Not Your Grandpa's Country Singer

If you've been racing down local dirt roads in your pickup, jamming to Toby Keith or Gretchen Wilson, then you should probably skip this week's Hank IIIconcert. Plastering a Confederate flag in your back window might buy you a redneck pass (and hopefully a good ass-whuppin'), but it doesn't mean you know country, and it sure as hell doesn't mean you know what Hank III is about, brother. With his band Assjack by his side, the grandson of Saint Hank Sr. and the son of Bocephus walks the line between old-school country and hardcore punk. His live shows quickly turn into an unhealthy mix of styles, drawing crowds as diverse as they come. If Hank does a little bitching about how Nashville's Curb Records fucked over his career via contractual dictates, that's understandable. The way things are going, the self-promoted "outlaw country" artist might have to change his name to a symbol, à la Prince. How about the middle finger?

Hank III joins Psyopus on Monday, October 23, at the Culture Room, 3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $14.99. Call 954-564-1074, or visit www.cultureroom.net.