Their latest LP may be Most Messed Up, but Old 97's are sounding their most fired up yet. Over 20 years in and now on their 10th studio album, the veteran Dallas band continues to fuel their raucous country rock sound with elements of twang-punk, power pop, and psych-tinged folk-rock while featuring mostly live recordings and raw vocals, in defiance to today's trend of Auto-Tune and over-processed multi-track recordings. As lead singer and principle songwriter Rhett Miller said in his interview with DJ Troy during their most recent visit to KEXP, Old 97's are "trying really hard to fight the good fight and keep it human". And as you'll listen to not just the sound but the songs themselves, being human is all about joy and heartache, and sometimes just making some bad decisions. But the best decision you'll make right now is to spend the least messed up moment of your day watching Old 97's perform live in the KEXP studio:
For as good natured a duo as you're like to find, Cary Ann Heart and Michael Trent can get darker and more dangerous than you can imagine. As Shovels & Rope, they play gritty boot-stompin' roots-rock that spans between rousing sing-alongs, heartwarming ballads and harrowing tales of vengeance. …
Before Black Pistol Fire even began performing, drummer Eric Owen stripped himself down to his skivvies, preparing himself for a loaded live session. And, yes, he is donning golf gloves. Coupled with the high energy guitarist and life-long friend Kevin McKeown supplied, the incredible duo flooded t…
