Old 97's bringing alt-country sound to Snowbird

Rhett Miller, vocalist and guitarist for the Old 97's, says he remembers the first time his band played in Salt Lake City.

"It was a long time ago," Miller said in a phone interview, "but the motel we were staying in was one of those sketchy places that was scary.

"I'm glad that I've been able to come back a lot of times since then, because Salt Lake City is not what my first impressions suggested it to be."

Actually, he said, many locations are done a disservice on the first visit, "because we just see the dressing rooms and the motels."

This time, the Old 97's — Miller, bassist/vocalist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea and drummer Philip Peeples — will play in Little Cottonwood Canyon at the Snowbird Mountain Music Festival. The band will headline the July 11 sessions at 9:45 p.m. (See accompanying story for festival schedule.)

The Snowbird Mountain Music Festival is the perfect venue for the band to show off its alt-country chops.

Miller said his love for the renegade singer/songwriter sound came after he met Hammond in the early 1990s.

"When I was 14, I was all over Ozzy Osbourne's 'Blizzard of Ozz' album," Miller said. "I was totally into guitarist Randy Rhoads. But after I met Murry, things began to change."

Hammond turned Miller onto some old Hank Williams records.

"As I listened, I thought, 'Hey, I can do this,' " Miller said. "It was the right kind of music for me, and I started writing songs in that vein."

After the novelty of writing Williams-inspired songs, Miller and Hammond wrote songs in their own style, although Miller listened to a lot of other bands and artists.

"I've always been a Beatles fan," Miller said, "and I still consider the Kinks and David Bowie influential."

In fact, Miller, who is also a renowned solo performer, was among the many artists who recorded the song "Girl" for the 2005 Beatles tribute CD, "This Bird Has Flown."

Miller said a solo career has helped him keep sane with the Old 97's.

"The band is run on a democracy, and we all have a say in what we are going to play, record and write," he said. There also are times when he feels he must to do things on his own. "So, that's why the solo career is important to me."

In June, Miller released his fourth solo CD, "I Need to Know Where I Stand" on Shout! Factory.

"It's great for me, because I did my solo album and now am getting ready to hit the road with the band," he said. "And the guys in the band are cool with it. When I first started releasing my solo records, it was a time when lead singers from bands were discouraged from doing that, because it could have caused contention in the band. But it hasn't been like that for us."

In fact, the solo career has helped the Old 97's become stronger as a band.

"We've always known we have something to prove," he said. "Complacency has never been an issue with us."

If you go...

What: Snowbird Mountain Music Festival

Where: Snowbird Resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon

When: July 10-12, times vary

How much: $35 a day or $75 for three-day pass

Phone: 801-933-2442

Web: www.snowbirdrc.org

E-mail: scott@desnews.com