Old 97's
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| 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.
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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. 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 often appearing as well.
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. Their most successful single, 1999's "Murder (Or A Heart Attack)," was named one of the best songs of all time by Blender magazine, but "Nineteen," another single from the album, failed to chart.
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.[2]
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 Old 97's have been heralded as a great live band, although they claim to never rehearse their act. 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.
[edit] TV & Film
- Old 97's Music was featured on the soundtrack of the hit snowboarding movie "Out Cold"
- Old 97's appeared on the King of the Hill soundtrack
- Old 97's appeared on the tribute album to The Knitters entitled "Poor Little Critter on the Road"
- The Old 97's were featured in the 2006 movie The Break-Up, playing Timebomb, Salome, and Melt Show
- Timebomb was featured as the opening track to the 1998 film Clay Pigeons
- Miller recorded a version of Simon and Garfunkel's Homeward Bound for one of MasterCard's "Priceless" advertisements
- The song "Question" was featured in a television commercial for Fuse TV
- Old 97's are featured performing on a Chili's commercial for Baby Back Ribs
- Several of their songs were used in different television shows:
- The New Kid was used in Season 1: Episode 5 'You Think You Know Someone' (Veronica Mars)
- Adelaide and Four Leaf Clover was used in Season 2: Episode 11 'Donut Run' (Veronica Mars)
- Won't Be Home was used in a season 2 episode of Tru Calling
- Old 97's appeared on Scrubs, in which their song Question was played at the end of season 2 episode 15 (when Turk asks Carla to marry him in the park, after which J.D. runs around the picnic table they are on with sparklers)
- Question is used in a similar scene to the one above in the Ed TV series, when the main character Ed Stevens asks his high-school crush, Carol Vessey, to marry him while in a park
- Big Brown Eyes is used in the "Guide to: Field Trips" series finale of the Nickelodeon show Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
[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)
- 2004: Drag It Up (New West Records)
- 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)[3]
[edit] DVDs
- 2005: Old 97's Live (New West Records)
