Reckless Kelly, originally from Oregon, paid dues on the Austin music scene. And they're happy not to be digging ditches. Courtesy photo

THE RUNDOWN WHO: Reckless Kelly and Joe Ely WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday, May 11 WHERE: Floore's Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, Helotes HOW MUCH: $20 advance; $25 at the door INFO: liveatfloores.com; Web site: recklesskelly.com MySpace: myspace.com/recklesskelly Archive: Family affair a Texas treat

For those who've heard Reckless Kelly's blend of rock and country, it might surprise them to learn that the band is not actually from Texas. In fact, the group formed in Oregon in 1995. But after moving to Austin a year later, Reckless Kelly quickly began to infuse a bit of Texas roots into its sound. What has resulted are six albums and tour stops aplenty. That nonstop touring continues on Friday, May 11, when Reckless Kelly plays at Floore's Country Store in Helotes. Reckless Kelly's Cody Braun — who plays fiddle, mandolin and harmonica, as well as provides backup vocals to brother Willy Braun — chatted with 210SA.

You tour quite a bit. Does it get stressful after awhile?
CB: You know, it gets to be like a full-time job, but it's a lot easier than most things. We're not digging ditches. We're constantly doing something, and even on days off when we're home, we're having band rehearsal and meetings about what's happening on the new record. It seems like something is always going on with the band, but it's what we love to do.

How did Reckless Kelly first begin to develop some buzz?
When we first moved to Austin (in October 1996), we were playing anywhere we could just getting started. We wanted to develop our sound, and we ended up playing about six or seven nights a week in Austin for a couple of years — just steady playing as much and wherever we could for free beer and tips. Once we started getting a buzz going, we started playing outside of Texas some in the summer months.

Where did the band's name come from?
We had a bunch of names and ideas, and I remembered (Reckless Kelly) from high school. We were thinking it was a Chicago gangster, then it turns out to be an Australian outlaw from the 1800s (named Ned “Reckless” Kelly). We had a gig that week, so we decided to go with Reckless Kelly.

So it didn't come from the 1993 movie?
I've seen the Yahoo Serious movie (called “Reckless Kelly”), and it's pretty terrible. We're not named after that.

When people hear you for the first time, do they just assume you're from the south?
I guess I would say people's first assumption would be that. We grew up listening to Texas music, but none of us are from Texas. When we got together, it was the end of the grunge era at that time, and what we were doing wasn't going over at all (in Oregon). So I could see how people would think that. We love living here, and we're going to stay a while if it's all right.

What do you think of playing so much in Texas?
On a wide scale, from state to state, I don't think there's another state out there that compares with the Texas scene. No other state has its own music chart. You don't see a Wisconsin music chart or a Montana music chart, but Texas has radio stations that play Texas music. The support for live music here is unparalleled. There's a dance hall or a honkytonk in every small town.

Your sound has been described as a mix of rock and country. Would you agree with that?
We've always said it's rock and roll with a fiddle, a little bluegrass; a little rock and roll and a little country. We call it hick rock. But it's a lot of fun.
 
Clint Hale | 210SA