Have Gun, Will Travel comes home for a show at the Blue Rooster

Bradenton’s music scene has received a lot more national attention in recent years, thanks in part to R.Lum.R garnering some major props from “Rolling Stone,” which this month named him one of “10 Artists You Need to Know,” and from Sam Wolfe’s “American Idol” run and nascent recording career.

That said, Have Gun, Will Travel thus far is the biggest Bradenton band of the 21st century, and the acclaimed Americana ensemble will play an almost-hometown show this weekend.

Have Gun will be at the Blue Rooster in Sarasota on Friday.

Have Gun, Will Travel has gained fans around the country with its five critically acclaimed albums, including 2015’s “Science From an Easy Chair.” The band’s sound has been described as alternative folk-rock or Americana, but it also has punk and country influences.

The band plays tours regularly all over the country, but still makes its home here. And it refers to Bradenton in some of its songs and in the title of its second album, “Greeting From the Friendly City.” The band has been featured on NPR, and one of its songs was featured in a Chevrolet commercial.

“Science From an Easy Chair” was a bit of thematic departure for Have Gun. The songs on the album, with such titles as “By Endurance We Conquer,” “Fortifying the James Caird” and “Bottom of the World,” revolve around the exploration of Antarctica by Sir James Shackleton.

One reviewer said of the album, “(It’s) one of the most entertaining history lessons I have ever embarked upon.”

Details: 8-11 p.m. June 16, Blue Rooster, 525 4th St, Sarasota. $15 front, $12 rear. 941-388-7539, blueroostersrq.com.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Have Gun, Will Travel comes home for a show at the Blue Rooster."