Jimi Nelson grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and early Elvis, courtesy of his parents' record collection in Moline, Illinois, and he's been chasing that sound since he picked up his first guitar at twelve. His sets blend the classic twang of Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens with the more modern grit of Jason Aldean, Billy Currington and Keith Urban, plus his own original songs that lean into heartbreak and hard living. He's spent time touring with Frankie Avalon Jr., Tony Avalon, Sons of Frankie Avalon and Eden Everly before stepping out to build his own catalog, and he's currently on the road behind his record "Hangovers & Heartaches."

Catching him at Gilley's Saloon feels right for this kind of music, given the saddle-seat barstools, the Western décor, and the general honky-tonk atmosphere of the place inside Treasure Island. It's a room built for guitar-driven country, where the songs about whiskey and regret land the way they're supposed to, with a drink in hand and boots on the floor.