I went in reverse, I listened to nothing but Bloodshot Records releases when I was 14 and finally opened up more to poppier sounds/writing when I got older. Still firmly live in "alt. country" territory as far as guitar music though. Vocalist from Gaslight has bordered on that territory with side projects as well, resulting in
some of the better material he's written.
Not my favorite band of all time but they arrived in the midst of the Pitchfork/Sub Pop indie onslaught as a pretty throwback band that wrote solid songs, played hard and fast, and were punchy as hell on stage. Several tiers above the mall rat pop punk but enough familiar themes to appeal to both those kids and snobbish assholes (like myself). Which is why I was humored that your first impression, and the first impressiom a lot of people got tonight, was of an overweight legacy act playing an "Oh whoaoaoa" song. Cashing in is a cruel game.