Fronted by Ryan Adams, the group included members Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly.

After performing punk rock with a band called The Patty Duke Syndrome, Adams founded Whiskeytown in 1994 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The band initially consisted of Adams, violinist Caitlin Cary, drummer Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, bassist Steve Grothmann and guitarist Phil Wandscher.

Adams claimed that the reason for the re-release was the muddy sound of the original version and his distaste for "Oklahoma," which was added to the album despite his objections.

[3] Despite the band's internal strife, Almanac was a successful album with critics, with the tracks "16 Days" and the Replacements-esque "Yesterday's News" receiving significant radio play.

The positive reviews came from increasingly mainstream publications such as Rolling Stone, who claimed at the time, "If there's to be a Nirvana among the bands that are imprecisely dubbed alternative country, look to Whiskeytown.

Also adding to the different flavor of the album was a cast of guest stars, including The Replacements' Tommy Stinson and The Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha.

Cary, who married original drummer Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, has released three solo albums and created a female folk trio named Tres Chicas.

In 2013, Cary and solo artist Jon Lindsay co-founded the NC Music Love Army – a collective of many notable musicians from North Carolina who oppose the leadership of the newly emerged Republican supermajority in their home state.