Media

Old 97's keep an old band fresh (AM New York)

2008-07-31T16:31:00Z

Scott Rosenberg
July 31, 2008

What's the recipe for sustaining a successful band for 15 years?

"Spend big chunks of time away from each other," says Rhett Miller, the lead singer and guitarist of the Dallas-based band the Old 97's, with a laugh.

The Old 97s were on the forefront of the alt-country scene in the late '90s alongside Wilco, The Jayhawks and Whiskeytown. And if you watch the show "Scrubs," you've likely heard the band, as they're often in the soundtrack.

Besides playing with the full band, Miller also broke free for a couple of solo albums that fell comfortably in the pop rock genre, a big departure from the Old 97's alt-country sound.

That changed seeped into the Old 97's music, swinging a little toward more traditional pop, though you can still hear the country touchstones on the new album, "Blame It on Gravity," that littered the early records.

Would you still classify Old 97's as an alt-country band? I don't know. That's something more for journalists or fans to work out. The alt-country tag used to really bother me because it was reductive. It ignored big chunks of our influences. But at the same time, that alt-country crowd was a real scene and it was fun being a part of it for all those years.

You've moved to New Paltz in upstate New York. Did leaving Dallas influence your songwriting? I don't know. People ask that a lot and I wonder that about other songwriters, too. But I don't think it's geographic as much as it is where you are in your life -- the difference between being a 21-year-old who's just living for the next beer and the next chick I'm gonna, you know, see if I can make out with, versus being a guy in my mid-30s with a couple of kids. I can still tap into that young alcoholic version of me, but it's not my everyday existence, thank god.

When you're writing songs, how do you determine what is for your solo albums, and what goes to the band? The songs that sound a lot more like straight pop end up being obvious solo songs, and right now I'm imaging my next solo record will be real acoustic and quiet. Pretty much everything else gets to be The Old 97s.

Do you still enjoy touring after all these years? When I was in my early 20s, it was so awesome, riding around America in a van and feeling like you're in a little army trying to conquer every town. I still feel an element of that, but it's a little tougher because obviously I miss the family. And some of the initial excitement of seeing, let's say, Nashville, for the first time has worn off because -- god knows -- I've been through Nashville. But it's also nice because I'm on a bus with two living rooms and my own little bunk.

Old 97's are at Webster Hall on Friday.
Time: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $28
Address: 125 E. 11th St.
Phone: 212-353-1600

AM New York

Lyrically Hellbent: The Words of Rhett Miller of the Old 97's (Express from the Washington Post)

2008-07-29T10:42:00Z

Stephen M. Deusner
July 29, 2008

THE ALT-COUNTRY MOVEMENT of the 1990s didn't produce many distinctive songwriters, which is one of many reasons why Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller still stands out among his peers.

Honing his wit on Elmore Leonard and his concision on Raymond Carver, Miller wrote and sang about bad come-ons and tricky hook-ups, playing the highly conflicted role of the guy your mother warned you about disguised as the guy your mother approves of. He's the unlikely lothario sporting thick-frame glasses, singing in a Texas twang and backed by one of the most underrated rock guitarists of the decade in fellow 97 Ken Bethea.

Way back on the Old 97's' 1994 debut, Hitchhike to Rhome (Big Iron), Miller turned the phrase "I can't find the words to make it right" into a song-ending hook, but the next 14 years, six albums and no telling how many songs have proven he can always locate just the right word.

With the release of the Old 97's return-to-form/return-to-Dallas seventh album, Blame It on Gravity, here's take a look at Miller's defining lyrical moments.

1. "Wish the Worst" (Hitchhike to Rhome, 1994)

Why am I here? I've got better things to do.
I could hang out on the pier, down by the Hudson, sniffin' glue.
I guess I'm a loser, but I like being miserable, swimming in sin.
I just wanna know where you been.

Unafraid to play the jerk, Miller breaks into his girlfriend's apartment, then gets bored and angry when she stays out late. But with this final verse, he transforms the song from a loser's lament into a troubling existential quandary that would inform his songs for years to come.

2. "Doreen" (Hitchhike to Rhome, 1994/Wreck Your Life, 1995)

When I first met Doreen
She was barely seventeen.
She was drinking whiskey sours in the bar.
The way she tossed 'em back
I would've had a heart attack.
But as it is I let her drive my car.

If Miller didn't come across as so messed up himself, his songs about femme fatales might seem a little too mean. Fortunately, he's usually the butt of his own jokes. Doreen may be jailbait, but she can drink him under the table and still convince him to give her the keys. A less lovesick man might've seen all the heartache to come.

3. "If My Heart Was a Car" (Hitchhike to Rhome, 1994/Alive & Wired, 2005)

And if my heart was a car
You would have stripped it down and sold it off
To the greasy man in the salvage lot
As it is it's just a heart
No, it ain't worth nothin'.

His heart gets crummy gas mileage and has no resale value.

4. "Barrier Reef" (Too Far to Care, 1997)

So I sidled up beside her
Settled down and shouted hi there
My name's Stewart Ransom Miller
I'm a serial lady killer.

The ultimate Rhett Miller song, this epic in miniature shows a slightly sloshed Miller picking up a woman in a bar called the appropriately named Empty Bottle. In the end, nothing comes of it, but at least he she gives as good as she gets: To his funnier-than-it-should-be pick-up line, "She said I'm already dead, that's exactly what she said."

5. "Big Brown Eyes" (Wreck Your Life, 1995 / Too Far to Care, 1997)

I wish you were here
I wish I was too
I'll drink myself to sleeplessness, I always do.

You could quote pretty much any line in this song ("I'm calling time and temperature just for some company"), but few of Miller's lyrics express the depth of his troubled heart as succinctly as these three lines, which adds a pinch of humor to make it hurt just that much more.

6. "Victoria" (Wreck Your Life, 1995)

This is the story of Victoria Lee,
She started off on Percodan and ended up with me.
She lived in Berkley till the earthquake shook her loose.
She lives in Texas now where nothing ever moves.

One of the best opening verses ever.

7. "Bel Air" (Wreck Your Life, 1995)

And I should say this before the whole thing even starts,
I'll stomp a mud hole in your heart.

As always, he knows how the whole thing will end, but can't stop himself from starting it up anyway.

8. "Indefinitely" (Fight Songs, 1999)

Well, the room was Mediterranean
And the meaning was twofold
We got busted by your mother
Though you're 29 years old.

As the Old 97's' career progressed, Miller left behind his serial lady killing ways and started writing about the pitfalls of slightly more mature relationships, like the embarrassment of being busted by your hook-up's mom.

9. "Rollerskate Skinny" (Satellite Rides, 2001)

Love feels good when it sits right down
Puts its feet up on the table and it sends a bowl around.

Just when Miller's love life seems to be on the upswing, he ends the songs with what could be his epitaph: "I believe in love, but it don't believe in me."

10. "Designs on You" (Satellite Rides, 2001)

I don't want to get you excited,
Except secretly I do.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have designs on you.

Just a few tracks after a sincere ode to popping the question ("A Question"), Miller admits to having designs on an engaged woman, even promising he won't tell a soul "except the people in the nightclub where I sing." That admission raises the question: Does Miller behave this way so he can write songs about it, or does he write songs that make him behave this way?

9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; Tue., 7 p.m.; $20; 202-265-0930.

Express from the Washington Post

The Spin: Old 97's at Mercy Lounge (Nashville Scene)

2008-07-24T20:58:00Z

July 24, 2008

Photos by Steve Cross.

We might as well get it over with and just take a paragraph here at the beginning to talk about how fucking pretty Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller is. The shaggy-haired crooner is movie star handsome. Tigerbeat cute. And his boyish charm somehow made the cheer-sex he was having with myriad members of the audience less than sketchy—he would lean back, let his eyes go all bedroom, and then casually strike his signature mini-windmills on his guitar. We weren’t the only ones who were impressed: A random (male) East Nashville barfly and recent Old 97’s convert remarked to us, “I don’t normally say this, but the lead singer is hot!”

OK, on to the music: In front of a very-full house, the four boys from Texas played an energetic set that spanned their entire catalogue. Though they covered nearly all of their new album Blame It on Gravity, the band still found time for some deep cuts, including the irresistible barnburner “Doreen,” a couple songs off Satellite Rides highlighted by the deliciously clever “Rollerskate Skinny”—“I believe in love…but it don’t believe in me” won the night in the sing-along category—and, during an encore that also included “Timebomb,” Wreck Your Life’s opener “Victoria,” a song that in our minds perfectly encapsulates the magic of this band. Sideman Murry Hammond also got to sing quite a few, including the heartbreakingly spare “Valentine” and the rollicking “W. TX Teardrops.”

Midway through the set, Miller introduced a song by quipping, “In a perfect world, I could have sold this song down on Music Row—and lived on it for all of six weeks.” He then launched into Hitchhike to Rhome’s epic self-pity-fest “Wish the Worst.” In classic country-song style, the protagonist lurks around his beloved’s apartment, drinking all her booze and crawling in her bed, while begging to know where she’s been. With no answer forthcoming, he moans, “I hope you crash your mama’s car / I hope you pass out in some bar / I hope you catch some kind of flu / Let’s say I wish the worst for you,” before returning to his desperate assertion, “I just wanna know where you been.”

When Miller throws himself into singing a song like that—letting his sweet voice crack at the saddest parts and leap into the occasional howl, there are few rock singers more fun to watch.

As the night wound to a close, we remembered to do our good deed for the month. (Apparently mocking those who deserve mocking doesn’t count as a humanitarian act.) We headed over to the merch table and bought a copy of Murry Hammond’s solo record I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way. Hammond recently told the Scene that every dollar he makes from the album before it’s official distribution goes to Project Mercy, a non-profit committed to building houses in Mexico. We left feeling pretty darn pleased with ourselves.

Oh, and thanks to Steve Cross for the tip—Mercy Lounge has a new floor.

Nashville Scene

Old 97's – “Blame It On Gravity” (The Charlotte Observer)

2008-07-24T20:36:00Z

Courtney Devores
July 24, 2008

Old 97's play Visulite at 8 tonight. $20. 704-358-9200. The band will also appear at Manifest Records at 6 p.m.

The Texan foursome is in fine form once again, following 2004's somewhat disappointing, rough-edged Drag It Up. More on the “alt” side of alt-country, Old 97's boast an incredibly well-rounded collection of jangle-pop, driving rock, surf guitar, and Tex-Mex swing.

The disc begins with a twangier take on the Who. In fact, Gravity evokes the legendary band's “Pinball Wizard,” as well as Soul Asylum and early-'80s jangle pop.

Frontman Rhett Miller's lyrics are at once poetic, vivid, and awash in double meanings. Combined with the crisp Telecaster riffing of Ken Bethea and diverse arrangements, the stories and clever reflections (“You've got to be a fool to be a fool in love” from “The Fool”) truly pop from the speakers.

With nary a misstep, Gravity is a welcome comeback.

The Charlotte Observer

Old 97s: Chemistry makes them headliners (The Birmingham News - blog)

2008-07-23T21:09:00Z

Michael Tomberlin
July 23, 2008

Murry Hammond and Rhett Miller

Five of five stars

Despite two opening acts and a late start for a show on a school night, Old 97's showed why they were the headliners Monday.

The Texas twang-pop-rock quartet ripped through old fan favorites of their 15-year catalog while relying heavily on new songs from their latest album, Blame It On Gravity, many of which are sure to become mainstays at future Old 97's shows.

Chief among them is "Early Morning," a pounding standout on the album was turned into a highlight on stage, with normally mild-mannered drummer Philip Peeples unleashing on his kit like a mad man and lead guitarist Ken Bethea squeezing out a hurricane of sound from his electric guitar.

Ken Bethea

Bethea's playing throughout Monday's show and on Blame It On Gravity have earned him a greater share of the spotlight than he previously has held.

Still, center stage continues to belong to Rhett Miller, lead singer and writer of the bulk of Old 97's songs. Miller worked through microphone problems early in the show, keeping the crowd engaged with his energy and gyrations.

Miller circulated among his bandmates, windmilled his guitar and ended in sweat in the climate-controlled venue.

The counter to Miller's youthful frenzy is Murry Hammond's mature stability. The bass player and sometimes lead singer offered up the set's most beautiful moment by moaning "Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue," one of two tunes he penned on the new album.

Rhett Miller

But Hammond is no stick-in-the-mud. He blistered through Old 97's classics "Crash On the Barrelhead" and "Smokers" and his harmonies gave heft to Miller's singing throughout the show.

The band's years of experience stood in stark contrast to solid, pleasant performances by the two opening acts, the Spring Standards and Sleepercar.

When the Old 97's took the stage, the venue kicked into a new gear and was held there by a band that knows its place on the stage and in the world.

It's being in a band, this band, that keeps Old 97's tethered to the ground.

The Birmingham News - Blog

Rhett Miller: 'Serial Ladykiller,' Lovelorn Crooner (NRP)

2008-07-18T18:16:00Z

Alt-country favorites the Old 97's are as reliable as a worn pair of cowboy boots and an old flannel shirt. The band has been playing for 15 years now, and they just released the album Blame It On Gravity.

Guitarist and vocalist Rhett Miller takes a break from their summer tour to talk about the group's new album and the band's career. Miller also performs some new songs and a few old hits.

In addition to playing in the Old 97's, Miller has a successful solo career, having released three albums. His most recent recording, The Believer, was well-received by critics...listen to Rhett being interviewed and performing here.

NRP

Wreck Your Life: Old 97's bassist Murry Hammond talks long-distance relationships, charity work and his frontman's pesky solo career (Nashville Scene)

2008-07-17T20:54:00Z

Lee Stabert
July 17, 2008

When the Old 97's are on—when rambunctious frontman Rhett Miller is cooing and crooning over a ragged honky-tonk snarl and dropping lines so snarky and devastating that they can make you forget how darn pretty he is—there are few bands better. But none of it would work without stalwart sidekick and bassist Murry Hammond and his flawless vintage sensibility. On the handful of songs he sings on each release, Hammond reminds the listener that this band's magic is most potent at its most dissonant—when pop rubs up against punkabilly and when Miller's rakish charm is mitigated by Hammond's unpretentious skill.

Despite Miller's ongoing flirtation with a solo career, and the fact that band members are scattered coast-to-coast, Old 97's recently returned to their old stomping grounds in Dallas to record their seventh studio album, Blame It on Gravity. A breezy, thoroughly listenable collection of tunes, the record finds the band as crisp and unified as ever. The Scene recently caught up with Hammond by phone as he worked on some recording of his own in San Diego.

Scene: So you guys decided to record the new record back in Dallas.

MH: We recorded in Dallas and we recorded with somebody—producer Salim Nourallah—that we've known, basically, since the '80s. He's known us our band's whole life—he knows our catalog and the arc of our sound and where we've been. In a way, we're still real garage-band about everything. It's all super-homemade and not a lot of it can be planned ahead. We trust the process.

Scene: You guys live all over the country now—are there any upsides to that?

MH: I guess the upside is that you're always glad to see each other. But there was a true upside to living in the same town, and we still miss that: getting together on Sunday to play washers, barbecue and drink some beer. There is a glue that happens. The downside to living separately is that you grow separately. We're a unit, but there are also parallel paths that happen, and the parallel paths don't cross. It works because of our personalities and the fact that we're friends. We actually haven't lived in the same state since the band was three years old, and now it's 15. We don't feel like we're any less of a band because of it.

Scene: Since Rhett's first solo record, every album you release as a band surprises people. Everyone assumes that this is the way bands work: They're together, then the lead singer gets something else going and they break up.

MH: Had Rhett's ego run amok during that time, it might have been harder to come back together—if he had had a little more success or even the promise of success. I mean Rhett really, really wanted his solo career to work. I love the Old 97's. I think the Old 97's is the thing. I've always been a band guy rather than a solo guy. Fortunately for us the solo thing kind of—the albums came and went. But, you know, Rhett is a solo artist in addition to the band, especially in his mind.

Scene: Do you have any plans to release any solo material?

MH: I actually have a solo record that has an August street date, but I printed it up in May and I've been selling it at Old 97's shows to raise money for a nonprofit called Project Mercy. Basically it's like Habitat for Humanity—they build very basic houses for extremely poor people in Tijuana, Mexico. To build one house it only takes 234 CDs sold. I didn't get all the way there on the last tour, but I got close, and I was able to make up the rest. Now I'm on to house No. 2.

To listen to Murry Hammond's solo work, visit myspace.com/murryhammond.

Nashville Scene

The DL: 'If We Didn't Tell You...' With The Old 97's: No. 2 (Spinner)

2008-07-17T18:03:00Z

July 17, 2008

Watch the video

Local Scene: 'YEP Fest, The Morning Light, The Coast (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

2008-07-03T10:35:00Z

Scott Mervis
July 3, 2008

The new home on the Schenley Plaza was a winner for the WYEP Summer Music Festival last Saturday night.

The station packed an estimated 3,000 people into the one-acre space for a concert headlined by The Old 97's.

"It was great on every conceivable level," says Lee Ferraro, WYEP general manager. "The Parks Conservancy was great to work with. It was a big open space, there were gardens to walk around in, food kiosks, the merry-go-round for kids. It was also centrally located, so people could bike there, walk or take mass transit very easily."

In previous years, the concert was held at the Riverfront Park on the North Shore, in conjunction with World Cafe at The Warhol, which did not happen this year because host David Dye wants to spend more time with family.

The show got off to a good start with Good Night, States, a local indie-pop band getting a strong push with the single "Killer of the One." Juliana Hatfield played a moody duo set that probably would have worked better in an intimate club but was bolstered by the piano work and harmonies of Pittsburgh native Elizabeth Steen. The Watson Twins, promising newcomers from L.A., came on strong with bright folk harmonies.

When The Old 97's hit the stage with songs like "Timebomb" and "Barrier Reef," it was a bona fide rock concert with blankets and chairs tossed aside and everyone up for a high energy set of Texas-style alt-country twang. The Dallas band, which had taken a break for Rhett Miller's solo career, seems to be back with new vigor, rocking as hard or harder than it did in the early '90s.

On top of that, Ferraro says, the band gave them a break on the fee to make their set possible.

He adds that as long as the Parks Conservancy is willing and the sponsorships are there, the festival will return to the same spot next year.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Summerfest Is A Favorite For Old 97's (Today's TMJ4)

2008-06-29T19:42:00Z

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.

Milwaukee Today's TMJ4

Old 97's get boost from experience, 'Gravity' (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

2008-06-26T20:26:00Z

Regis Behe
June 26, 2008

It's not a boastful statement, a la Muhammad Ali or any other sports figure who has just won some kind of championship. Nor is it an offhand remark borne of youthful brashness. It's just a fact that so much time together -- 15 years, to be exact -- yields results.

"Our band is good enough musically to do anything we want to do," says the Old 97's singer and guitarist Rhett Miller, who with the band headlines WYEP's Summer Music Festival Friday at the Schenley Plaza, Oakland. "We're old enough and have enough experience to appreciate the opportunities we have."

On the new album Blame It on Gravity, the Old 97's showcase their limitless range. There are high-charged songs typical of the group's alt-country roots, notably "The Fool" and "The One." "Dance With Me" cries out for a spot in a Quentin Tarantino movie; "She Loves the Sunset" is a lovely, mid-tempo change of pace; and bassist Murry Hammond's "Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue" is the album's show-stopping, George Jones moment.

Miller admits it's been a long time since the band has jelled so well in the studio -- perhaps since the album Satellite Rides, released in 2001. "It's a great moment in our band," he says.

Which is, if not surprising, unexpected. The Old 97's have gone through all the peaks and valleys attendant to longevity in a rock band. They've had success with a major label (Elektra) only to find the A&R guy who championed them let go. Miller has done a few well-received solo records that have relieved some of the tensions in the group.

"There used to be a lot more pushing and pulling before I started making solo albums," he says, but then the band released the prophetically titled Drag It Up, arguably the nadir of all Old 97's recordings.

Returning to the band's home base of Dallas, however, seemed to be the spark needed to stoke the band's creative fires. Miller gives credit to producer Salim Nourallah (who worked with the Clarks' Scott Blasey on his solo album Travelin' On) for encouraging the band to let the songs determine the sound.

Miller says the entire experience was like "being back in my Mom's garage" making music.

"It's like we've come full circle," he says. "There's a lot of gratitude we have in the Old 97's for having weathered so many things."

And there's a renewed sense of optimism, an anticipation of what may come next.

"We've figured out how to function in a band," Miller says, "and that's no small feat. We've amassed a catalog and a fan base, and we love being in this band -- knock on wood. Now we're just working hard, thinking about the future and how we can do this for a long, long time."

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Reviews: OldD 97'S - [LIVE] (Ground Control Magazine)

2008-06-26T20:00:00Z

Scott Craig
June 26, 2008

Rushing home from the airport after flying in from a business trip from Albuquerque, my focus had been getting back to my wife and our newborn so I could see him before he went down for the night. With that accomplished I flashed back to the plane ride into LAX where I spent time decompressing from my business meetings by scanning the impressive catalogue of material Old 97’s have amassed in their 15-year history, wondering how tonight’s set list would shake out. I’ve been seeing this bad religiously for the better part of last 10 years and it always seems like they don’t get enough time to represent their catalogue well in the short time span of 2 hours that constitutes a show. With the addition of their 8th studio effort, Blame It On Gravity, four weeks ago, this task seemed like it might be insurmountable, especially knowing how strong the material on the new release is.

The last couple of times I have seen this band in L.A., I have been left feeling a little empty. Their performance has never failed to impress, but the L.A. crowd that goes to check them out seems to be indifferent to their surroundings and the emotional outpouring of the music on stage. I hadn’t experienced that in Portland or Seattle, the other cities in which I have seen them before. Knowing that they’re playing at a fairly new venue to L.A., Crash Mansion, tonight my hope was for a different vibe and buzz in the crowd.

Arriving at the venue with my photographer and friend Rob in tow, we we’re instantly impressed at the set up they have at Crash Mansion and the money invested into the venue by the Bowery Group to provide a state-of-the-art music club experience in the downtown area. It was a little toasty inside given the recent weather and a few fans could have really done some good in curbing my appetite for cold beer, then again maybe not.

The band hit the stage shortly after 10 to a rousing welcome from the crowd, which started to put my fears to rest of the L.A.-crowd factor playing a less than positive role in the show. Rhett Miller stepped to the microphone, wasting no time diving head long in “The Fool” off of their aforementioned release. This track resurrects their older alt-country sensibilities with the spit and pop polish of Satellite Rides, a theme that seems to be threaded throughout their new release. We were standing stage right as the show kicked off in front of lead guitarist Ken Bethesda, who launched into one of many Old 97’s crowd pleasers like “Barrier Reef.” The first couple of songs really got the crowd fired up and it seemed like they were there to participate instead of putting on the “too cool for school” L.A. act.

Ripping into “The One,” another new track off of Blame It On Gravity, kept the energy level high, and the night seemed to be kicking off strong. This was backed up by “The New Kid” off of 2004’s Drag It Up as things started to really sizzle. As Rhett donned an acoustic guitar, he joked with the crowd about how hardcore they were for being in downtown to check out their live set making sure the unusual downtown L.A. setting of Crash Mansion didn’t go unnoticed. The band then false started into “No Baby I,” another new track, the only noticeable lack of tightness throughout the evening. Even with the false start the song was really delivered with studio precision after they regrouped.

The band continued to tear through a few more songs that are a great mix of 97 staples. Murray Hammond made his first vocal appearance paying tribute to his homeland roots with “W. TX Teardrops,” which was followed up by Rhett singing the much-celebrated “Question.” Picking up the pace, the band jumped into the jangley pop song “Oppenheimer” off of 1999’s Fight Songs, one of only two songs off this release to make an appearance. They continued to kick down the door with another new track I was hoping they wouldn’t bypass off their new one, as “Early Morning” continued the tight barrage of finely crafted songs the band have built their reputation on.

Catching their breath for a minute, Rhett welcomed Ricky Ray Jackson, who was backing opening act Hayes Carll, to the stage toting his steel guitar. They proceeded to launch into “Nite Club” off of 1997’s Too Far To Care. This is a song I have been dying to hear for years and never had the pleasure of hearing it live. The heartache tale of life on the road, playing various clubs and the trouble it causes loved ones wasn’t lost on me after rushing to this show directly from a business trip. The acoustic Rhett continued through “Color of a Lonely Heart,” a new Murray track and straight into “Lonely Holiday.” We then saw Rickey Ray make one more steel guitar appearance on “Salome.”

Rhett put down the acoustic and strapped on the electric to end the set by diving into another round of 97 faves to shut down the final part of the set. “Victoria,” “Big Brown Eyes,” “Roller Skate Skinny” (a track Rhett proudly claims to have written in L.A.) and was capped with a new tune, “The Easy Way.” The crowd seemed full tilt into it especially during “Big Brown Eyes,” responding loudly to Rhett’s cries of “I’ve got issues, yeah” with “Like I miss you, yeah.”

Worn out from the day and the intensity level of the show, I looked over at Rob who had a 6am flight scheduled to Chicago thinking the encores might not go long since the band had already ripped through nearly 20 songs. Rhett returned solo to the stage for a couple of quick ones off of his solo release, The Instigator, while the band likely took a break to grab a cold one and wipe the sweat away from what had been a hot performance so far. He gave the honor of choosing a song to “The one who was having the most fun tonight,” which turned out to be “Terrible Vision” followed by “Come Around.” Murray then came up to perform his tender ballad of heartache, “Valentine.” At this point in the encore I was thinking we’re going to get one more standard-issue song from the band likely to be “Time Bomb.” I’ve seen these songs and this encore format at several of their shows and was pleasantly surprised to see them break out three more tracks. One more new track, “Dance With Me,” was played while Rhett showed the crowd his windmill strum technique one more time, which borders on cartoonish elbow dislocation. Two more rockers shut the show down, “Won’t Be Home” and “Four Leaf Clover.”

All in all, this was probably the best show I’ve seen the band play in a while. Maybe it’s the infusion of new material that keeps them on the stage for 25+ songs or maybe it was just the fact that they finally got a crowd in L.A. that was actually invested in the show. They also did a great job of hitting many high points, representing their entire catalogue as well as they could have. If I had my way, they would have played another 25 songs.

Ground Control Magazine

Capsule CD Reviews (Montreal Gazette)

2008-06-25T20:18:00Z

Mark LePage
June 25, 2008

Somewhere between indie affection and stardom, between alt-country and wry pop, between pretty Rhett Miller and the rest of the mugs in his band ... Old 97's slip into a gray zone. It all still adds up to a career; let these seemingly opposing forces now add up to a hit. After an indeterminate breakup or vacation, Blame It On Gravity reveals a band at the top of its songwriting game. The smarts, vigour and cheer in these lyrics surrounding Miller's appealing but fragile voice, should be mandatory listening for any neo-roots hipster band. "No Baby I" is already in classic rotation here. ****
Podworthy: No Baby I

Montreal Gazette

20 Questions - Rhett Miller of the Old 97's (PopMatters)

2008-06-16T16:19:00Z

The PopMatters Staff
June 16, 2008

One of the most exciting and popular bands to emerge out of the ‘90s indie rock scene, you’ve heard their songs in TV shows such as King of the Hill, Scrubbs and Veronica Mars, and movies, too, although if you’re really lucky, you’ve heard the Old 97’s perform live. They’ve released six critically acclaimed studio albums to date. Their seventh studio album, Blame It on Gravity, was released May 13th on New West Records. Rhett Miller, lead vocalist and a rather sweet fellow, chats with Popmatters' 20 Questions about fantasy football, his affinity for the protagonist in Wallace’s Infinite Jest, and this neat little trick he does with spoons.

1. The latest book or movie that made you cry?
My wife Erica and I just watched a sweet little film called Rocket Science. It took place in the cut-throat world of high school debate, a world I know well from having participated for a couple of glorious years. I did well enough to earn a scholarship to a prestigious summer program at the University of San Diego, where I got mononucleosis from kissing a girl named Scarlett. Wait...What was the question?

2. The fictional character most like you?
Sherlock Holmes. Swear to god. Musician, obsessive-compulsive, crime-solving, drug addled...Wait, what was the question? Really...I’d have to say David Foster Wallace’s Hal Incandenza from Infinite Jest. I love the alternate universe in which the years are no longer numbered but named according to corporate sponsorship, e.g., “The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment”.

3. The greatest album, ever?
Highway 61 Revisited? Surfer Rosa? Hunky Dory? Blood and Chocolate? What are you trying to do, make my head explode? Okay, okay. Let’s say Bizarro by The Wedding Present. It’s right up there with the others, but it’s so criminally under-rated that it hasn’t been burned out by too many plays or too much praise.

4. Star Trek or Star Wars?
Though I used to watch Picard and The Next Generation back in the day, I’d have to say, um… Battlestar Galactica. I only say that because my friend Tricia Helfer plays a Cylon on the show - and it’s a good show. I haven’t kept up though, because children and songwriting take up all my time.

5. Your ideal brain food?
Dallas Stars Hockey; Home Movies on Adult Swim; bookstores, especially used bookstores. The thing that keeps my brain ticking most consistently is the endless supply of murder mysteries and suspense novels out there. My favorites are Elmore Leonard, Dame Agatha, John Dickson Carr, John D. McDonald and Harlan Coben. I also recently devoured the entire Ender saga by Orson Scott Card—not mystery but very engaging.

6. You’re proud of this accomplishment, but why?
I won the Super Bowl in my fantasy football league ten years ago. Everything about that bit of information is wrong on so many levels. I should be too rock ‘n’ roll to play fantasy football. Barring that, I should have won the freaking Super Bowl at least once since then. Damn you Steven Jackson, running back for the St. Louis Rams!

7. You want to be remembered for...?
I’d love to have a catalogue of albums full of songs people love. And someday I aspire to write novels. The real thing I’d like to be remembered for, though, is being a good father and husband. Without that, the other accomplishments are meaningless.

8. Of those who’ve come before, the most inspirational are?
Willie Nelson, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello and Elmore Leonard all come to mind.

9. The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature?
“Waterloo Sunset” by Ray Davies, or Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
“Waterloo Sunset” is the greatest song in the Western canon as far as I’m concerned. That eerie incomprehensibility. That feeling of simultaneous dread and joy that, to me, sums up the human condition.

Infinite Jest hit me at the right time, the end of my 20s. I love Wallace’s unabashed smarty-pants-ness. I read that novel and can’t believe that one mind could contain, much less create, such a huge, beautiful story.

10. Your hidden talents...?
I can hang at least eight spoons from my face (including ears) at once. I do this to amuse small children and embarrass bigger children. I did it at my own wedding reception. I intend to do it at my funeral.

11. The best piece of advice you actually followed?
John Doe (of X) told me, “Make sure that your band is more than just a bar band.” I don’t mind playing in bars, but that can’t be the end of your ambition. There is a great big world out there.

12. The best thing you ever bought, stole, or borrowed?
My $300 mid-80s Alvarez acoustic six-string guitar. Made in Japan. It sounds better than my Martin, my Gibson, and my Guild. How can that be?
Having visited Japan, I have enormous respect for their standards of craftsmanship and service. And then there’s the Japanese rosewood…

13. You feel best in Armani or Levis or...?
I feel best wearing nothing at all. Seriously. You asked.

Onstage though, I would need some jeans and a button-down that didn’t show my nipples when I sweat through it by the second song. Not that I’m embarrassed of them. It’s just that some things must remain personal.

14. Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be?
Other than Erica, my better half? I’d have to say Jon Brion. I never get to hang out with him enough and I know he’d appreciate a leisurely dinner.

15. Time travel: where, when and why?
I’d visit my 14-year-old self and impart a little wisdom: the kids that are being jerks are probably being abused or neglected at home, so try to forgive them; be careful not to sing with too much of a British accent or Texas drawl; don’t take any of this stuff too seriously, and finally, cheer up, kid, you’ve got the rest of your life to obsess about death.

16. Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac?
Spa vacation. Maui. With Erica. And maybe the kids...Maybe.

17. Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or...?
Jameson’s Irish Whisky. I used to think sleep, but now that I have kids I know that to be false. You can live without it, but man you get cranky sometimes.

18. Environ of choice: city or country, and where on the map?
I have become a country mouse. I love our three acres in the Hudson Valley. Cities are great...to visit.

In my dream world, I’d have our house in the country, an apartment in Manhattan proper, a lake house in the hill country outside of Austin, a home perched atop the Hollywood Hills, and a spread on the beach in Maui.

19. What do you want to say to the leader of your country?
To the next president, I’d say, “Please don’t start any wars. Please end the ones that the idiots before you started.”

Oh yeah, and make sure not to deploy the Fighting 69th. My friend Jason Hartley needs to stick around here and play board games with me.

20. Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
I’m writing songs and touring with the Old 97’s.

I would like to do a quiet, acoustic solo album soon as well as another Old 97’s album ASAP. The Old 97’s are in a great place, now. Plus, Salim Nourallah is a producer we’d like to work with for years to come. So let’s rock!

PopMatters

Old 97's | Blame It on Gravity (Playback)

2008-06-16T14:05:00Z

Eammon Azizi
June 16, 2008

It's a perfect blend of pop, alt-country and rock that's fit to be listened to on a long road trip or over a tavern drink.

While the hype for alt-country rock phase has cooled in recent years, the Old 97's are proof that a foundation built on great songwriting and consistency can help any band stay infinitely relevant and admired.

After taking a short break from making music for about 15 years, their latest release, Blame It on Gravity, delivers 13 solid tracks that weave together stories with strumming progressions that become addictive after the first listen. It's a perfect blend of pop, alt-country and rock that's fit to be listened to on a long road trip or over a tavern drink.

The vocals are smooth, the choruses are catchy and the guitars mix clean and crunchy tones. The lyrics are thoughtful, fun and memorable, telling stories of love and introspection. They're also printed in the CD booklet, so you can easily follow along and catch on quickly to the refrains.

The album has an infectious, positive energy, making it obvious that the Old 97's had a great time recording it. Perhaps that's because it was a homecoming of sorts. As singer and guitarist Rhett Miller explains on the accompanying press material, "We recorded it in Dallas in the same Lower Greenville neighborhood where our band formed." Miller adds, "I feel like this collection of songs is the best we've ever done. And I loved our earlier albums."

Listening to Blame It on Gravity all the way through is easy, because no two songs sound exactly the same. One of my favorite tracks, "Dance With Me," features a choppy rock riff on an electric guitar, while "She Loves the Sunset" and its slide guitar lead is relaxed and completely different from any other song. Then there's the trembling guitar on "This Beautiful Thing" and the classic alt-country sound of the final track, "The One." The arrangement and range of the tracks maintains a steady momentum, delivering listeners something fresh every few minutes.

It's difficult to find anything negative to say about Blame It on Gravity, so why bother trying? Plain and simple, this is a great album that any music lover should be proud to own. A

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