Old 97’s released their new album American Primitive today (stream it below) and just began their tour for it. With that in mind, frontman Rhett Miller made us a list of his 10 favorite Old 97’s Walk-On songs. Says Rhett: “The ideal walk-on music should sound different from the band that walks out to it — it would be weird if we walked out to some sort of a train-beat/alt-country type jam.”
Rhett’s list includes a wide variety of genres, with songs from everyone from Talking Heads and Devo to Herb Alpert and the Gipsy Kings. Check out his list and listen to a playlist with all 10 below.
Rhett Miller – Top 10 Old 97’s Walk-On Songs
“Regular John” by Queens of the Stone Age
Over the last decade or so, this has been our most utilized walk-on song. It’s just such a riff, and it builds in a really subtle way. Also, it’s not so short that we don’t run out of music waiting for our drummer Philip to do whatever he’s always doing when we’re supposed to be taking the stage.
“Cecilia Ann” by Pixies
This song would be at the top of the list if it wasn’t for its brevity. It’s half as long as “Regular John”—more than once, our front of house engineer has been forced to restart this song in order to give us more time. I have literal nightmares about waiting for Philip while the audience grows restless.
“The Lonely Bull” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
This song is so majestic and timeless and insane. The only downside for me is the melancholic undertone.
“Los Rancheros” by Adam & the Ants
There is a remastered version of “Kings of the Wild Frontier” which elevates the fidelity to the point where this recording sounds amazing on a big PA system. For my money, Adam & the Ants is a wildly underrated band.
“Life During Wartime” by Talking Heads
The album version from Fear of Music is just such a vibe. The kick drum is so insistent and upfront. The ideal walk-on music should sound different from the band that walks out to it — it would be weird if we walked out to some sort of a train-beat/alt-country type jam. In fact I brought up the idea of walking out to “No Bone Movies” by Ozzy Osbourne, or “Too Fast for Love” by Mötley Crüe, but that was too great a cultural chasm for my ornery bandmates to bridge.
“He’s a Whore“ by Cheap Trick
First of all, Rick Nielsen is some sort of a fucking wizard to be able to play guitar and write songs as well as he does. And I’ve always thought of the Old 97’s as a latter-day, Texan version of Cheap Trick—each band member with a distinct identity and specific complementary skill-set. Now, if only I could get our lead guitarist Ken to write a song this catchy!
“Hotel California” by Gipsy Kings
Much like The Dude, I fucking hate the Eagles, man. But this version is just so propulsive, and so snarky in its reinterpretation. It doesn’t hurt that it is almost 6 minutes long either. Got to give ol’ Philip time to get to the stage.
“20th Century Boy” by T. Rex
Good old Marc Bolan, another underrated pillar of rock ‘n’ roll excellence. The groove and riff on this song are so sick and fat.
“Gut Feeling/(slap your mammy)” by Devo
An art rock band with a punk rock drummer, Devo was built to make walk-on music. We may have used “Uncontrollable Urge” a few times over the years, but “Gut Feeling” has long been a go-to favorite. The fact that the vocals don’t come in until over two minutes into the song kills me. And the way it builds is just so tense it really amps the audience up.
“The Crusher” by The Cramps
To be fair, this could be any number of Cramps’ songs: “TV set,” “Tear it Up,” ad infinitum. But “The Crusher,” a cover of a ‘60’s garage nugget, is just so immediately gripping. The imperative nature of Lux Interior’s insane screaming vocal, Ivy Rorschach’s always deadly guitar, Nick Knox beating the shit out of a floor tom? Let’s go!
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Old ’97s tour hits NYC for two shows at Bowery Ballroom on September 13 & 14. All dates here:
Old 97’s – 2024 Tour Dates
4/5 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace
4/6 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
4/7 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
4/8 – Morro Bay, CA – The Siren
4/9 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
4/11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
4/12 – Bend, OR – Domino Room
4/13 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
4/14 –Seattle, WA – The Showbox
4/16 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
4/17 – Bozeman, MT – The ELM
4/18 – Billings, MT – Pub Station – Ballroom
4/19 – Laramie, WY – Gryphon Theatre
4/20 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
4/21 – Jackson, WY – Jackson Hole Center for the Arts – Center Theater
7/5 – Berwyn, IL – FitzGerald’s
7/31 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
8/1 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
8/2 – Saint Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
8/3 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Annex
8/4 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag
8/6 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation @ The Intersection
8/7 – Bloomington, IL – Castle Theatre
8/8 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
8/9 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
8/10 – Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel
8/11 – Kansas City, MO – Madrid Theatre
9/10 – Boston, MA – Royale
9/11 – Amherst, MA – The Drake
9/12 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
9/13 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
9/14 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
9/15 – King of Prussia, PA – Concerts Under the Stars
9/17 – Lititz, PA – Mickey’s Black Box
9/18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Café & Music Hall
9/19 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
9/20 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
9/21 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground
9/22 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
9/24 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
9/25 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room Greenville
9/26 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
9/27 – Columbia, SC – The Senate
9/28 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
9/29 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s