Old 97's

Old 97’s became trailblazers of the early ‘90s alt-country movement by pulling elements from punk and power pop to turbocharge classic roots sounds. Formed in 1992 in Dallas, Texas, and named after a railroad disaster (1903’s Wreck of the Old 97), the band released their debut, Hitchhike to Rhome, in 1994, delivering a loose vibe on tracks like “Stoned” and nodding to their influences on covers like Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” They followed it up with Wreck Your Life (1995) and Too Far to Care (1997), sharpening their left-of-the-dial country rock with honky-tonk (“W-I-F-E”) and breakneck twang (“Timebomb”). They moved in a poppier direction for albums like 1999’s Fight Songs and 2001’s Satellite Rides, and in the ensuing decades they’ve balanced their influences while cataloging fatalistic romance (2008’s “Dance with Me”), fire and brimstone (2017’s “Good with God,” featuring Brandi Carlile), and ripping nostalgia on “Turn Off the TV” from 2020’s Twelfth.