Dustin Welch

Dustin Welch is a singer-songwriter who works roughly in the alternative country genre but with a tendency to turn up the rock and go on an occasional blues-inspired tear. Like a band playing at a bar that starts as a nice country band, gets rowdier as the evening progresses, then takes an unexpected dark turn in the wee hours, his music has been gravitating towards some kind of gothic Americana both musically and lyrically in his more recent work. There are relishes of Appalachian folk in his music, as well as an occasional wink to Irish folk, and an affinity towards experimenting with other forms (see Tango Blues or Tijuana Bible). He has a fairly accessible sense of melody that navigates these stylistic shifts. He sings with a somewhat surprising but fitting growl that one would have expected from an older performer.