With slogans like, "Purveyors of Fine Music," and "So Country, It'll Make You Puke," FortyTwenty is a little bit old-school country and a touch of punk, blended together with a whole lot of energy and onstage antics that have helped the cowbilly quintet put its alternative honky-tonk stamp on juke joints, saloons, rock venues and dancehalls throughout the midwest and south.

Currently based in Lincoln, Neb., FortyTwenty has worked to expand its fan base touring in support of its sophomore studio album, "Sober and Stupid," released on Slackjaw Records in 2005. The album received significant radio play in various markets, reaching the No. 5 spot on the Freeform American Roots Chart, the No. 8 spot on the Euro-Americana Chart, and the No. 12 spot on XM Satellite Radio's X-Country Chart. The group recorded its 13-song disc with producer A.J. Mogis at Presto Studios in Lincoln.

"We're basically old-school country, but a lot louder and sometimes uncomfortably faster," fiddle player David Wilson says.

Along with Wilson (fiddle, rhythm guitar and vocals), FortyTwenty consists of Lern Tilton (dog-house bass and vocals), Jon Bradley (guitars and vocals), J.J. King (drums and vocals) and Lloyd McCarter (pedal steel and vocals).

"Although the band's overall sound is firmly rooted in traditional country," says Ann Marie Harrington of Take Country Back Magazine, "FortyTwenty is fearless when it comes to creativity, unafraid to toss the different styles and aspects of the music into the pot and see what comes out after being briskly stirred together. Front and center is their humor and often with tongues planted firmly in cheek, they deliver songs that take tried and true classic country themes and turn them inside out."

In its four years of existence, FortyTwenty has performed live on radio stations and shared the stage with numerous national acts - including BR549, Hank Williams III, the Derailers, Chris LeDoux, The Reverend Horton Heat, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Split Lip Rayfield, Those Legendary Shack Shakers, the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Robbie Fulks, Wayne Hancock and Jason Boland and the Stragglers, among others.

The pinnacle of contemporary country has also taken note of FortyTwenty. In May of 2004, the group was invited to Nashville by Country Music Television to record four original acoustic songs for a segment called "New Voices, No Cover," which is now featured on CMT.com.

"This whole thing started out as a way for us to get our old-school country fix, while we were all pursuing other musical endeavors," Wilson said. "One day we realized we had enough common song knowledge to fill two or three hours. So we polished up some of our originals, went down the street and played our first gig - hoping other people might want to hear this stuff, too."

To this day, FortyTwenty has been known to pull out numerous covers (usually by request) at live shows, while focusing on original music written primarily by Wilson and Tilton. The group's debut album, "Lowdown and Dirty," has sold copies in every U.S. state.

"If it ever came to a point where nobody wanted to hear our stuff anymore," Wilson said, "we'd still be playing on somebody's porch. This is just fun music."