Why Elaborate…? — Ranchero Brothers

On Friday, November 8, 2019, the Ranchero Brothers played at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, CA. People who are interested in reading this probably already know the identity of the Ranchero Brothers, but for any uninitiated readers who stumble upon this post, the Ranchero Brothers are Rhett Miller, lead singer/rhythm guitarist, and Murry Hammond, harmonies/bass player for the alt country band, Old 97’s. Click the title to read more…

Gather ‘Round and Stomp the Floor

On Saturday, February 27, 2016 I caught The Dirty River Boys playing at Hotel Cafe. Having been encouraged to attend by a friend, I knew nothing about this band going into the show, other than they hailed from Texas. They played a good mixture of songs in varying tempos that I would categorize under the Americana genre, with flavorings of cowpunk, country, and even Celtic rock. Guitar players Nino Cooper and Marco Gutierrez, and bass player Colton James, traded off singing lead for various songs. Often times the whole group was singing together, producing solid harmonies and sonorous vocals. The

And Do It All Night Long (Set 2)

For the second (10pm) set by Rhett Miller at McCabe’s in Santa Monica, CA on November 20, 2015, the mood was more loose and relaxed. The audience was a little smaller than the earlier sold out show (recapped at My Name’s Stewart Ransome Miller (Set 1), but clearly made up of dedicated fans. Rhett had changed into a fresh shirt and was just as eager and enthusiastic in his playing as he had been during the earlier set. Because he is so dynamic and powerful in his performance, his voice did sound rougher by the end of the night, but clearly

My Name’s Stewart Ransom Miller (Set 1)

Rhett Miller, lead singer and rhythm guitar player for the band Old 97’s, played two sets at McCabe’s in Santa Monica on Friday, November 20, 2015. This post covers the first set. McCabe’s is one of those venues that does not permit photography or video, so sorry for the lack of photos of Rhett in this post. Rhett stepped onto the stage wielding his Gibson J-200 to kick off the evening with Old 97’s song, “Melt Show,” a classic track from their excellent album Too Far to Care. I felt extra special since I was sitting in the front row,

We’re Sharing this Night That’ll Soon Be a Blur

What a privilege to spend Friday, September 18 at the Troubadour seeing one of my favorite bands, Old 97’s, perform. They’ve been around for “20 good years of about 25” as Rhett sings in their song “Longer than You’ve Been Alive,” but I only jumped on the bandwagon almost exactly one year ago. (I also borrowed the title for this post from that song.) I’ve made up for lost time since then, buying all of their albums and nearly all of lead singer Rhett Miller’s solo albums. In the past several months, I’ve managed to see Rhett perform solo five