Rhett Miller & The Serial Lady Killers
The Spring Standards
Fri, June 8, 2012
Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY
$20
Tickets
This event is 21 and over
http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/105407/
Share This Event
Rhett Miller & The Serial Lady Killers
Texas native Rhett Miller is perhaps best known as the frontman of the Dallas-based alt-country band Old 97's, although he also pursued a critically acclaimed solo career during the 2000s. Formed in 1993, the Old 97's built a devoted following with their blend of country and power-pop influences, which won the group a brief stay on the roster of Elektra Records. All four members also pursued side projects, but Miller's solo career captured the most attention, with the literate songwriter training his eye on such subjects as fatherhood, sex, and love.
Technically speaking, Miller launched his own career before the the Old 97's even formed. He recorded his first solo album, a series of acoustic folk songs entitled Mythologies, in 1989. Future Old 97's bassist (and solid songwriter in his own right) Murry Hammond produced the album, and the partnership later blossomed into a full-fledged band. While releasing a string of well-received albums with the Old 97's, Miller and Hammond also performed together as the Ranchero Brothers, a two-man acoustic duo that was originally launched as a means of testing new music for the Old 97's in front of a live audience. The Ranchero Brothers developed their own distinct following, although no albums resulted from the project.
Taking time off from the Old 97's, Miller began recording his first major-label solo effort in February 2002, this time with the help of producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion. The Instigator appeared nearly seven months later, followed by a tour with ex-Crowded House frontman Neil Finn in early 2003. Rhett Miller then returned to the studio with the Old 97's, squashing worried rumors that he planned to halt the band's career and focus on his solo efforts. He did, however, find time to balance the two projects, and The Believer marked his first solo release for Verve in February 2006. After returning to the studio with the Old 97's one more time, Miller continued his juggling act by recording another solo album. The self-titled record appeared in 2009 courtesy of his new label, Shout! Factory.
Technically speaking, Miller launched his own career before the the Old 97's even formed. He recorded his first solo album, a series of acoustic folk songs entitled Mythologies, in 1989. Future Old 97's bassist (and solid songwriter in his own right) Murry Hammond produced the album, and the partnership later blossomed into a full-fledged band. While releasing a string of well-received albums with the Old 97's, Miller and Hammond also performed together as the Ranchero Brothers, a two-man acoustic duo that was originally launched as a means of testing new music for the Old 97's in front of a live audience. The Ranchero Brothers developed their own distinct following, although no albums resulted from the project.
Taking time off from the Old 97's, Miller began recording his first major-label solo effort in February 2002, this time with the help of producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion. The Instigator appeared nearly seven months later, followed by a tour with ex-Crowded House frontman Neil Finn in early 2003. Rhett Miller then returned to the studio with the Old 97's, squashing worried rumors that he planned to halt the band's career and focus on his solo efforts. He did, however, find time to balance the two projects, and The Believer marked his first solo release for Verve in February 2006. After returning to the studio with the Old 97's one more time, Miller continued his juggling act by recording another solo album. The self-titled record appeared in 2009 courtesy of his new label, Shout! Factory.
The Spring Standards
James Cleare, Heather Robb and James Smith first sang together in the last summer of the 20th century. Having just turned 16, the three teens with a common affinity for "oldies" music and harmony spent the better part of the next 2 years playing shows around the Delaware/Pennsylvania area. Influenced as much by their parent's record collections as they were by what they heard on the radio, their style began to take shape into something a little bit both and a little bit neither. When high school graduation came along, their paths divided; years passed and things changed, but before they knew it they were all living within a few blocks of each other in New York City. The transition back into making music together was as natural as it was surprising - they happily picked up where they had left off years before, with a unique style that refuses to sit comfortably in any genre.
Cleare, Robb, and Smith are all songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. They use their strengths as a trio to create a sound that listeners might expect from a band twice their size. With an emphasis on 3-part harmony and a variety of instrumental switching, their range and energy onstage make each live show a unique event.
Cleare, Robb, and Smith are all songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. They use their strengths as a trio to create a sound that listeners might expect from a band twice their size. With an emphasis on 3-part harmony and a variety of instrumental switching, their range and energy onstage make each live show a unique event.
