Alive & Wired [Digipak]

Performer: Old 97's
Engineer: Chet Himes; Gary Hickinbotham; Morgan Dibona; Bill Johnson; Elin Smith
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Old 97's: Murry Hammond (bass guitar); Ken Bethea, Philip Peeples, Rhett Miller. Personnel: Ken Bethea, Rhett Miller (vocals, guitar); Murry Hammond (vocals); Philip Peeples (drums). Audio Mixer: Chet Himes. Liner Note Author: Ken Bethea. Recording information: ASM Studios Mobile. Photographer: Traci Goudie. One of the flagship bands of the '90s alt-country scene, the Old 97's never quite achieved the godhead status of Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, et al., possibly because their brand of roots-rock always bore more growl than twang. Though their eventual bid at major-label success and leader Rhett Miller's grab for the Ryan Adams solo-artist brass ring both fell short, they went on to perfect their craft even further, as exemplified by ALIVE & WIRED. This 2005 live record finds the band's brash mix of punky energy, sharp songwriting, and plaintive Americana at its most fully realized, before an enthusiastic audience in the highly appropriate venue of Texas's legendary Gruene Hall.

Old '97s are one of the key bands from the second (post-Uncle Tupelo) wave of alt-country. The Dallas natives made several albums' worth of fine, twang-filled rock music before abruptly switching gears for 1999's FIGHT SONGS and 2001's SATELLITE RIDES, albums that owe more to Matthew Sweet than to Merle Haggard. The band returned to a rootsier sound on subsequent albums, although front man Rhett Miller's solo work, particularly 2005's THE BELIEVER, remained steeped in pop tradition.

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