|
Since 1994, the
Dallas based, Texas born band has released five successful CD's,
toured coast to coast, won best band at South by Southwest, toured
Europe, appeared on Letterman, Leno, Conan and was featured on
Austin City Limits. Not bad for a band that defies labeling. In
conversation I've heard them described as "psychobilly", "cowpunk"
and "thrash 'n western", which just goes to show how dumb labels
are. Guitarist, Ken Bethea, describes their sound as "in your face,
raw shuffling country that bounces between pop, country, rockabilly
and latino swing". I think they rock.
The band members are
Bethea, a fine guitarist that always seems to know what it takes to
push a song forward. He can play lightening fast and frequently has
to just to keep up with the drummer, Philip Peeples. Philip uses a
rolling drum beat style that seldom gives you a chance to catch your
breath. His percussion adds another instrument to the mix rather
than just a beat. Murry Hammond is a great bass player whose
steadfast plunking provides the points the other band members come
back to. He also plays a pretty mean banjo. Murry has been friends
and collaborator with singer/songwriter/guitarist, Rhett Miller,
since 1992. Rhett's been performing in and out of Dallas since the
mid 80's with varying degree of success, first as a fifteen year old
folksinger with a penchant for writing angst-ridden songs about the
struggles of love. That trend continues today as the poetry of his
lyrics often conjures hopelessness, but they are never maudlin,
except when intentional. In addition to the songwriting, he's an
excellent singer, plays nice twelve-string guitar and has a great
stage presence. For you collectors, Rhett put out a solo folk CD,
"Mythologies" in 1989, and personally signed and numbered all 1,000
of them. It's not great, but it presents his talent as a budding
lyricist.
The CD that best
reflects their stage show for me is "Too Far to Care", and it is a
great introduction to their original sound. The first track, "Timebomb",
explodes with a spray of music hitting you from all directions. Ken
plays loud, fuzzy, twangy guitar over Peeple's hyper-speed drums and
Murry's thick bass chords, while Rhett shouts out lyrics about being
on the edge of no return over a "stick-legged girl". "She's gonna'
kill me, and I don't mean softly", he bemoans.
The big beat continues on "Barrier Reef", but on a slightly slower
pace. Guitars again tear through the song while Rhett nails the
lyrics about the emptiness of one night stands when you're on the
rebound. All thirteen songs on this CD have something to offer but
highlights include "Salome", which changes rhythm and has the
desperate chorus:
"And I'm tired of
making friends and I'm tired of making time.
And I'm sick to
death of love, and I'm sick to death of trying
And it's easier for
you, yeah, it's easier for you".
"West Texas
Teardrops" is a fast-paced country/train ditty with a banjo rave up
in the middle. On "Melt Show", the band jumps back into
hyper-drive. If you tried to dance to this song, you would die.
"Big Brown Eyes" builds to a biting guitar solo and comes to a
crashing halt. "The House That Used to Be" is a great country
flavored song about a guy's druggy, showgirl girlfriend that walks
out on him. The opening verse is:
"Do you want to wind
up in a grave yard
like a number on a
scorecard
They're gonna wrap
you up in corn silk
They're gonna' cry
like you were spilt milk
You'd better take
another Quaalude and get yourself corkscrewed
I understand that
you got cold feet
But why'd you have
to take them down a side street?"
It features some good banjo playing and ends with a nicely
harmonized fade out. The disc ends like it startedwith a bang.
Drums lead off ion "Four Leaf Clover" while guitars slide in and
Bethea sounds like he's squeezing the notes out of his ax before
breaking into a couple of wild solos, the last one strains to an
ending,. Rhett sings out in anguish, "I got a four leaf clover/it
ain't done one single lick of good/I'm still a drunk/I'm still a
loser/Living in a lousy neighborhood". A rousing ending with a load
of pathoshow appropriate.
The Old 97's latest
release "Early Tracks", has four previously unreleased tracks and
four tracks from out of print singles...all recorded in 1995.
Highlights include the original version of "W.I.F.E.", "Ray
Charles", "Eyes for You" and Johnny Cash's "Let the Train Blow the
Whistle". The CD has the same feel/sound as "Too Far To Care" with
a little more country flavor. Their last studio release was last
year's "Fight Songs". It finds them in a little mellower mood
(somewhat). Highlights include "Oppenheimer", "Crash on the
Barrelhead", "What We Talked About", with the lines, "You're on
holiday on a bender in a daze/You find all night food in a diner
full of noise where the bad mood walks like ants across your
plates", and the radio hit "Nineteen". All of their releases are
good, but if I had to choose one, it would be "Too Far to Care".
The songwriter
credits on most Old 97's songs are credited to the group, because
they all contribute to the construction of the tunes and the chaos.
Mr. Miller is a wordsmith that will create a catchy or moving phrase
and then a few notes later, add a couple of words that will turn the
meaning around or let you know the depth of his sentiments. They
are loud and brash and full of energy on stage and on tape. They
are not for everybody as the squeamish are sometimes overwhelmed.
But if you enjoy alternative music that ignores boundaries and
labels you may want to check them out.
KEEP ON
ROCKIN' Y'ALL!
Written by Jim
Hughes
|
