Old 97’s – Hitchhike to Rhome (ALBUM REVIEW)

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old97s2Although singer Rhett Miller, himself, tends to look barely a day over 20, his band, Old 97’s, have used this past year to celebrate 20 years in the business. Not 20 years with a few hiatuses here and there or new members being shifted in and out, but instead a solid two decades together with four core members: Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples. The band has survived marriages, families, four different record labels, and even being used as an outlet for Jennifer Aniston’s attempts at winning back Vince Vaughn in their romantic comedy from a few years back. All this while continuing to record new and exciting music and then subsequently loading up the battered tour van and hitting the road. Earlier this year, a great deal of their celebratory and raucous album, Most Messed Up, centered on the guys’ enduring friendship and their desire to keep things going in spite of all the age-appropriate reasons to slow down. As that album’s dozen tracks charge along with spirited intensity, reckless swagger, and heartfelt emotion, it’s easy to see that the Old 97’s are as in sync as they’ve ever been, and poised to go ahead with 20 more years should health and good fortune provide the way.

Last month saw Omnivore Recordings re-issue Old 97’s 1994 debut, Hitchhike To Rhome, as an expanded, 2-CD, double-LP set that contains both the album’s original 16-tracks and a second set consisting of twelve demos, B-sides, and previously unreleased tracks. It’s a joyous collection that serves both as an exciting document of a fiery young band that would soon catapult themselves to the forefront of that decade’s burgeoning alt-country scene and as a naturally reliable companion piece to <i>Most Messed Up</i>. For the most part, it’s the same four guys banging out their same four instruments with a singularly committed passion and a uniquely bound connection. There are tales of women, whiskey, and heartache-often as in tracks like “Wish The Worst” and “Wheels Off”-in the verses of the same song, outlandish words of wisdom, and odes to life on the down and out, where it almost seems even a little glamorous to be living so close to the skids.

These are parallels, for sure, but it’s also evident to see the differences that 20 years have made. Whereas once Miller’s characters tried to keep up with girls like Doreen, barely 17, “but drinking whiskey sours at the bar”, he’s now older and more in sync with the dilemmas of the other guys his age. His protagonists haven’t exactly slowed down, but rather just shifted perspective as now they’re away from home, perhaps enjoying themselves, but really “just here for a work trip babe, not to fall in love with you”. Fortunately, the Old 97’s haven’t slowed their ferocious musical spirit or occasionally ornery penchant. They’ve just updated them for life’s changing responsibilities.

Hitchhike To Rhome may be where it all began, but its’ songs haven’t been buried deep down and away from memory. If you’ve seen the band live, you’ve undoubtedly heard “4 Leaf Clover” (here presented in its’ rawest form, minus the Exene Cervenka vocal contributions found on Too Far To Care from three years later), “Doreen”, and “Stoned” scattered within the nightly set. If you’re a super fan, no Old 97’s compilation you make should be without “504”, or “Hands Off”. And, Miller really has never quite written a song so surreally madcap, yet as hummable as he did with “Desperate Times”.

Additionally, Hitchhike brings out the Dallas element of the band. As their de facto hometown, Dallas’ studios held the recordings and its’ bars hosted the live shows that built their loyal fan base and led them on their way to more national acclaim. Locals will gravitate towards the resident charms and maybe remember those boozy nights in Chumley’s and the Barley House. Despite the four guys scattering about the country in the years since, Dallas is still pretty much the staging ground for band operations. (On a personal level, as a newly minted Dallas resident myself, I finally comprehend some of the album’s inside references-the late November warmth, the Elm Street bars, and the geographical oddities of Rhome and Fredericksburg.)

There’s been lots of music since, and likely much more on the way from Old 97’s. This Hitchhike To Rhome reissue is a good place to pause and catch back up on the time “when this whole thing started”. With beloved anthems, overlooked gems, and a couple of newly unearthed pieces finally seeing the light of day, it’s a worthwhile investment that will repeatedly pay off with rewards. It’s also good motivation to drag yourself out of the house and head on out to see them live. They’re out there a lot and are bound to be somewhere in close range, even if you’re far from Texas, “Memphis”, or “Mexico”.

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