Rocker embraces change

They named their bundle of joy Alabama Gypsyrose Jennings.

"Alabama," Jennings explained in a recent phone interview, was a nod to de Matteo's father, Al, and the heroine of the couple's favorite movie, "True Romance."

There's also that whole Southern connection. "I love Hank (Williams) Jr., so the Alabama part worked," he said, talking on his cell phone while sitting in his car with the baby and de Matteo. They were parked outside a California studio, where de Matteo was set to film her guest role in a new FX series, "Sons of Anarchy."

As for the baby's middle name, he said: "Gypsy Rose Lee was that very famous stripper."

De Matteo could be heard protesting, saying something to the effect of "Don't say she's named after a stripper!"

Her story: Gypsyrose was the name of a St. Bernard she was fond of.

"It's a mixture of all that," Jennings concluded with a chuckle.

Fatherhood agrees with Jennings in ways the 28-year-old son of the late country rebel Waylon Jennings never imagined.

"It's the most awesome thing I've done by far. She is the coolest thing ever. Every day just gets better," he said. " It's so much fun hanging out with a little person that you made, you know?"

Jennings and de Matteo (HBO's "Sopranos") had the baby in late November, a month after Jennings' third album, "The Wolf," hit record stores. He delayed a tour so that he could get into daddy rhythm at home.

During his off time, he also reorganized his band. He replaced a guitar player and recharged his live show with a new setlist.

And he rediscovered his inner computer geek.

Jennings redesigned his Web site, www.shooterjennings.com, and created a series of hidden codes for fans.

"There's this little hidden space where they can enter these passwords and get a lot of hidden tracks and videos and things that we did a long time ago and didn't release," Jennings said. "I like to call it 'Decoding The Wolf.'

"I thought it was a real interesting way to give a person the full experience of the record more than just listening to it."

Jennings' first post-daddyhood outing starts in Arizona next week, with shows in Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson. It's by design. He spent a big chunk of his youth in Phoenix, where his mother, Jessi Colter, still lives.

By the end of this month, Jennings and his band, the .357s, will be out in full force through the end of the year, including a number of dates with country music elder statesman Charlie Daniels. (That tour is scheduled for a June 1 stop at Casino del Sol's AVA.)

The shows will give Jennings a chance to finally promote his album, which makes a convincing argument for his musical philosophy: no boundaries.

"The Wolf" leans more toward country than Southern rock, but it has a bit of everything. It's gritty and old-timey — steel guitar and harmonica rule on the three-chord twangy heartbreaker "Concrete Cowboys," and rock guitar and steel meet in the middle on the title track, which references everything from "Helter Skelter" to Anna Nicole Smith.. There's soulful twang on the album closer, "A Matter of Time," and straight-up electric guitar wailing on the Southern-fried opening track, "This Ol' Wheel."

The record also features a countrified cover of the Dire Straits hit "Walk of Life" a punchy romp with steel and slide guitar so far removed from the mix you'll find yourself hitting the repeat button.

"I like doing things that are crazy and unexpected, and I felt like that song was probably the most unexpected song for me to do," Jennings said. "I think most people would expect me to cover some Hank (Williams) Jr. or some Southern rock song."

Shooter Jennings

• When: 8 p.m. Thursday.

• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.

• Tickets: $18 at the door.

• Details: 740-1000.

• Online: www.shooter jennings.com.

• Round-trip ticket: Jennings returns to Tucson June 1 with Charlie Daniels Band at Casino del Sol's AVA.