Various Artists – Bloodshot Records, Bloodshot Records Sampler

In truth, Bloodshot Records’ future was revealed in the title of the first album they released nearly 20 years ago: For a Life of Sin: Insurgent Chicago Country. Though their roster has, over time, expanded far outside their home city, Bloodshot is still the home of “insurgent country” and rabble-rousing roots rock, providing a home to time-tested pioneers like Andre Williams and Graham Parker and welcoming new faces, like JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. What binds all the bands together is their dedication to classic American music – most of the acts on the Bloodshot roster fall somewhere along the country/blues spectrum – and their deep-seated iconoclasm. The music may not be punk in sound, but it is undeniably punk in attitude, proudly rough-around-the-edges and always ready with a shot of Jack or a light for your smokes.