Old 97's Showcase Three Decades Of 'Magic' On New Single

Alt-country pioneers Old 97's released “Magic,” the second single from their 13th studio album American Primitive that will be released on April 5 via ATO Records.

“Magic,” a jittery piece of power-pop echoing the anguish of grasping for salvation, was the first song the band tracked with producer Tucker Martine at Flora Studios in Portland, OR.   Pre-order American Primitive.  

About the new single, Rhett Miller explains: “‘Magic' was the first song the 97's tracked in Flora Studios with American Primitive producer Tucker Martine. We were just getting sounds, and finding our feet, and before we knew it, this song had come together so effortlessly that it felt like a harbinger of good things for the album. There's something really special about a band playing and singing in real time.

The way musicians react to each other and play off of each other creates its own sort of magic. And our band has the benefit of the same four musicians having collaborated for three decades. I'm proud of the psychic connection we've built up over all these years, and the way that it shines through in our music.”  

“Magic” follows the release of the official video for album's first single "Where The Road Goes" that features Peter Buck on guitar and was praised by Rolling Stone, BrooklynVegan, No Depression, The Dallas Morning News and many more.   

“As much as I want us to calm down and grow up, the songs that felt right for this record were mostly big and loud and brutal and dirty,” says Miller, whose bandmates include bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples. Arriving just months before the 30th anniversary of Hitchhike to Rhome—a powerhouse debut that played a vital part in pioneering the alt-country genre—the result is a gloriously rowdy body of work, revealing a veteran band more attuned than ever to the raw and reckless energy of truly timeless rock-and-roll.  

“Over the last year of touring in celebration of our 30th anniversary, it's been impossible not to feel some emotion welling up at the idea that my bandmates and I have been in this close brotherhood for so long,” says Miller. “I think a lot of that longevity has to do with the fact that we're really the same band we were back then. We've experimented with pushing in different directions, and we've had experiences outside the band where we've learned new things, but the way we approach this music has fundamentally remained the same. Our heart is still in the exact same place.”  

Old 97's will kick off a spring west coast tour in Santa Fe, NM on April 3 and make stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and more. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit their website.

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