If Roseanne is the Godmother of white-trash America, then the New Jersey band, Swales, could surely be her nephews.

What’s His Name is the sophomore effort from the country-rock-pop-American roots grungers headed by singer/songwriter Bob Carr.

Since the release of their 1992 debut CD, Pleasureland, the group has slowly and painfully evolved into their current lineup. Just prior to recording the new album, the bass player opted for a more secure income as a carpenter and another guitarist left in the middle of recording.

Mike Santoro of New Jersey legends The Selves joined up on bass, and after a long search, Mike Daly signed on to play lead guitar. Then, after losing their original drummer to another band, Ken Tondre signed up as a Swale. Guitar wizard, Mark Spencer (Blood Oranges, Freedy Johnston) also helped out on the recording.

Carr said his definition of a band lies in the people who make the music, not the frontman. “I see a band as four members.” he said. “It’s not like I’m gonna replace everyone like Evan Dando [of the Lemonheads]. To me, a band is a drummer, a bass player and two guitarists.”

Carr’s desire to make What’s His Name the best album possible is one of the reasons for the lapse in time between the band’s two releases. At one point, he nixed nearly an entire album’s worth of songs he felt weren’t up to his standards and began writing and recording new ones.

The best things in life may be free, but recording time isn’t. The additional time Carr took to write and record devoured up the label advance leaving the Swales flailing in the wind.

“We’ve had our share of problems, some out of our control and some were misunderstandings,” said Carr. “We’re busting our asses and I totally enjoy it.”

In exchange for extra studio time to finish the album, Carr and the band offered their services as construction workers to the studio, which happened to be in the middle of building a new recording space.

Using straight-forward storytelling as the lyrical base, the Swales take their place on the more-and-more trendy “American-roots” podium alongside Son Volt, Wilco and The Bottlerockets. This brand of music is anything but new. In fact, according to Carr, “it’s always been around.”

Drawing inspiration from the everyday, Carr writes and sings of love, life and gin.

“Tangueray Tango” stands as an ode to all three. It’s a tale of two alcoholics who meet at detox only to carry their romance to an aboveground pool with a bottle of gin chilling at the bottom. A sip here, a swig there and the happy couple awake the next day unaware of the previous night’s events.

But it’s the CD cover that put these guys on the map, the map of white-trash Americana that is. The cover is adorned with a photo of a pregnant teenager sitting on her porch in front of an American flag.

“It’s just a very strong image,” Carr said. “It’s about the whole album being a-day-in-the-life in rural New Jersey. We knew some people would be offended, but that means it’s working. There’s nothing offensive in the lyrics.”

At the ripe age of 33, Carr seems to have hit his stride after a post-mature beginning. Not having penned a song until he was 27, he felt he could accurately speak for all walks of life.

Carr said being in a band is always “something he wanted since he was a child.” And, while he started late, “you can continue to think about it, or you can just do it.”

“My attempt at life is to run the gamut,” he said in a press release. “I’ve been in the service; I’ve been to college; I’ve worked on a farm; I’ve worked for IBM. I don’t feel like I’m out of my element when I write about this stuff.”

Carr and the rest of the Swales bring their element to Sheffield’s On Court tonight. Cover is $2 with the guys taking stage at 8:30. Sheffield’s is located at 319 Court Ave. For more information call 246-8496.