Old 97's slates Volume 2 release
Monday, May 16, 2011 – Old 97's will release "The Grand Theatre Vol. 2," their ninth studio album on July 5 via New West Records. The new record is a companion to "The Grand Theatre Volume One" from 2010 and features 13 new songs.
Salim Nourallah ("The Grand Theatre Volume One" and "Blame It On Gravity") produced the disc.
"Vol. 2 expands on the themes found in Volume One both sonically and lyrically," said lead singer Rhett Miller. "We delved further into our experiments in gritty garage rock and at times spun further into lush psychedelia. Like Volume One, you'll find narratives that are stunted and strange."
Though the band originally conceptualized "The Grand Theatre" as a double album, they decided to release two volumes in quick succession in order to allow fans time to fully digest each. This decision gave the 97's an opportunity to polish the existing recordings, and to include a couple of brand-new songs, including I'm A Trainwreck and Perfume, the first single planned from Vol. 2. Bassist Murry Hammond contributed the light-hearted White Port, a Monty Python-esque number complete with pirate vocals.
Songs on the CD are:
1. Brown Haired Daughter
2. I'm A Trainwreck
3. Perfume
4. The Actor
5. No Simple Machine
6. White Port
7. Ivy
8. Manhattan (I'm Done)
9. Marquita
10. Bright Spark (See What I Mean)
11. Visiting Hours
12. How Lovely All It Was
13. You Call It Rain
Tour dates are:
Thursday May 26 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
Friday May 27 Denver CO Bluebird Theater
Saturday May 28 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Monday May 20 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
Tuesday May 31 Spokane, WA Bing Crosby Theater
Wednesday June 1 Portland, OR Doug Fir
Friday June 3 Petaluma, CA Mystic Theater
Saturday June 4 Sacramento, CA Harlow's
Sunday June 5 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
Monday June 6 Scotsdale, AZ Martini Ranch
Tuesday June 7 Tucson, AZ Plush
Thursday June 9 San Antonio, TX Sam's Burger Joint
Friday June 10 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
Saturday June 11 Lubbock, TX The Blue Light
Sunday June 26 Ft Worth TX Ft. Worth Botanic Garden
Thursday July 7 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
Friday July 8 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
Saturday July 9 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
Monday July 11 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
Tuesday July 12 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
Wednesday July 13 Brooklyn NY The Bell House
Thursday July 14 Brooklyn NY The Bell House
Friday July 15 Wellfleet, MA Beachcomber
Saturday July 16 Greenfield, MA Green River Festival
Monday July 18 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
Tuesday July 19 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
Wednesday July 20 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Thursday July 21 Kansas City, MO Crossroads
Saturday July 23 Dallas, TX Texas Rangers / After Game Concert
Saturday Aug 13 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Festival
More news for Old 97's
CD reviews for Old 97's
The Grand Theatre Volume One
For their eighth album, The Old 97's went into the recording process with the intention of capturing all of the fire and fury of their live show in a studio setting. Anyone who has seen Rhett Miller and the band play live knows what a lofty goal that was. The Old 97's have been burning down stages for years with their signature mix of energetic pop, rock, and twang.
From the opening salvo of the album starting title track, it's clear Miller, guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry »»» |
Wreck Your Life ...And Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings [Limited Edition]
![CD review - Wreck Your Life ...And Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings [Limited Edition]](/files/images-cd/B002QF31GW.jpg "CD review - Wreck Your Life ...And Then Some: The Complete Bloodshot Recordings [Limited Edition]")
In the middle '90s, Old 97's was finding it's footing amidst the burgeoning alt.-country scene, particularly among groups like The Jayhawks, Wilco and Son Volt. Old 97's - guitarist Ken Bethea, singer Rhett Miller, drummer Philip Peeples and bassist Murry Hammond -found a niche in the Dallas music scene .
In 1995, they released "Wreck Your Life," an album they recorded for next to nothing up in Chicago. The Chicago-based label Bloodshot Records released it and helped »»» |
Blame It On Gravity
Perhaps the Old 97's have fallen off your personal music radar. If so, the group's new album - its first in four years and seventh overall - should snap you right back to full attention. This is a career highlight for the Texas quartet.
Produced by Salim Nourallah in his Dallas studio, the disc captures the camaraderie and joy of the longtime friends and an energy that was not really lost on 2004's "Drag it Up," but not in abundance nearly as much as it is here. Chestnuts abound. »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Music City goes (Boston) Pop(s) –
On the face of it, the idea of top shelf country songwriters coming up from Nashville to play with the Boston Pops may seem incongruous. The idea of the venerable Boston institution and fixture on the July 4 scene, playing patriotic songs doesn't have all that much to do with country.
The idea isn't without precedent, of course.... »»»
Concert Review: O'Donovan goes home –
Aiofe O'Donovan had plenty of reason to be filled with good cheer. This was a hometown gig, after all, and only three days before the release of her first full-length solo debut, "Fossils."
Joking that the audience was filled with people she knew from high school and her parents' friends, O'Donovan made it clear that Boston... »»»
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