Some great stuff from the "way back when" files popped up on the Internet this morning, courtesy Dragon Street Records owner David Dennard, who, once upon a time, helped produce Deep Ellum greats lik... Continue reading "From The Archives: A Very Young Rhett Miller and A Very Young Salim Nourallah" >

With one line from the song, "No Baby I," Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller sums up quite succinctly what I have long believed to be the band's motto... "Strum it on a Telecaster. Sing it like a train disaster song." That formula had always been a winner for the boys from Dallas, and it is a formula that serves them well once again on Blame it On Gravity after a brief departure for 2004's Drag it Up . For this record, the band returned home to Dallas [...]

I was sick at home with the flu yesterday, and between sleeping and generally feeling sick I came up with some illness-related tracks for your entertainment. I hope these can help you through the inevitable day when you too find yourself with the sick-at-home blues. Fever (Starsailor) It all starts out with a fever. Not necessarily on the freeway (or in the morning, in the morning). And I guess, to be perfectly honest, it doesn't always start out with a fever either. Sometimes it starts out [...]

Rhett Miller fans eager for a chance to see him live can breathe easy: the Old 97's frontman will perform a solo show Friday, November 21 at The Granada Theater . Brent Best of the Drams and Slobberbone will open the show, which will be MC'd by Gordon Keith . The show is a benefit for the Breathe Easy Foundation, which raises funds for treatment of cystic fibrosis, and is part of the CF Concert Series . Last year Miller performed with 97's bandmate Murry Hammond for the same [...]

The Old 97's rocked Knoxville's Bijou Theatre last night... and they brought Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Louvin along for the ride. Here are a few highlights... My Top 5 moments from spending Thursday with Charlie Louvin and The Old 97's... 5.) Getting a free CD from Charlie Louvin: I stopped by the merch table to speak with Mr. Louvin before the 97's came onstage. I told him that I work for WDVX and that we still play a lot of the old Louvin Brothers catalogue on our station. He thanked me, gave me a [...]

Rhett Miller of the Old 97's I've loved the Old 97's for years. I must have had a period when I was really depressed that I don't remember anymore because the 97's and Nada Surf were my must see choices of the fest, and I have spent hours listening to their CD's. The set was great, and was comprised of mostly new [...]

We're introducing a new recurring feature here on DC-9 to highlight a few upcoming shows that interest us and, hopefully, you. Mark your calendars for the following shows... Rhett Miller and Sarah Jaffe at the House of Blues Pontiac Garage Friday, September 19 The Pontiac Garage, which used to be called the Cambridge Room, will play host to the prettiest Dallas singer-songwriter to ever pick up an acoustic guitar, and also Sarah Jaffe. Ramblin' [...]

Yeah, but he still looks good, doesn't he, Darryl? (Deanna Mason) Local tunesmiths have until Halloween to submit their magnum opuses to the Dallas Songwriter's Association in order to take part in the group's 19th annual songwriting contest. This year, the DSA is offering over $5,000 in cash and prizes to winners in a variety of categories. Two new categories ("Music Video" and "Bare Bones") were added for this year's competition. The "Bare Bones" category is for songs that feature only vocals with one or two instruments as accompaniment. [...]

rhett miller ain't that strange bitter bitter weeks peace is burning like a river the shins sea legs sufjan stevens ring them bells sloan i understand tom waits jayne's blue wish wilco panthers joan as policewoman we don't own it heatmiser pop in g judee sill jesus was a crossmaker

There's always an excitement before going to see one of your favorite bands of all time! There's an even greater anticipation when the singer, in this case Rhett Miller of the OLD 97's asked me if I had any requests prior to the show. In full disclosure, the band needed one of my co-workers help to navigate a couple things earlier in the day, thus giving me the opportunity to make requests in the first place! I polled the six of us going to the show, and we sent [...]

chicago's got a lot going for it right about now; the summer's officially begun, blues fest is in full swing, the cubs have the best record in baseball, the bulls are looking at the number one pick in a couple weeks, our chances of hosting the 2016 olympics keep looking better, & the next president of the united states calls the city home...plus it's a pretty great place to live...so in honor, i've put together a little chicago mix for all of you...but in trying to focus on songs about the city, as opposed to those that just take place [...]
C'est le 13 mai prochain que Blame It On Gravity mettra fin au silence discographique des Old 97's. Il y avait bien eu le double live Alive & Wired en 2005 , un best-of et un album solo de Rhett Miller en 2006 pour nous occuper, mais véritablement rien de neuf depuis Drag It Up en 2004. Formé en 1993 à Dallas, les Old 97's sont incontestablement le groupe le plus pop de la country alternative de
ANTI LOVE SONG Betty Davis Betty Davis Light In The Attic : 1973 [Buy It] DON'T RENEGE ON OUR LOVE Richard & Linda Thompson Shoot Out The Lights Hannibal : 1982 [Buy It] THINGS Loudon Wainwright III Here Come the Choppers! Sovereign Artists : 2005 [Buy It] BARON OF LOVE, PT. 2 Alex Chilton [...]

I apologize that this list is kind of cheating, but that's only because there have been two really great Beatles cover albums released in the past few years. I've still never seen "I Am Sam", but the soundtrack is amazing. In fact, I think Ben Folds' version of "Golden Slumbers" can totally hang with Paul's, no question. The second album most of these songs come from, "This Bird Has Flown" was a tribute to "Rubber Soul" released in 2005. I originally thought that we had Michael Jackson's failing finances to thank for these cover albums (which [...]

i've never really responded too well to one man bands like bright eyes, bonnie prince billy, or iron & wine...i probably shouldn't be lumping these guys together so carelessly, maybe it's the aliases, after all i'm a big fan of m. ward, who's music seems similar...or maybe it's that i scared they won't rock out on stage; i was never into songs:ohia until i saw magnolia electric co...whatever it is, something has always subconsciously turned me off of those three artists, even after hearing multiple songs from them that i really like, i never sought out the rest of the [...]
Last fall my brother got married and the first song that he and his new bride danced to was the Rhett Miller tune "Question." It was the perfect song for the perfect moment. They played the version that appeared on his excellent 2006 album The Believer . The new version has keys and synths in all the right places and is a little more polished than the Old 97's version (which is just Rhett and an acoustic guitar) that was on their 2001 album Satellite Rides . "Question" is (without question) a [...]

These two albums came out in the same month (September 2002). Back then, I was working at Borders. I remember these two CDs being on the same endcap and thinking, "Jesus, can't people come up with more original artwork?" Beck: Sea Change ~ The Golden Age Rhett Miller: The Instigator ~ Come Around I think this one is a tie. Get more Beck or Rhett @ [...]
According to a post on Rhett Miller's Myspace page, he's decided to be nice for no apparent reason, and give us a demo of Ain't That Strange. Miller goes on to say that he decided to make it slower with...

#10 - Rhett Miller - Brand New Way From: The Believer Label: Verve Forecast Released: February 28, 2006 Buy it: Here . I first heard Rhett do "Brand New Way" shortly after he'd written it, during a solo acoustic spot at an Old 97's show in Chicago in (I think) April or May of 2005. The sound was a bit off, and Rhett spent half the song shaking his head and mouthing "up, up" at [...]