old97s.jpg

OLD 97s
9 p.m., Revolution. $16 adv., $18 d.o.s.

Since hitting its stride in the mid-’90s, alt-country has maintained a precarious position in the musical landscape. The standard-bearers of Uncle Tupelo bisected into Son Volt and Wilco, Ryan Adams became a megastar after shedding extra weight of Whiskeytown, and Drive-By Truckers upgraded their three-chord, three-minute songs for epic, ambitious lit rock. But Rhett Miller and his Old 97s have aged slowly and gracefully, toeing that rough shod road of twang and punk ethos while Jeff Tweedy is huddled away with an echo pedal and a pile of Can records. Through 13 releases, an essential best-of compilation and years of critical backslapping, Old 97s have stuck to doing what it knows well and doing it, well, well. Really well. It’s a twangy blend of roots rock, British invasion and power-pop, mixed with folk heartache and classic country mope. And their live shows are notorious, shuffling blasts of pure alt-country. Little Rock’s proved itself an alt-country town for years and years, so expect an elbow-to-elbow house for this one. The gypsy-tinged Texas sound of Fort Worth’s Whiskey Folk Ramblers open the night.

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Weekend To-Do: “The Controversy of Valladolid” Next article Weekend To-Do: Slobberbone