Friday, 30 July, 2010 8:02
by ahaney
NEWS RELEASE
Media contact:
Jessica Oliver
(318) 741-7800,
(318) 207-7363
July 30, 2010
(Bossier City, LA) - Horseshoe Casino and Hotel is proud to present Texas-country superstar Robert Earl Keen and alternative country rockers Old 97’s in a special live performance on Saturday, July 31st in the Horseshoe Riverdome! Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm.
Among the large contingent of talented songwriters who emerged in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s, Robert Earl Keen struck an unusual balance between sensitive story-portraits (Corpus Christi Bay) and raucous barroom fun (That Buckin’ Song). These two song types in Keen’s output were unified by a mordant sense of humor that strongly influenced the early practitioners of what would become known as alternative country music. Keen, a native of Houston, blends folk and country music for a unique sound all his own.
Some bands blast out of the gate and never recapture their early energy. Other bands establish themselves as models of consistency. Still, other bands take a while to find themselves. And then there are bands like the Old 97s, who blast out of the gate, establish themselves as models of consistency, take a while to find themselves, and then, fifteen years in, deliver a glorious record that sums up everything about them that fans have always loved. The Old 97’s formed in Dallas in 1993, and are often considered one of the pioneers of the Alt Country genre, although their influences are as varied as The Kinks, The Beatles, The Pixies, David Bowie, Johnny Cash (hence the name) and Merle Haggard. Their career got off to a fast start in 1994 with their debut release, Hitchhike To Rhome. Now with Blame It On Gravity, the seventh Old 97’s record and the second for New West, the band has made its definitive statement.