The Old 97’s Come to Brooklyn Bowl Next Tuesday and Wednesday

Along with bands like Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and the Jayhawks, Old 97’s have been at the forefront of the alt-country scene since forming in Dallas two decades ago. And over the years, two things about what Rolling Stone calls a “hard-partying twang-punk quartet” — Rhett Miller (vocals and guitar), Ken Bethea (guitar and vocals), Murry Hammond (bass and vocals) and Philip Peeples (drums and vocals) — remain true: They have no shortage of original material and they’re a high-energy live band that leaves it all onstage every night. Their most recent album (stream it below) came out last year, and you should consider Paste impressed: “The Old 97’s aren’t fucking around. The band’s 10^th full-length, Most Messed Up, places the microscope squarely on Miller, who reflects on the trials, tribulations and triumphs of being in a working band. The result is a cathartic, punk-rock stomper of a record, and perhaps the first in the band’s catalog to accurately capture their sweatbox live performances.” And speaking of those live performances, you can experience them yourself when the Old 97’s play Brooklyn Bowl on October 20th and October 21st. Birmingham, Ala., honky-tonk outfit Banditos open both shows.