Music Preview: Old 97's @ Stubb's Tonight

Alt.Country, power pop, loud rockabilly, and love songs. If you enjoy any or all of the things we've just mentioned, make it a priority to head to Stubb's tonight. For almost 15 years, Dallas-based The Old 97's have been playing a mixture of the music they love. The band started on Bloodshot Records as a loud, rough-hewn alt.country bar band, then slowly evolved their sound into something catchy and polished enough that the love songs from 2001's Satellite Rides would have fit in fine on a Grey's Anatomy montage. In fact, the band were recently featured in an extended scene in the Vince Vaughan film The Break-Up, and indie-rock whipping boy Zach Braff has also placed their songs in some Scrubs episodes.

TV references aside, The 97's are a stunning live act when they're on their game. Frontman Rhett Miller woos all the ladies with his heartsick lyrics and tussled hair, while the guys watch guitarist Ken Bethea attack his guitar with loud but concise power chords and noisy solos. The songwriting is never less than excellent, and the band excels at archly comic tales of woe. These guys are absolutely everything that's right about Texas music, and you owe it to yourself to catch them at least once while they still gig. And take a date, because even when describing ne'er-do-well women or broken hearts, Miller is a hopeless romantic.

Support tonight comes from Austin's The Small Stars, which features members of Fastball, The New Bohemians, and Big Car doing British Invasion-meets-lounge material. We have no idea what that means.

[Old 97's MySpace]
[Old 97's official site]

Old 97's
Friday, April 13th
Stubb's Outdoor [map]
Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm
$20.50 [tickets]

Image via Old 97's MySpace page. Photographer uncredited.