Old 97’s Celebrate Over 30 Years Together With New Album American Primitive

Dallas-born band The Old 97’s are celebrating their 30-year-plus run with the release of American Primitive, the band’s first album in nearly four years.

The 13-track LP was released earlier this month on April 5 and marks the first time the group recorded without any pre-production. Sticking with the same lineup that’s been around since the group’s 1992 founding – front man and lead vocalist Rhett Miller, guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond and drummer Philip Peeples – the band's 13th studio album marks a milestone anniversary for the band and how far it has come since they began playing small gigs in Deep Ellum.

“It’s wild. It’s crazy,” Hammond said. “You roll back 30 years from 1992 and you have 1962. That’s before the Beatles started putting out records. Before Revolver, way before Sgt. Pepper’s. For me, the band has just been this ever-present thing. We’re always writing songs, we’re always playing gigs and we’re always thinking about the next thing.”

Rather than the band itself, it was actually Stephen King who broke the news of American Primitive’s release back in January. King, who knows the Old 97’s personally through his son Owen, took to X to tell his 7 million followers that “the Old 97s have a record coming in March — AMERICAN PRIMITIVE. It's terrific.” Miller later confirmed to D Magazine that King broke the news after the musician sent him a link to listen.

“Looks like @ATORecords might have to move up the record announcement!” Miller jokingly commented under King’s tweet.
About a month after the announcement, the Old 97’s released their first single and music video off of American Primitive, “Where The Road Goes.” The track gives a shout out to the band’s North Texas roots in the first line as Miller sings about the highs and lows of his career: “From downtown Dallas to a cabin on the coast / From the shadow of the towers to the sun in Ohio / From the bottom of a bottle to the palazzo / Who knows where the road goes?” By taking listeners through the journey of Miller’s three-decade-long journey with the band, the single acts as a somewhat commemorative song for the group’s longevity over the years.
American Primitive’s second single, “Magic,” was released in March, and was the first song the Old 97's tracked in Flora Studios with producer Tucker Martine, according to a statement from Miller. Miller explained that the track helped the band find their feet for the album and realize that “there's something really special about a band playing and singing in real time.”
“Somebody,” the third and final single off of the album, was released earlier this month. In a statement, Miller described the song as “Old 97’s at [their] garage rock finest,” and something that shows “the weirdness that makes [them] the Old 97’s.”


The band is now on tour and will be playing old hits and new favorites from American Primitive through September. The Old 97’s marked their 30th anniversary early last year with a series of Deep Ellum shows, but are skipping over the Lone Star State on their 2024 tour. If you’re willing to make an out-of-state trip to catch Miller and friends on stage, tour dates and ticket information can be found on the band’s website.