With a dose of punk rock as inspirational fuel, the Bottle Rockets have shot off sparks in the alternative-country genre.
Guitarist and lead singer Brian Henneman has, however, a simple way to describe his band’s music without utilizing a lot of labels.
“It’s just rock ‘n’ roll, basically,” Henneman said in a recent phone interview.
The Bottle Rockets will bring a straight-ahead, middle-America energy to Valparaiso’s Memorial Opera House for a 7:30 p.m. April 15 concert.
The show is a fundraiser for Respite House, a Valparaiso halfway house for men dealing with addiction and substance abuse issues in Porter County.
“It is a good cause,” Henneman said.
Launched in 1993 with an inaugural album, the Bottle Rockets will contribute well-honed, blue-collar fare which is peppered with traces of Americana/roots rock.
Generating its own material, the Bottle Rockets can swing from clever, hard-driving fare like “Nancy Sinatra” to warm, more folksy tracks such as “Dog.” Utilizing a 12-string Rickenbacker, Henneman lays a chime on “Dog,” which appears on “South Broadway Athletic Club” (2015).
With varied influences, Henneman noted that the first song “that made me want to play guitar” was Badfinger’s “No Matter What” from 1970.
Other bands that had an impact were Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy and an icon of punk — the Ramones.
However, the 1980s pop-rock scene did not do much for Henneman.
“So I kind of like started looking into country music,” the 55-year-old songwriter said. “Country came in as sort of a fallout shelter from the hair metal and the Thompson Twins-era kind of stuff — the synth-pop.”
Based in the St. Louis area, the Bottle Rockets have long delivered acclaimed rural rock along the lines of Uncle Tupelo and Drive-By Truckers.
The Bottle Rockets have used producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, who has worked with Joan Jett.
At the April 15 show, Henneman — a St. Louis resident — will show off the rugged style of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard that helped shape him.
Money that Henneman and his bandmates will help raise for Respite House comes from ticket sales and event sponsors, said Mitch Peters, president of the halfway house’s board of directors.
Peters expects this year’s concert to generate between $3,000 and $5,000, which represents the approximate sum that similar fundraisers at the opera house have usually brought in.
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Monies that are generated go toward operating expenses such as utilities and food costs.
Aside from garnering proceeds, the benefit concert offers the chance to convey what Peters feels is important information.
“Sure, we want to raise funds; we’re not-for-profit, and funding of not-for-profits is always difficult,” Peters, a Valparaiso resident, said. “But it’s more about getting the word out about the substance abuse problem in Porter County — about the treatment and options. It focuses more about getting the message out there that there are treatment options and there are people making the effort to address this issue.”
Peters said a certain drug ranks high on the list of concerns when it comes to substance abuse issues.
“The ones that have significantly come to the attention of our community of late are the heroin issues,” said Peters, who is an attorney.
The board president likewise noted “there’s abuse of opiates.”
Addressing such problems is the eight-year-old Respite House.
“It’s a residential halfway house for men with substance abuse issues,” Peters said. “They live there in a structured environment. They receive structured treatment. They have a curfew. They do chores. They’re randomly drug tested.
“They’re just a group of men trying to turn their lives around.”
Peters and his ex-wife, Lita Peters, were instrumental in opening Respite House in 2009. Lita Peters is executive director of the halfway house.
The Memorial Opera House’s website states the April 15 benefit concert for Respite House is designed to aid a facility that promotes recovery from addiction and alcoholism.
Light concessions, including soft drinks, will be available at the April 15 show, which will feature an opening-act performance by the Benjamin Franklin Middle School Blues Project.
The Blues Project appearance will showcase students from the Valparaiso middle school and from Valparaiso High School.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Respite House Presents the Bottle Rockets
Where: Memorial Opera House, 104 E. Indiana Ave., Valparaiso
When: 7:30 p.m. April 15
Tickets: $35
Information: 219-548-9137, www.mohlive.com