Old ‘97’s Blend Pop and Pathos, Punk and Country in Its Mix

“This is really going to annoy the purists,” Old 97’s singer Rhett Miller declared Thursday at the House of Blues. He was talking about the wounded pop of “Nineteen,” a burst of melodic energy that moved the band a step further from its roots in straight alternative country.

The purists might have been alarmed, but the song (from the new “Fight Songs” album) represents a wise move for the Texans. While they still lack the visionary scope of Wilco and the utter soulfulness of the Jayhawks, the quartet has found its own dynamic blend of pop and pathos.

On Thursday, they were most effective when including the least amount of country, reducing the genre to just one ingredient in a larger pop sound. They did rumble through “Crash on the Barrelhead,” with a thumping rhythm that bassist Murray Hammond acknowledged was stolen from Johnny Cash. But the band slashed at its guitars in a way Cash never imagined.

That’s because at their core, the Old 97’s are a rock band, with an equal fixation on punk and Bill Monroe. They were even joined on stage Thursday by X’s Exene Cervenka for “Four Leaf Clover.”

Most memorable was “Lonely Holiday.” As Miller sang the lyric “If you don’t love me, would you please pretend?” the band showed it could still be as heartbreaking as Merle and Willie, but with a sad joy all its own.