Biography

At the second ever Bloodshot showcase, the Old 97's, who we'd gotten to know from Rhett and Murray's stints in the mythical thrashgrass band Killbilly, came up to Chicago and opened for Robbie Fulks, Moonshine Willy, and Freakwater, and blew the roof off of the Double Door. It was like they came from the moon. They were TOO tight and TOO good and the songs TOO catchy. The crowds built from there, and the rest is an after school special about a band quitting their day jobs, going to the big city and striking it rich, more or less.

Call us homers, but we liked the 97's the best when they were on our label. It was one of those rare, special times when we got to see a band up close getting better every show, really hitting their stride—finding that heavenly balance of punk and roots and pop—and scorching every room they played. Something about Lounge Ax and pitchers of beer added up to some of the best live shows we've ever seen. They still rock, but we can't get close enough to see with all those screaming teenagers in the way.