5.09.2008 3:44 PM:

So if you're in Jonesboro, Arkansas, next week (5/13 - 5/17) for Blame It On Gravity's release, what could be better than settling down with your new CD over a cold beer or three, and a free pizza. Free pizza? Well yes, as the folks at Jonesboro's Papa Cella's pizza are such big Old 97's fans that they're offering a free medium pie to anyone who can show proof of purchasing BIOG. Now that's what I call street teaming. So bon appetite, and happy listening!

But be advised that if you're holding out for one of the vinyl copies of BIOG, those are now not set to hit the shelves until June 3. (Hey, it ain't easy to find LP pressing plants these days!) Also, if you happen to visit BIOG's Amazon.com page, be sure to check out the "exclusive performance of 'Dance With Me' recorded at the ME-TV studios" in Austin during SXSW. And speaking of great performances, I'd mentioned that I thought the band's 4/24 Tonight Show spot was their best sounding since their 1998 Austin City Limits gig. I was wrong. Having finally gotten home to see and hear it in HD and Dolby 5.1, I can say that it was far and away their best and tightest sounding televised performance ever. Wow.

And in case you haven't dropped by lately, the Old 97's MySpace page, now has two early-favorite BIOG tracks, "My Two Feet," and "Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue," available for your listening please. You'll also notice some spring cleaning going on over there, with a good looking new layout. And speaking of, the band's official website will also be stylin' a new paint job next week. I've seen it and it looks great. But better still, at the same time old97s.com will also be rolling out the band's first-ever, official fan forum. I'll be there, and hope to see you there too.

Somewhere else I'd like to see you, but probably won't (damn the man!) is the BIOG CD release party, on Tuesday May 13 at the Granada Theater in Dallas. It's a free, album-listening and CD signing shindig with the guys, but I'm noticing something interesting at the bottom of ads promoting the event: "Secret Surprise Live Guest Performance!" Hmm.

And if you're watching the NHL Western Conference Finals next Wednesday (Go Stars!) keep an eye peeled for the band, as the Dallas Morning News notes that "former Stars season-ticker holders, the Old 97's, will be performing before Wednesday's Game 4 on the Plaza and between periods."

Finally, don't forget to stop by HBAT's Blame It On Gravity page, where were keeping up with all the news and reviews for BIOG, much of which gets posted there first! So check it out and check back soon. Cheers - frank

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5.07.2008 10:25 PM:

Check out the June issue of Paste for a glowing review of Blame It On Gravity — the first I've seen in print. "The songwriting, as always, is top notch. But the band's secret weapon has always been Ken Bethea's Telecaster. He's back in a big way, playing all the right notes and stomping all over them... he nails it every time." Yep, sounds about right.

-jefe

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5.03.2008 5:09 PM:

So last night, while returning to Texas from a few days of vacation, I dialed up an NPR podcast on the iPod and flipped open the in-flight magazine. Combined with the afterglow of a lovely Hakutsuru sake from an airport Japanese restaurant, the combined effect should have been akin to swallowing a half bottle of Valium. Or so I'm told. Or at least I'm told it would have been, had I not been jolted wide-awake when I stumbled upon the music section of the new, May 1 issue of the American Way magazine, and its rather nice profile of the Old 97's, including terrific feature photo, and a chat with Rhett and Murry.

I was struck by something Murry said in the interview: "The one thing that's consistent with our audience is that they’re all real music fans. I mean, you don’t really even find a band like us to begin with unless your record collection is probably a little bit bigger than your neighbor's." Boy, is that ever the truth. [cue the shelf of CD's groaning the background] So anyhow, it also leads to the obvious conclusion that if you are visiting this site, you are a fan of the Old 97's. And we fans of the 97's are known for our, well... ~~cult-like devotion~~ "enthusiasm." Take this quiz: Have you included Old 97's cuts on compilations for family members, burned Old 97's mixes for friends, or dragged unsuspecting acquaintances along to Old 97's shows? I thought so.

That means that, like it or not, we are on the Old 97's street team, and kudos to the band, they're finally going to make it official. So here's your chance to add your name to the list. Just click the link, sign up, and help out. And maybe get some cool acknowledgment for you efforts. Thanks!

And speaking of something for fans, right now, you can pre-order both the Blame It On Gravity CD or the limited edition CD/DVD combo, signed by all four the guys directly from Newbury Comics.

Also, Amazon finally has up their link for ordering a copy of Murry's CD I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way, so get your copy today! In addition, HBAT finally has our own page up dedicated to IDKWIGBIOMW, and you can check that out here.

Finally, back to goodies for fans. I'd say you've waited long enough to hear Blame It On Gravity, wouldn't you? So beginning this Tuesday May 6th, you can hear the complete album, which BTW will be available in vinyl, complete and streaming via Rhapsody.com. Think of it as sort of a "fans world premier." Now go tell your friends, and check back soon! Cheers - frank

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5.02.2008 12:44 PM:

Two new tour dates. June 26th at the Waterfest Concert Series, Oshkosh WI. And Summerfest, June 28th, in Milwaukee WI.

~ michael

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4.26.2008 1:30 PM:

What do you mean you missed the Tonight Show?

You know, after an episode featuring Old 97's, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Marilu Henner, Inside the Actors Studio's b*****t crazy James Lipton, and American Idol's most recent bootee, the heavily-inked, goth-Gaelic howler, Carly Smithson, playing the "Six Degree of Separation" game gets so easy as to be pointless. This, ladies and gentlemen, was one for the Pop Culture Ages. So shame on you for falling asleep on the couch.

(A.I. Pop Quiz: Is Carly capable of singing a song without wrestling it to the ground, kneeling on its throat, and beating it into submission? Answer: No, though I will miss her tattooed freak of a husband. Also, someone have better damn well taken some pictures in that NBC green room! - f.e.)

But not to worry, lazybones, as Hit By A Train's staff psychologist, Dr. David Welsh, understands the deep-seated need of Old 97's fans to replay a performance which, for my money, sounded better than any of their previous broadcasts, save perhaps their Austin City Limits gig in 1998. So Dr. Welsh wants to help you. Thus, he suggests you watch this clip three times a day, after meals, with a glass of water; encourages you to stay on your other meds (especially those little pink ones); and says to tell you that your mom doesn't really hate you; that's just how she is. Enjoy!

And if you just can't wait 'til May 13, the 97's now have three tracks from Blame It On Gravity available for download at Amazon.com: The pants-off, booty-shaking "Dance With Me," the beautiful jangle-fest of "No Baby I," and Murry's epic and aching "Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue." And if the sound doesn't quite compare to that on the CD, you can also catch a terrific video of the band playing the sterling Hammond & Miller composition, "My Two Feet" here.

Finally, we've noted here with sadness the passing of the print edition of No Depression magazine. However, NoDep co-editor Peter Blackstock notes there is a

"...long feature on the 97's in the new/final [#75 May/June] issue of ND, by the way, written by accomplished author and former 60 Minutes producer John Marks."

"Claiming it's the best piece anyone has ever written on the 97's would sorta be dogging my ownself since I wrote the cover story on them for us back in ND #21; but I'll take my lumps, cuz I think it's true."

So there's yet another reason to get down to your local bookstore, stat, before the final issue of America's finest music mag leaves the shelves for good. Cheers - frank

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