{"id":668,"date":"2012-01-17T20:00:15","date_gmt":"2012-01-17T20:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=668"},"modified":"2015-10-13T15:20:36","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T15:20:36","slug":"old-97s-house-of-blues-houstontx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2012\/01\/17\/old-97s-house-of-blues-houstontx\/","title":{"rendered":"Old 97’s – House of Blues – Houston,TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Traci Rogers <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jan 17, 2012 at 08:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"Image\"Houston\u2019s House of Blues\u2019 audience was hit by a train Tuesday night when Dallas\u2019 Old 97\u2019s rolled in to kick off their 2012 tour along with opening performances by The O\u2019s and a special solo treat from 97\u2019s front man Rhett Miller who, earlier this fall, had released his Interpreter:\u00a0 Live at Largo.<\/p>\n

The Old 97\u2019s charged full steam ahead, opening with \u201cDoreen\u201d which tempted many from their first floor and balcony seats\u00a0 to elbow a path through the standing room only crowd to get a closer feel for the highly charged foursome who held complete locomotive control over its fans.\u00a0 I knew the guys felt welcomed in Houston when bassist Murry Hammond shouted his signature \u201cThanks Everybody!\u201d in his north Texas drawl.<\/p>\n

Miller and Hammond formed the band with lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Phillip Peeples in 1993.\u00a0 Considering Hammond\u2019s love affair with the railroad\/train industry, the band\u2019s namesake is in honor of the Danville, Virginia train wreck of 1903, the most famous of its kind in U. S. history.<\/p>\n

The under-the-radar\/radio alternative country band, well known for its Texas twang-meets- cowpunk vibes, cultivated a loyal, live-show following, not only in the Lone Star state, but across the nation as well.<\/p>\n

My fellow concert attendee Andy Simms, 41, of north Houston summarized the band\u2019s sound as \u201ca musical orgasm . . . They are able to change like The Beatles and develop and grow.\u00a0 You take two Beatles albums; they don\u2019t sound the same, but you still know it\u2019s The Beatles.\u00a0 Popular bands today repeat the same sound, the same concept every album, yet they lack the talent to create anything new.\u00a0 The Old 97\u2019s come up with something new and different every time and it\u2019s great!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Image\"After performing the sing-along \u201cA State of Texas\u201d anthem with a sea of reverently raised beer cans, the Don Juanesque Miller flattered the Houston audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know why YOU\u2019RE the coolest in Houston.\u00a0 YOU\u2019RE HERE ON A F#@%ING<\/span><\/u><\/a> TUESDAY NIGHT!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear your sacrifice,\u201d Hammond responded to a whistling and amused audience.<\/p>\n

I was fortunate to have won tickets for the best seats in the House for one of the best live acts in the nation from Dylan Moore\u2019s Tupelo Grease Co.\u00a0 Moore\u2019s retro-rockabilly apparel company is one that clearly is inspired by and committed to supporting live and independent music\u00a0 like the 97\u2019s.\u00a0 My guest and I felt like rock stars, sitting centered behind the soundboard with the lovely Elizabeth, our waitress, who quickly catered to our libationary requests.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth didn\u2019t seem to mind when Jim Weekley, a fellow 97\u2019s fanatic in the neighboring party, and I were playing games of Who-Can-Sing-the-Loudest and Do-You-Know-THIS-97\u2019s Trivia-Tidbit.\u00a0 I thought I was THE 97\u2019s expert in Houston, until Weekley humbled me a few times.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, I recovered my meaningless trivia points from my opponent when the band set off on \u201cChampagne, Illinois\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you know that\u2019s a Bob Dylan tune?\u201d I asked Weekley.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"In a March 31, 2011 National Public Radio interview, the ageless Miller explains the process of how the band got the legal nod to record their new lyrics over the melody of Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cDesolation Row\u201d.\u00a0 In the end, the legendary folkie was so impressed, Miller says, \u201c. . . that he gave us half the publishing [royalties].\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Surely die-hard fans must wonder why the Fab-Texas-Four rarely get the songwriting kudos from famed critics even after one like Bob Dylan pats their backs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy request!\u201d\u00a0 Hammond announced to preface the 97\u2019s version of Merle Haggard\u2019s \u201cMama Tried\u201d.\u00a0 The southern, honky-tonk themes of mamas, trains and prisons struck a familiar, yet strangely comforting note with all of us.\u00a0 Everyone I observed could sing with the band and raise hands right on cue, punctuating \u201cI turned 21 in prison do-in\u2019 life without parole . . .\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 True to form, Hammond concluded the tune with a yodel that is comparable to the late train enthusiast Jimmy Rodgers.<\/p>\n

Lead guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Phillip Peeples remain quiet, musical geniuses within the band.\u00a0 But we\u2019ve often heard the rumors about those strong, silent types.\u00a0 When they\u2019re ready to tear it down, get out of their way!\u00a0 And that\u2019s just what Bethea and Peeples did!<\/p>\n

With mischievous facial expressions during \u201cPlease Hold on While the Train is Moving,\u201d Bethea effortlessly personified the rhythm of a locomotive, whether the song was decelerating or returning to a rapid boil.\u00a0 We all may as well have bent over for a hard-driving kick in the rear during \u201cWon\u2019t Be Home No More\u201d.\u00a0 Thanks, Ken!\u00a0 I needed that!<\/p>\n

Likewise, Peeples tattooed \u201cEvery Night is Friday Night\u201d with his initials.\u00a0 He shined brightest during the encore song \u201cFour Leaf Clover\u201d.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised that his drum set hand any remaining skin at the conclusion of the bad-luck song.\u00a0 He played as if he had just gained liberation from a straight jacket!<\/p>\n

\"Image\"So while waving goodbye to the New Orleans– bound caboose, I wondered what lay ahead for the Old 97\u2019s.\u00a0 If they have plans, they are tight-lipped about it.\u00a0 Considering they are still diligently promoting The Grand Theatre (Volumes I and II) albums, my expectations might be too hastened.\u00a0\u00a0 Miller, however, told the Houston audience that while he is promoting his Interpreter:\u00a0 Live at Largo, a live performance of his favorite cover songs, he also is working on another studio album which will include songs he wrote while opening for Steve Earle during a European tour a few years ago.<\/p>\n

This past August, Miller told Rolling Stone how the Euro-Earle experience had inspired his songwriting, particularly \u201cThis song I wrote that I think is so funny . . . like a Shel Silverstein song with lots of cussing. . .\u201d\u00a0 Miller\u2019s yet-to-be released number may land itself on his next studio solo CD, or fans might discover it on the 97\u2019s next endeavor.\u00a0 The final decision is any fan\u2019s guess.\u00a0\u00a0 Since I have always enjoyed the humor in Johnny Cash\u2019s coverage of Silverstein\u2019s \u201cA Boy Named Sue,\u201d I can\u2019t wait to hear what Miller has composed!\u00a0 Bring on the belly laugh, Rhett!<\/p>\n

We\u2019re waiting fellas!\u00a0 We look forward to boarding your train the next time we hear that lonesome whistle blow in Houston.<\/p>\n

<\/u>traci@houstonmusicreview.com<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Traci Rogers Jan 17, 2012 at 08:00 PM Houston\u2019s House of Blues\u2019 audience was hit by a train Tuesday night when Dallas\u2019 Old 97\u2019s rolled in to kick off their 2012 tour along with opening performances by The O\u2019s and a special solo treat from 97\u2019s front man Rhett Miller who, earlier this… <\/p>\n

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