The Hired Guns

The Hired Guns formed in 1996 when Adam Kyle on vocals and guitar, Chris Willard on vocals and guitar, Anthony Paine on bass, and David Cheese on drums first assembled in Sydney, Australia. Drawing from classic country while folding in rock touches from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Byrds, the quartet delivered their melancholy, whisky-soaked grit through lyrics centered on sour love, broken hearts, and hard liquor hangovers. Steady Cam Records put out the band’s initial recording in 1999 as a split EP shared with The Dearhunters.