Old 97's @ Webster Hall, Oct. 2012 (more by Dominic Mastrangelo)

Alt-country vets Old 97's spent much of 2012 celebrating the 15th anniversary of their 1997 album Too Far to Care (like at Webster Hall in October). The band have kept on playing shows into 2013 and have just announced a three-night stint at Brooklyn Bowl on June 27 - 29. Tickets to those shows go on sale Friday (4/12) at noon. The band have a few other tour dates coming up as well and those are all listed below.

Meanwhile, Old 97's have a Record Store Day 2013 release, a double 7" in a gatefold sleeve containing four unreleased songs, two of which are from 1996 sessions with late country legend Waylon Jennings. Cover art was done by The Mekons' Jon Langford which you can check out below.

Continue reading "Old 97's releasing sessions with Waylon Jennings for #RSD13 ++ more tour dates (including three nights at Brooklyn Bowl)"

Old 97s at Webster Hall in 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Alt-country bands Drive-By Truckers and Old 97s are both heading out on separate tours this winter and in March they'll team up for two NYC area shows on March 15 at the Capitol Theatre and March 16 at the Wellmont Theatre. Tickets for the show at the Cap and tickets for the show at the Wellmont go on sale Friday (1/18) at noon.

For the Old 97s dates in February (none in NYC), the band will be performing their album, Too Far To Care, in its entirety like they recently did in NYC and their frontman Rhett Miller opens the shows.

All lists of dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Drive-By Truckers and Old 97s playing shows separately and together (dates)"

Rhett Miller at MHOW, October 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Rhett Miller has only a sprinkle of dates scheduled from now until the early portion of 2013, but that does include a stop on January 9th, 2013 at City Winery. Tickets are on sale for the NYC show and for a December show at City Winery in Chicago. Rehtt Miller recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of Too Far to Care with his band The Old 97s on tour and at Music Hall of Williamsburg and Webster Hall.

In other City Winery news, John Wesley Harding returns with another set of Cabinet of Wonders variety shows, his guest-filled appearances that usually go down at City Winery now. The November 16th show will feature appearances from Steve Earle, Loudon Wainwright III, Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say YEah, Quincy Troupe, Gary Shteyngart, Mike Scott and Steve Wickham of the Waterboys (tickets) while the December 16th show will feature Josh Ferris, Colum McCann, Eugene Mirman and The Silver Ages. John Wesley Harding & the English UK recently dropped the "Making Love to Bob Dylan" single, which is available now via iTunes.

The hits at City Winery continue with Polaris Shortlister Kathleen Edwards. Edwards will spend the tail end of this year in Europe, travelling the first half of December in the UK, Scandanavia and beyond. The US gets very little love at the moment, but there are two NYC dates scheduled in the tail-end part of January so far. Look for the Canadian songwriter on 1/30 and 1/31. Tickets are on sale.

And last, but certainly not least, Alejandro Escovedo also has a limited number of East Coast dates scheduled as well. Dates in Texas dominate his schedule thus far but a stop in Evanston, IL for New Year's Eve and City Winery in NYC are in the crosshairs, with 1/18 and 1/19 scheduled for the guitarist. Tickets are on sale.

Other tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "Rhett Miller, Kathleen Edwards, John Wesley Harding & Alejandro Escovedo playing City Winery & other places (dates)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Old 97's @ Webster Hall, 10/23/2012

In the early fall of 1996, the Old 97's flew to New York City to consummate our courtship with Elektra Records. The following morning, we were scheduled to appear on one of the top floors of Rockefeller Plaza to finally meet CEO Sylvia Rhone and "ink" the deal. We landed the evening before and rode in a limousine to the Paramount, a swanky hotel "just off Times Square." The lobby was as massive as the rooms were tiny, and everything about the hotel seemed to ooze the kind of hipness that inflates the nightly rate by about 80%.

I had my guitar, a bunch of nervous energy, and an hour to kill before dinner. So I did what I often do in such a situation. I wrote a song. I wanted to impress the A&R folks at dinner, sure, but more than that I wanted to capture the feeling I had at that moment - the feeling of being on the brink of something huge. My life was changing right before my eyes. The dream I'd fostered since adolescence was coming true.

More pictures, plus setlists for Old 97's and Miller solo from Webster Hall are below.

Continue reading "Old 97's celebrated the 15th anniversary of 'Too Far to Care' at Webster Hall (pics/setlist) and Music Hall of Williamsburg"

In addition to their show at Webster Hall (10/27) The Old '97s have added a show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 24 where they'll also play their 1997 album, Too Far to Care, in full. Tickets go on sale today at noon.

Updates tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Old 97's add Music Hall of Williamsburg show after Webster Hall (updated dates)"

Too Far To Care was a magical moment for the 97's. Starry-eyed and flush with confidence thanks to our brand-new deal with Elektra, we felt no fear, just giddy excitement. An adventurous producer and a world champion A&R guy shepherded us through the recording process. And when it was all over, we had captured our little bit of lightning in a bottle. I love Too Far To Care and can't wait to play it in its entirety across the USA. - Rhett Miller

In addition to the tour, Too Far to Care, is getting the deluxe reissue treatment this fall, including its first-ever vinyl pressing. Tour poster, plus all Old 97's tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Old 97's playing 'Too Far to Care' on tour (dates)"

After teasing us with lineup addictions day by day over the past few days, the full lineup of Austin City Limits 2012 is finally here. Check it out below....

Continue reading "Austin City Limits Festival -- 2012 lineup "

Rhett playing (in the convention center?) @ SXSW 2012 (via nattibeth)

In support of his upcoming self-produced solo album The Dreamer, frontman Rhett Miller announced a Spring tour with backing band The Serial Lady Killers that will hit Maxwell's on June 7 and Bowery Ballroom on June 8. Tickets for both are on sale now at the links. All dates are listed below.

Meanwhile, Rhett, fresh from a string of SXSW performances will play a sold out gig tomorrow night (3/23) at City Winery with Salim Nourallah. He also has some shows coming up with his 90s alt-rock cohorts in Old '97's.

The Dreamer is set to drop June 5 via Miller's own Maximum Sunshine Records. A free download for the album's first single "Out of Love" and a complete list of tour dates can be found below...

Continue reading "Rhett Miller announces new LP & tour (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Jim Ward - Take it Back (MP3)

Old 97 Rhett Miller, currently working on a new record, is going on a solo acoustic tour in October, but first you can catch him with his full band The Serial Lady Killers at a big headlining show at Highline Ballroom in NYC this Saturday night (9/24). Tickets are still on sale.

Jim Ward (of Sparta/At The Drive-In/Sleepercar), who is on a tour himself, opens the show (he'll be solo acoustic). Jim is out supporting his new solo LP called, wait for it... Quiet In The Valley, On The Shores The End Begins & The Electric Six - released on August 8th via his own Tembloroso Recordings. "The album is a compilation of his acoustic solo EP trilogy - 2007's Quiet, 2009's In The Valley, On The Shores, 2011's The End Begins - paired with an additional disc of select tracks gone electric." Download the electrified "Take It Back" above. That's the cover art up there too.

A JW video and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Rhett Miller playing shows, like Highline Ballroom Saturday w/ Jim Ward (who is on tour & made an LP too)"

photos by Timothy Griffin

"It was hilarious to hear a man as gorgeous as Rhett Miller sing about losing at love to a better-looking man. Who could that have been?" - Jason Crane

Rhett Miller (Old 97's) @ BVSXSW 2011

Old 97's played two shows at The Bell House on Wednesday (7/13) and Thursday (7/14) with fellow Texan Robert Ellis as part of an ongoing tour. A video from the first show is below. A picture of the setlist from that same show can be viewed HERE.

Frontman Rhett Miller, who is not frustrated with Manhattan, will play in NYC again this month on July 30 on the Oval at Stuyvesant Town with Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, and Hayes Carll as part of Peter Cooper VIllage/Stuyvesant Town's "Summer on the Oval series. The show runs from 4 PM to 8 PM and is free to the public. More dates for all of these artists are listed below.

Hayes Carll meanwhile plays Summerstage tonight (7/18) with Emmylou Harris and Levon Helm. We're giving away two tickets on facebook.

A belated and second set of pictures of the Old 97's playing the BrooklynVegan party at Barbarella during SXSW (where Robert Ellis can be seen in the crowd), with that video from the Bell House show, and all tour dates for everyone mentioned above, below...

Continue reading "Old 97's, Rhett Miller, Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson & Hayes Carll -- a free NYC show, SXSW pics, video, more dates"

Animal Collective @ Celebrate Brooklyn 2009 (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* Monogold @ Pianos
* Slavic Soul Party @ Barbes
* Gregory Attonito @ Watermark (NJ)
* Tell All Your Friends @ Lolita Bar
* Peter Frampton @ Wellmont Theater (NJ)
* Old 97's, Robert Ellis @ Stone Pony (NJ)
* Slick Rick, DJ Brucie B @ Crotona Park
* Cibo Matto, Sxip Shirey @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Antibalas, The Stepkids @ Fort Greene Park
* RX Bandits, Maps & Atlases @ Irving Plaza
* Joe Morris, Agusti Fernandez @ The Stone
* Tom Vek, Secret Music @ Mercury Lounge
* Emily Wells, Live Footage @ Tammany Hall
* Bill Callahan, Ed Askew @ Bowery Ballroom
* Alex Barnett, Brett Naucke, Slava @ Zebulon
* YOB, Dark Castle, Batillus @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Jim Campilongo Electric Trio @ Cameo Gallery
* Cold Cave, Cult of Youth, Zambri @ Knitting Factory
* The Belle Brigade, Nightmare & The Cat @ Mercury Lounge
* Little Shalimar, Tit N Twat, secret guest @ Union Pool
* Jason Anthony Harris, Stark & Nimo, Hilly Eye @ Bruar Falls
* Starlight Girls, Anni Rossi, Wild Vibes, Hello Phones @ Glasslands
* Start Making Sense (Talking Heads tribute) @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
* Animal Collective, Black Dice, Beta & Hatch @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* Bad Banana, Tacocat, Forever, Little Victory, Aye Nako @ Death By Audio
* Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Nate Wooley, Joe McPhee, Joe Morris @ The Stone
* Vernon Reid, The Barr Brothers (Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival) @ City Winery
* Whiskey Bravo, Noahs Arcade, Who Is James Kennedy?, Mira Stroika, Julian Fulton & The Zombei Gospel @ Bowery Electric
* Ghetto Metal feat. Dr Cornel West & The Corner West Theory, Bazaar Royale & Game Rebellion, Bilal, more @ SOB's

Today is a Manhattanhenge

Ska-turned-prog rockers RX Bandits are currently on their last ever tour. According to an interview with Playmaker, RX Bandits are not breaking up, they're just doing their last tour. RX Bandits hit the scene in the mid-to-late '90s playing pretty standard poppy ska punk. By 2003's The Resignation, the Bandits showed signs of experimenting outside of the realm of the genre and have since released 2 more progressive albums and have shared significant members with far-out experimental rockers The Sound of Animals Fighting. Catch them in NYC tonight (7/12) and Wednesday (7/13) at Irving Plaza with Maps & Atlases. Check out the latter's recent video for "Solid Ground" below. - Andrew Sacher

Old 97s and Robert Ellis play The Stone Pony in Asbury Park tonight (7/12) and then arrive in Brooklyn for shows at The Bell House on July 13 and 14. The tenth person to email BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Old 97s) will win a pair of tickets to the Wednesday night show at The Bell House (7/13) and access to soundcheck. Include your first and last name in the email, and check our facebook for more chances to win the same prize (we're giving away 5 pairs total actually). Check out a video of the Old 97's performing "State of Texas" in Texas last month, below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

photos by Ryan Barkan

DOWNLOAD: The Old 97s - Live at Cicero's, St. Louis, MO, 4-19-96 (zipped MP3s)

Old 97's @ BV-SXSW @ Barbarella

Old 97s "are proud to release The Grand Theatre Vol. 2, their ninth studio album, [July 5th] via New West Records. TGTV2 features 13 brand new songs and is once again produced by Salim Nourallah (The Grand Theatre Volume One and Blame It On Gravity.) Rolling Stone said:

"On their 2010 album, The Grand Theatre Vol. 1, the Old 97's per- formed new material live at a Dallas theater, then took the songs that went over best and recorded them in an Austin studio. Consisting of songs left over from Vol. 1, this second installment places Rhett Miller's articulate, off-the-cuff songs right between the composure of the control room and the looseness of the barroom. Miller savors lines like "He said, 'Can I buy a drink?'/What he meant was, 'Can I buy you?' " over his bandmates' proudly ordinary punky-tonk. But Miller is no roots reactionary: "Manhattan (I'm Done)" is the rare country dig at New York where it actually sounds like the singer gave the big city a fighting chance."

The band will kick off a new tour this Thursday (7/7), again returning to NYC, but maybe they are done with Manhattan. The Old 97's will instead play The Bell House in Brooklyn on July 13 and 14 . Tickets are on sale for both dates (7/13, 7/14).

Most July dates, including the Brooklyn shows, will be opened by Robert Ellis who released a new album this week too.

One of the few sets The Old 97's played during SXSW 2011 was (a great one at) the BrooklynVegan/Partisan/KF Records day party that Deer Tick, Middle Brother, Jonny Corndawg, Jason Isbell and many others also played. A belated set of pictures from the Austin show is in this post.

More of those pics, with videos from Webster Hall, the setlist to the 1996 live set you can download above, and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Old 97's released their 9th studio album, heading out on tour -- 2011 dates & belated SXSW pics too"

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Robert Ellis - What's In It For Me (MP3)

Robert Ellis (2nd from left) & band @ Cactus Cafe

Houston-based country singer-songwriter Robert Ellis, only 22 years young, released his album Photographs this week ("split in two sides with vinyl in mind, the A-side representing a more folksy, dark side of Robert's music while the B-side is a full band country sound, paying homage to the great artists that have influenced him.")

"Making him a name for himself with a stellar debut (2009's The Great Rearranger) and a weekly residency playing old-school country covers at Houston clubs, Ellis' latest release is full of snapshots of a man growing more mature. Some of the songs are actually downright cute, with Ellis singing about the day-to-day aspects of life and love, such as painting a house with his woman ("Two Cans Of Paint"), driving back from an out-of-town gig to be with his woman ("Comin' Home"), and the strains of being in a relationship with the woman ("What's In It For Me?", "No Fun")." [Houston Calling]

Last night, July 5th, Robert shared a bill with Jonny Corndawg at Cactus Cafe in Austin. Pictures from that show are in this post. Tonight (July 6th), Robert and Jonny again share a bill at Robert's record release party at hometown Houston venue Fitzgaralds. Two days after that Robert hits the road with the Old 97's. That tour will bring him to The Bell House in Brooklyn on July 13th and 14th. Tickets for both shows are still on sale (7/13, 7/14).

Past Robert Ellis appearances on BV have both been Texas related too. Tim caught Robert opening for Lucero at Emo's, and we both saw Robert open for Deervana in Austin. More pictures from Cactus Cafe and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Robert Ellis released a country album, played Cacus Cafe w/ Corndawg, heading out on tour (MP3, pics & dates)"

The Outside Lands Festival, which runs from 8/12 - 8/14 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, released their 2011 lineup in April (and now it's May, so consider this a catch up post). Tickets are on sale.

This year's fest will appearances from The Shins, Muse, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Phish (two sets), !!!, Erykah Badu, Big Audio Dynamite (who played Coachella and are also playing Lollapalooza), Girl Talk and many more. The full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2011 lineup"

DOWNLOAD: J Mascis - Not Enough (MP3)

The first BrooklynVegan Swan Dive/Barbarella Austin Day Party lineup announcement is here! (this is the first of three BV day parties happening at these connecting venues, but just one of nine total BV events.)

This one happens Friday, March 18th from noon-6pm, is co-presented by KF Records (Knitting Factory) and Partisan Records, and features an exclusive Austin day party set by Middle Brother (aka Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, John McCauley of Deer Tick, and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit). If you want to catch them though, you better get there early because the entire lineup is ridiculous and 100% free, and it looks like this.....

STAGE 1 (SWAN DIVE)
12:00 PM JBM
12:30 PM BOBBY
01:15 PM Holy Sons
02:00 PM Dolorean
03:00 PM John Grant featuring Midlake
04:00 PM Wye Oak
05:00 PM J Mascis

STAGE 2 (Barbarella Patio)
12:00 PM David Wax Museum
01:00 PM Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside
02:00 PM Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
03:00 PM Deer Tick featuring Jonny Corndawg
04:00 PM Old 97's
05:00 PM Middle Brother

STAGE 3 (Barbarella Inside)
12:15 PM AgesandAges
01:00 PM Paleo
01:45 PM Warm Ghost
02:30 PM Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
03:15 PM Vetiver
04:00 PM Oberhofer
05:00 PM The Dodos

Note: We have Dolorean who is not to be confused with Delorean, yes that is Midlake up there backing the amazing John Grant, Jason Isbell will stick around to play with Middle Brother (like he did on their record), and yes Jonny Corndawg will be in the house.

I'm also happy to point out that, though everyone will sound great already, they are going to sound even better thanks to our official microphone sponsor Line 6, not to mention due to the help of the Korg keyboards, and Vox & Blackstar amps that we'll have on hand - all generous and much-appreciated BrooklynVegan show sponsors.

Also Note:

• FREE Blublocker sunglasses to first 50 people in the door!
• there will be FREE vegan Izzoz breakfast tacos while supplies last!
• we'll have loads of FREE snacks courtesy of Sensible Portions!
• we'll keep you hydrated with FREE Honest Tea!
• you can keep your energy levels high with FREE Raw Revolution bars!
• FREE Tierras organic tequila cocktails while supplies last!
• more FREE food & DRINK details TBA!
• and there will be awesome giveaways from Partisan & KF Records
  throughout the day!

Continue reading " BrooklynVegan, KF Records & Partisan Records free Austin Day Party lineup (J Mascis, Middle Brother, Old 97's, Dodos, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Rhett Miller - Live at Fez 4/4/01 (Zipped MP3s)

"Happy to be in the same room with live Rhett Miller lyrics...." - Michelle Snyder

"Dear lord, rhett miller is effing amazing. #citywinery #rhettmiller" - Chris Crapanzano

Rhett Miller at City Winery (theDoogan)

Rhett Miller, who next plays a solo show at Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT on 2/11, spent Friday night (2/4) at City Winery, and was joined on stage by Nicole Atkins for a few songs. Video of the pair performing "Four Leaf Clover" and "Fireflies" is below. Catch Nicole Atkins at her own headlining show at Bowery Ballroom this Wednesday night with The Gay Blades and Mon Khmer. Tickets are still available.

Rhett's band Old 97's had no NYC dates when we recently posted dates, but now there's one happening on April 9th at Webster Hall with Kevin Devine. Tickets for that go on AmEx presale Wednesday at noon and on regular sale Friday.

The new date comes right in the middle of Old 97s' run of shows with Teddy Thompson who is not listed on the Webster bill but does have his own solo NYC shows happening at City Winery on March 18th (tickets) and Rubin Museum on March 25th (tickets).

Updated tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Rhett Miller played w/ Nicole Atkins, Old 97's add tour dates "

Big names and regulars aside, there are a few bands I want to highlight on the just-announced Sasquatch lineup: Wolf Parade ("indefinite hiatus" rumors be damned), The Flaming Lips (performing "The Soft Bulletin"), Death From Above 1979 (now three reunion shows total), Guided By Voices (they're not done yet), and... Archers of Loaf (!). The full lineup of the fest that goes down in Gorge, Washington in May (Memorial Day Weekend), is below...

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2011 lineup announced (Archers of Loaf, Guided By Voices, Wolf Parade, DFA 1979 & "The Soft Bulletin" included)"

Goldenplec: Your first album hit the shelves over ten years ago, now on his fifth album how different are they?

Teddy Thompson: I feel like they change a lot every time, I mean, I'm one of those people who is unhappy with everything I do as soon as I've done it. And the longer that goes by, the harder it is for me to look at it and be pleased at all. So, even they one before this, I listen to it and I go 'Ooh I didn't get that quite right, This one's much better.

Goldenplec: So it that a sign of being a perfectionist or striving for something more each time?

Teddy Thompson: Yeah, It's being a perfectionist. For a long time I thought being a perfectionist meant that you did things perfectly (laughs). Then I found out that that's not what being a perfectionist is at all, it's somebody that's just unhappy with what they've done and wants to get it perfect but often, most of the time, feels like they don't get close. But it can work that way too, it makes you strive for something better each time, so it's a useful thing. I think the longer you go, like it's ten years now, I can listen to my first record and not be unhappy, be kind of embarrassed but I can find good moments in it because it seems like so long ago.

The Old 97s, who released new albums and played NYC shows in December, don't have any more NYC dates scheduled at the moment, but their frontman Rhett Miller does. You can catch Rhett this Friday, February 4th, at City Winery with Julia Haltigan. He also plays a week later at Infinity Music Hall in CT. All dates are listed below.

The above-quoted interview also discusses Teddy's relationship to the Wainwrights. Teddy says:

"Maybe I have, I would like to think that I have. [Rufus has] certainly influenced me. He was further along than I was when we met, already had a record deal, was making a record and was very confident. Fully formed within himself, I was still figuring out what I was doing and he certainly helped me. And Martha, I just find generally inspiring, especially when you see her live. She's a reminder of how to give it all on stage when you're feeling a bit safe or lazy or something. Then you see Martha play.' "

All Teddy & Rhett dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Teddy Thompson releasing Bella, playing shows (Old 97's too) "

Old 97s will both double AND triple-up on fans with their alt-country stylings in the coming months. First comes a pair of Old 97's LPs entitled The Grand Theatre Vol One and Vol Two. The first, Vol 1 (doy), will hit store shelves on 10/12 with the second volume impacting in 2011. Produced by Salim Nourallah (who worked Blame It On Gravity) and engineered by Jim Vollentine (Spoon), The Grand Theatre collection spans over two dozen songs across the pair of LPs.

Then in early December, Old 97s will hit the road for a string of dates that will include three NYC shows: Dec 8th and 9th at Bowery Ballroom and Dec 10th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for all three shows (12/8, 12/9, and 12/10) are currently on AmEx presale, and open up to the general public Friday (8/27) at noon.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for your Old 97s fix TONIGHT (8/26), you can catch frontman Rhett Miller at City Winery with Zee Avi. Tickets are still available.

The Grand Theatre Volume One tracklisting, some live video including the new song "Every Night is Friday Night (Without You)", and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Old 97's releasing 2 LPs & touring, Rhett playing too (tonight)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Beach Fossils

"Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said Friday that it closed a second store in New York due to a bed bug infestation.

The preppy teen clothing seller said it closed a Hollister store on Thursday in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. That location is expected to open at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

It closed a second location, an Abercrombie & Fitch store in the South Street Seaport, on Friday for the same reason." [Huffington Post]

The next free Seaport show will feature The Old 97's on the 4th of July...

"Texas on Tour is a high-tech, interactive, roadshow featuring virtual reality, green screen video and photography, interactive games and more. Texas on Tour transports the consumer to unique outdoor Texas experiences that are highly entertaining, educational and personalized - from a virtual reality kayaking trip through Texas waterways to a dome theater offering a glimpse of the seven diverse regions of Texas.

Visitors can "picture themselves in Texas" and stroll along a Texas beach through the use of green screen technology. Live performances from a variety of Texas musicians and entertainers will also be featured.

Don't miss the special LIVE performance by The Old 97s on July 4th at 7pm."

More pictures from the Beach Fossils and Woven Bones show below...

Continue reading "Beach Fossils and Woven Bones (and bed bugs) at South Street Seaport (pics) +++ Old 97's play on the 4th of July"

Most importantly, [The Old 97's] have fun while they're performing. [Frontman Rhett] Miller brings an almost hyper energy to the stage, especially with renditions of "Great Barrier Reef," "Roller Skate Skinny," and "Big Brown Eyes." He intermittently turns the stage over to bassist Murry Hammond, whose softer vocals, typified by "West Texas Teardrops," provide a welcome contrast. The faster songs brought a contagious energy that caused us to jump around, singing along at the top our lungs. Meanwhile the slower, heartfelt ones gave us moments to pause, hold each other, and reflect on the music's evocative powers. I don't think it's possible to hear Miller sing "Question" and not want to hold your partner's hand. [InbetweenBlog]

The band has more shows coming up this summer. Those include three free shows in July: one in New York, one in Chicago, and in San Francisco. That NYC date takes place on Sunday, July 4th at South Street Seaport. The show is free, but it isn't one of the Seaport Music Series shows that happen on Fridays in July and August. Still no word on who will play the 4th of July show in Battery Park, also in lower Manhattan.

Recent videos of Rhett and crew and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "The Old 97's playing South Street Seaport on July 4th & other tour dates "

South Street Seaport (more by Chris La Putt)

South Street Seaport, NYC (part of the River to River Festival)
July 02 - TBA
July 09 - Bear in Heaven & TBA Zola Jesus
July 16 - Thee Oh Sees & Golden Triangle
July 23 - Free Energy & Best Coast & Loose Limbs
July 30 - Avi Buffalo & TBA Chad VanGaalen
Aug 06 - YACHT & TBA

Also, "The annual Children's Day at the Seaport culminates with the spectacular Target Fireworks, featuring a special performance by The Apples in Stereo accompanied by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. During the day, families can enjoy performances by Gordon from Sesame Street, Angelina Ballerina, and more, while meeting their favorite storybook characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, and Madeline. (June 26) "

And, there will be a July 4th show with the Old 97's.

by Andrew Frisicano

June is going to be an exciting month for Old 97's fans. "An Evening With Old 97's" will be on tour in June through the eastern States. Both Rhett Miller and Murry Hammond will perform solo acoustic sets before taking the stage with Old 97's. Old97s.com has tickets for many of these shows.

And before those dates, Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller will play (Le) Poisson Rouge on Thursday, April 16th with Starling Crush. Tickets are on sale.

Miller's other Greater NY-area shows might be of interest as well. His May 30th show in Hunter, NY is part of the three-day Mountain Jam Festival. (Tickets are on sale - full lineup below.) And his May 1st show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ is part of the Writers in the Raw series. Miller appears there with David Johansen (of the New York Dolls), Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah), and Ashton Shepherd. (Tickets are on sale.)

Miller's newest, self-titled solo album will be out June 9th on Shout! Factory Records.

All tour dates, with Rhett Miller track list and Mountain Jam lineup below...

Continue reading "Old 97's (4 Hoboken shows) & Rhett Miller (LPR) - 2009 tour dates & Mountain Jam Festival lineup"

Rhett Miller celebrated his 38th birthday [in September], but it's pretty likely that the party had to start without him.

The bash, at his three-acre spread in New York's Hudson Valley, was set for the middle of the Dallas Cowboys' regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns, and although Miller hasn't lived in Dallas for years, he clings to his love of the Cowboys and the Stars the same way he loyally clings to the Old 97's, the band he formed in Dallas with old friend Murry Hammond in 1993. [San Antonio Current]

Continue reading "Rhett Miller - 2008 Tour Dates (NYC this weekend)"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2008 - the rest of the pics from day 2"