Tom Murray
June 29, 2008
They're called the Old 97's, but there's a youthful energy in this Texas alternative country band. And, after a handful of shows here, front man Rhett Miller has some Summerfest favorites.
"The bratwurst, the people, the little air trolley that goes around," he told TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray.
And with the last name Miller, it's no surprise he likes Milwaukee.
"On the rock stage here, I'm looking out at the boats. That's a great view," said Miller. "So I have job where I play guitar, jump around and look at beautiful views… can you beat that?"
The band gets their name from the Johnny Cash song "The Wreck of Old 97." You can hear a bit of Cash in their sound that mixes country and rock.
"I love Rhett Miller, he's a really good singer," said fan Lisa Marie Benton. "They kind of tell of a story with each song. It's a little story about a romance or something that happened."
This lead singer, known for his great lyrics, also has a pretty good story about a missing front tooth.
"I knocked all my teeth out in a four-wheeler accident when I was 17 and this one kept getting knocked out from a microphone over and over again," Miller explained. "I decided I'd make it metal and then it wouldn't get knocked out as much."
He said the current fake tooth seems to doing the trick. It has not been knocked out since he made the switch.
And from the band and it's a fans, a message to the weather man.
"Thank you for helping it stop rain by all those anti-rain dances you did earlier," said Miller. "It's beautiful right now"
Miller spoke with TODAY'S TMJ4 before his Saturday night show on the Zippo Rock Stage.
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