Old 97's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Old 97's | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Genre(s) | Alt-country Roots rock |
| Years active | 1993-present |
| Label(s) | Big Iron Idol Bloodshot Elektra New West |
| Associated acts | Sleepy Heroes Ranchero Brothers Rhett Miller |
| Website | Old97s.com |
| Members | |
| Rhett Miller Murry Hammond Ken Bethea Philip Peeples |
|
The Old 97's are an alternative country band originally based in Dallas, Texas. The group formed in 1993[1] and took their name from an old country song popularized by Johnny Cash, "Wreck of the Old 97." They describe themselves as a rock band with influences as varied as the Kinks, the Beatles, the Pixies, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard. The band often performs country standards made famous by the latter two musicians, and has interspersed a number of these on their half-dozen albums over the last decade. The band originally feuded with Ryan Adams of fellow alt-country band Whiskeytown, but both are on good terms today. A hit called "Big Brown Eyes" was used in episode of "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" called “Guide to: Field Trips, Permission Slips, Signs and Weasels".
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[edit] Career
Initially a popular Dallas bar band, the Old 97's toured the country after releasing their first album, 1994's Hitchhike To Rhome and 1995's split EP release Stoned / Garage Sale with fellow Dallas band Funland on Idol Records. In Chicago, they caught the attention of Bloodshot Records and were signed to record their next album. 1996's Wreck Your Life, now lauded by many fans as the band's best work, brought them to the attention of Elektra Records[1], who hoped that alt-country could be a new post-grunge fad. Lead singer Rhett Miller, born in Austin, later lived in New York City and Los Angeles. Many of the band's songs include local Texas references, with New York City and Los Angeles appearing as well.
Most songs are written and sung by Miller, with bassist Murry Hammond picking up the vocals on one or two tracks per album. Hammond also handled a number of country covers, especially in the band's earlier years. Hammond also performs gospel at his local church. The band's 2004 album Drag It Up also includes a song written and sung by guitarist Ken Bethea, "Coahuila."
The band has never reached the level of success expected of them by the music press and was one of the acts purged from Elektra after the merger of Time Warner and America Online. In 2005, Blender magazine ranked the band's most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)", as the 176th greatest song "since you were born",[2] However, more recently, their music has been featured in a number of hit movies and TV series, including The Break-Up ("Salome", "Melt Show", "Timebomb"), Ed (TV series) ("Question"), ("King of All the World"), Scrubs ("Question"), and Veronica Mars ("Adelaide", "Four-Leaf Clover").[3]
Rhett Miller has recorded two solo albums, with 2002's The Instigator receiving substantial airplay on alternative-oriented radio stations. He toured with Neil Finn in 2004. Miller's second major commercial album, The Believer, was released in February 2006.[4] Murry Hammond's solo album, I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way, was released April 21, 2008.
The Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim never to rehearse their act.[5] They included five live songs as a bonus disc on Satellite Rides, and released a live double CD set recorded at historic Gruene Hall in 2005, Alive and Wired.
Rhino Entertainment released Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's, an eighteen track compilation of songs from the band's beginnings through 2001, featuring liner notes and an essay by Robert Christgau.
Satellite Riders is an Old 97's tribute band.[6]
The recording of "Timebomb" from the live album Alive and Wired was made available for download along with other alt-country songs for the music video games Rock Band and Rock Band 2.[7]
[edit] Members
- Rhett Miller – lead vocals, rhythm guitar and lyrics
- Murry Hammond – bass guitar, occasional lead vocals, backup vocals
- Ken Bethea – lead guitar
- Philip Peeples – drums and backup vocals
[edit] Discography
- 1994: Hitchhike To Rhome (Big Iron / Idol Records)
- 1995: Stoned / Garage Sale w/ Funland (Idol Records)
- 1995: Wreck Your Life (Bloodshot Records)
- 1997: Too Far To Care (Elektra Records)
- 1999: Fight Songs (Elektra Records)
- 2000: Early Tracks EP (Bloodshot Records)
- 2001: Satellite Rides (Elektra Records) #121 US
- 2004: Drag It Up (New West Records) #120 US
- 2005: Alive and Wired (New West Records)
- 2006: Hit by a Train: The Best of Old 97's (Rhino Entertainment)
- 2008: Blame It On Gravity (New West Records)[8] #85 US
[edit] DVDs
- 2005: Old 97's Live (New West Records)
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Old 97's Biography". starpulse.com. http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Old_97's/Biography/. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 151-200". Blender. October 2005. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=1764.
- ^ "IMDB". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1851153/. Retrieved on 2009-02-16.
- ^ "Music". Official Community of Rhett Miller. http://www.rhettmiller.com/music/discography/. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
- ^ "Q&A: Murry Hammond of Old 97's". http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2008/02/qa_murry_hammond_of_old_97s.php. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
- ^ LAVASSAR, MA'CHELL DUMA (2008-08-27). "Satellite Riders". Seattle Weekly. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2008-08-27/calendar/satellite-riders/. Retrieved on 2008-11-22.
- ^ "Rock Band® Gets a Second Dose of Country Plus a 3-Pack From Jimmy Eat World". Harmonix. 2009-02-20. http://www.rockband.com/news/alt_country. Retrieved on 2009-02-28.
- ^ "Discography". Official Community of Old 97's. http://old97s.com/MUSIC/. Retrieved on 2008-05-21.
