

BR5-49 could be a welcome addition to this society, and it could be even more, judging by a couple of its original songs--especially co-lead singer Gary Bennett’s “Even If It’s Wrong,” a lively statement of determination in the midst of hard times. The song takes advantage of Bennett’s flavorful voice, and the way it combines vintage vibe with personal authenticity should make the choice easy when BR5-49 decides to commit itself to one direction or the other.