The Old 97's will release their new album, Most Messed Up, April 29 via ATO.
The album, which was recorded in Austin and produced by Salim Nourallah, features guest appearances by Tommy Stinson (the Replacements, Guns N' Roses) and Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case) on lap steel.
Most Messed Up, which has been called a rock opera of sorts, is a revealing, 12-track meditation on 20 years in music that finds the band at their raucous, boozy best.
Titles like "Wasted," "Intervention," "Wheels Off," "Let's Get Drunk & Get It On" and "Most Messed Up" hint at the kind of narrators frontman Rhett Miller likes to inhabit, guys who possess an appetite for indulgence and won't let a few bad decisions get in the way of a good story.
"There's a lot of darkness hidden in this record," Miller says. In terms of working with Stinson (Check out the video below!), Miller adds: “Having him in the equation just added an element of wheels-off insanity, you know, true rock and roll."
The Old 97's emerged from Dallas 20 years ago at the forefront of a musical movement blending rootsy, country-influenced songwriting with punk rock energy. Most Messed Up follows their recent two-volume set, The Grand Theatre, and their 2013 EP, Old 97's & Waylon Jennings.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
