Fire Track: Old 97’s – “Magic”

Alt-country pioneers Old 97’s have just 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.

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.”

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.

Pre-order American Primitive.

Tour Dates:
4/3 – Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery
4/4 – Tucson, AZ – Hotel Congress
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