Rhett Miller, Sarah Jaffe

Friday, September 19, at the House of Blues' Cambridge Room

No one doubts what Rhett Miller, when he's on, is capable of. Surely, the stalwart songs he penned for the Old 97's back in the day are plenty proof of his top-notch abilities.

But, alas, there's his solo work—no doubt poppier fare than his 97's stuff—and, you know, the fact that he keeps producing it. Ugh.

Let's face it: Pop music just isn't the man's strong suit, no matter his own opinion on the matter (or the fact that shows like Joan of Arcadia and Scrubs are scored to his songs). His solo catalog is largely pedestrian, shallow fare—a turn no doubt influenced by Miller's current residence not far from Los Angeles. There's just no soul to it.

But, still, he's Rhett Miller, and we all love him, if only because we love the 97's, and we just want to hold out the hope that all is not lost. To that end, we welcome him home to the town where he made his name for this House of Blues gig, but with arms only so open: Sarah Jaffe is primed to clearly outshine Miller on this night, as her voice is every bit as unique as his, but her perspective on the world is far fresher.

 
  • mike 09/18/2008 3:08:00 AM

    Rhett lives in Woodstock NY with his beautiful wife Erica and two lovely kids. Murry Hammond is the Old 97 that now resides in sunny California with his beautiful wife Grey DeLisle and their new wonderful baby, Tex. Ken and Phillip still live in Dallas, Lake Highlands to be exact. Each has a lovely wife and two beautiful kids (each). Rhett's solo stuf is actually really good, especially the 2nd disc, The Instigator. you just have to listen to it more than once. at least once. that's all. Rhett is one of the cleverest songwriters ever to come out of the modern era of Dallas music. His shows, Old 97s or solo, are packed with kids who sing along to every single word. How many other acts can boast the same. That my friend is the definition of "pop" music. ie: popular

 

Most Popular Stories

Find a Concert

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy