A & E

Nor is it an offhand remark borne of youthful brashness. It's just a fact that so much time together -- 15 years, to be exact -- yields results.

"Our band is good enough musically to do anything we want to do," says the Old 97's singer and guitarist Rhett Miller, who with the band headlines WYEP's Summer Music Festival Friday at the Schenley Plaza, Oakland. "We're old enough and have enough experience to appreciate the opportunities we have."

On the new album "Blame It on Gravity," the Old 97's showcase their limitless range. There are high-charged songs typical of the group's alt-country roots, notably "The Fool" and "The One." "Dance With Me" cries out for a spot in a Quentin Tarantino movie; "She Loves the Sunset" is a lovely, mid-tempo change of pace; and bassist Murry Hammond's "Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue" is the album's show-stopping, George Jones moment.

Miller admits it's been a long time since the band has jelled so well in the studio -- perhaps since the album "Satellite Rides," released in 2001.

"It's a great moment in our band," he says.

Which is, if not surprising, unexpected. The Old 97's have gone through all the peaks and valleys attendant to longevity in a rock band. They've had success with a major label (Elektra) only to find the A&R guy who championed them let go. Miller has done a few well-received solo records that have relieved some of the tensions in the group.

"There used to be a lot more pushing and pulling before I started making solo albums," he says, but then the band released the prophetically titled "Drag It Up," arguably the nadir of all Old 97's recordings.

Returning to the band's home base of Dallas, however, seemed to be the spark needed to stoke the band's creative fires. Miller gives credit to producer Salim Nourallah (who worked with the Clarks' Scott Blasey on his solo album "Travelin' On") for encouraging the band to let the songs determine the sound.

Miller says the entire experience was like "being back in my Mom's garage" making music.

"It's like we've come full circle," he says. "There's a lot of gratitude we have in the Old 97's for having weathered so many things."

And there's a renewed sense of optimism, an anticipation of what may come next.

"We've figured out how to function in a band," Miller says, "and that's no small feat. We've amassed a catalog and a fan base, and we love being in this band -- knock on wood. Now we're just working hard, thinking about the future and how we can do this for a long, long time."

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