Old 97's: Wreck Your Life

When the Old 97’s are on—when rambunctious frontman Rhett Miller is cooing and crooning over a ragged honky-tonk snarl and dropping lines so snarky and devastating that they can make you forget how darn pretty he is—there are few bands better. But none of it would work without stalwart sidekick and bassist Murry Hammond and his flawless vintage sensibility. On the handful of songs he sings on each release, Hammond reminds the listener that this band’s magic is most potent at its most dissonant—when pop rubs up against punkabilly and when Miller’s rakish charm is mitigated by Hammond’s unpretentious skill. Read the Scene's interview with Murry Hammond.
Wed., July 23, 8:30 p.m., 2008