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Rhett Miller: 'Serial Ladykiller,' Lovelorn Crooner (NRP)
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...listen to Rhett being interviewed and performing here.
07-18-2008 | read whole article
Local Scene: 'YEP Fest, The Morning Light, The Coast (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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.
07-03-2008 | read whole article
Old 97's get boost from experience, 'Gravity' (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
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.
06-26-2008 | read whole article
Reviews: OldD 97'S - [LIVE] (Ground Control Magazine)
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.
06-26-2008 | read whole article
Capsule CD Reviews (Montreal Gazette)
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.
06-25-2008 | read whole article
20 Questions - Rhett Miller of the Old 97's (PopMatters)
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?
06-16-2008 | read whole article
Old 97's | Blame It on Gravity (Playback)
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.
06-16-2008 | read whole article
Top 10 (minus seven) Wakarusa performances (excerpt from the Topeka Capital Journal online blog)
1. The Old 97’s. If you’ve been to a music festival, you know there’s always one band that makes the entire event for you. You can enjoy and be surprised by many along the way, but there’s one that you’ll never forget. The Old 97’s were my Wakarusa...
06-09-2008 | read whole article
Old 97s - Blame It On Gravity (Daily Music Guide)
Alt-country luminaries Old 97s return with their seventh studio album in tow. It's hard to believe the Texan quartet has been rocking for 15 years, and taking into consideration the fickleness of the music industry, this is quite an achievement...
06-07-2008 | read whole article
Indie Roots Rock Faves Hit Road with Brand New Albums (Jam Base)
Old 97's, one of the most acclaimed and beloved bands to spring from the '90s indie rock scene, released their seventh studio album, Blame It On Gravity, May 13th via New West Records. Forming 15 years ago, the band credits the new album’s enthusiasm and spark to their return to its native Dallas to record for the first time since their debut.
06-01-2008 | read whole article
Old 97's, Steve Miller Band, Return to Forever (Star-Telegram)
Spun the new Old 97's disc yet? What're you waiting for? Blame it on Gravity is a pleasing batch of songs from the Dallas-based foursome, led by irresistible single "Dance With Me" and anchored by the still-fantastic Murry Hammond-fronted tune "Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue" (dare ya to listen and not get a little choked up)...
05-30-2008 | read whole article
The new Old 97's (The Houston Chronicle)
The four Old 97's stoop and step out of a rented Econoline one at a time, bleary-eyed after a late-night, storm-cloaked drive down Interstate 45 from Dallas. They recall lightning hitting trees and a truck that passed them only to end up in pieces and surrounded by flashing lights when they passed it an hour later. "I'm telling you, 15 years of doing this and it was the worst storm I'd ever seen," says guitarist Ken Bethea.
05-28-2008 | read whole article
Old 97's show new life with release 'Blame It On Gravity' (The Norman Transcript)
It's been a treat watching Dallas-based rock band Old 97's develop and change over more than a decade.
They had already been around for a few years before I paid much attention them. In fact, it was 1999's "Fight Songs" that really got my attention. Punch-drunk with nervous energy, smart-pop sensibilities and major-label support, the 97's could do no wrong with "Murder, Or a Heart Attack" or the insanely catchy "Oppenheimer." Count on guitarist Ken Bethea to land a knockout punch with his twangy Telecaster.
05-23-2008 | read whole article
Staying Power (The New Yorker)
The Old 97’s have been occupying a valuable sliver near the border of alternative country and power pop for the better part of a decade. With their last record, Drag It Up, in 2004, it seemed as though they might move. Dark and sometimes muted, it found the band grappling with maturity, mortality, and even its own musical future—the lead singer and principal songwriter, Rhett Miller, had recorded an excellent solo album before Drag It Up, and he added another one just after. Blame It on Gravity (New West), the band’s new album, represents a full resupply of its most attractive quality—its energy.
05-16-2008 | read whole article
Old 97's "Blame It On Gravity" (NOW Magazine)
Rating: NNNN
For 15 years, Dallas’s Old 97’s have been blasting out the alt-country tunes, triumphing all over North America. They’ve had a remarkably successful career – at least critically – and their winning streak won’t end with their eighth record.
05-15-2008 | read whole article