PODCAST · music
Wheels Off with Rhett Miller
by Rhett Miller
Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for the Old 97s, hosts “Wheels Off” a show about the messy reality of the creative life. Conversations with musicians, writers, artists, actors, and comedians about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grapple with the challenges, and the joy, of living a creative life.
Episodes
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Lily Meola on Songwriting and Her Debut Album Lucky to Be
Singer-songwriter Lily Meola joins Rhett to talk about her debut album, Lucky to Be. She's been singing for a living since her first paid gig at age 10, but for years she was certain songwriting wasn't for her. Lily talks about the people who changed her mind, including a Nashville writer who...
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Eric D. Johnson on Fruit Bats, Bonny Light Horseman, and Songwriting
Eric D. Johnson has spent over a decade making records as Fruit Bats, and more recently as one-third of Bonny Light Horseman alongside Anaïs Mitchell and Josh Kaufman. He joins Rhett to talk about why coming up in the indie rock world of late-’90s Chicago was a gift, why the calm in his music…
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Hrishikesh Hirway on songwriting, co-writing, and returning to music
Rhett sits down with Hrishikesh Hirway — creator, host, and executive producer of Song Exploder, the podcast where musicians break down how their songs came together — for a rare turn on the other side of the microphone. Hrishi recently returned to making music after years away with his new…
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Singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle on his new album and building his own label
North Carolina singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle joins Rhett ahead of a run of Texas and Louisiana dates with Old 97's. Caleb talks about his new album, Heavy Thrill, and his brand-new label, Handplow Records; recording at Johnny Cash's Cash Cabin studio; and how a punk-rock kid ended up writing...
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Kishi Bashi on 'Sonderlust' at 10, Creative Boredom, and Surfing for Songwriting Inspiration
Rhett sits down with Kishi Bashi for a wide-ranging conversation about creative growth, touring, and what it means to keep making honest work after 15 years in music. They talk about the 10-year anniversary of Sonderlust, and the shift from trying to make “the album” to treating each record as a...
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Jobi Riccio: Americana Singer-Songwriter on Finding Her Voice
Jobi Riccio is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with a resume that already includes the John Prine Songwriters Fellowship, a Grand Ole Opry appearance, and tours with Jason Isbell, Lucius, and Iron & Wine. She joins Rhett to talk about her musical path, which runs from bluegrass jams to the...
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Jim Ward: New Sparta Record, Punk Rock, and Chasing that Guitar Tone
Rhett welcomes Jim Ward — frontman and guitarist of Sparta, and a member of At the Drive-In — who dials in from El Paso to talk about the new Sparta record, his punk rock roots, and building guitar tone. Ward and Rhett dig deep into songwriting: co-writing over email, and why Ward always writes...
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Tift Merritt on Her New Album Sugar & Making a Life in Music
Rhett welcomes Tift Merritt — Grammy-nominated songwriter and one of Americana's most influential voices — to talk about Sugar, her first album in nearly a decade, recorded live in Nashville and shaped by everything that happened in the years between. Now based in her hometown of Raleigh, Merritt...
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Josh Ritter on Songwriting, Mentorship, and the Creative Life
Josh Ritter has built a twenty-year career writing songs that collapse the distance between folk tradition, literature, and revelation. He joins Rhett from his home in Brooklyn where he’s doing what he calls “rehaunting” his world — the intentional process of reintroducing strangeness and...
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Aaron Lee Tasjan on Joy, Songwriting, and Learning to Let Go
Aaron Lee Tasjan joins Rhett for a conversation about joy as armor, the craft of songwriting, and the long game of staying creatively alive. Tasjan talks about why he does his best work from a higher, more positive frequency — and what that actually means for writing songs. He unpacks why...
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Emily Franklin: Love and Other Monsters, Writing 25 Books, and the Creative Life
Author Emily Franklin joins Rhett to talk about her 25th novel, Love and Other Monsters — the untold origin story of Frankenstein and the monsters we create on the page. They get into what it takes to sustain a prolific creative life. Emily also opens up about shedding critical inner voices, why...
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Anthony Horowitz: Why the World Needs a Good Whodunit
Anthony Horowitz, one of the world's most prolific and versatile storytellers, joins Rhett for a conversation about creativity, craft, and the enduring power of the mystery novel. Horowitz reflects on a career built from the most unlikely of beginnings: a miserable boarding school, a library that...
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Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells): Creativity, Instinct, and the Long Game
Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells joins Rhett to talk about making music for 17+ years, trusting instinct over trends, and navigating anxiety, identity, and the pressures of the modern music industry. Follow Alexis @alexiskrauss Follow Sleigh Bells @sleighbells Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is...
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Kevn Kinney: Songwriting, Sobriety, and 40 Years of Doing It His Way
Rhett catches up with Kevn Kinney, frontman of Atlanta roots-rock institution Drivin N' Cryin, one day after his 65th birthday and on the eve of a new album. Recorded while Rhett's the Old 97's are deep in sessions at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, the conversation is a warm, wide-ranging exchange…
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Jared Mezzocchi on Creativity, Grief, and Building “Impossible” Theater
Theater director, playwright, and multimedia artist Jared Mezzocchi joins Rhett for a conversation about what it means to make ambitious, technology-forward work without losing the human heart of the story. Mezzocchi shares how he’s drawn to projects that seem “impossible” on paper—from a...
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Rodney Crowell on Intention, Patience, and the Long Game
Rodney Crowell, often called a “songwriter’s songwriter” and a foundational voice in Americana, joins Rhett for a conversation about intention, craft, and the long game of staying creatively alive. Crowell shares hard-won lessons about process: how spending time on memoir pages puts him in a...
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Lizzie No on Surviving the New Music Economy
Lizzie No makes music rooted in the traditions of blues, folk, and country, filtered through an indie sensibility that resists easy categorization. Often compared to Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, and Adia Victoria, she moves easily between musical worlds, collaborating with artists including...
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Hayes Carll on Creativity as a Long Game
Hayes Carll joins Wheels Off for a wide-ranging, deeply reflective conversation about songwriting as a lifelong practice rather than a race. Speaking candidly about his early obsessiveness, creative doubt, and eventual comfort in his own voice, Carll traces the evolution of his process—from…
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Will Johnson: Songwriting, Collaboration, and the Long Game
Will Johnson joins Wheels Off to talk about making Diamond City on a four-track cassette recorder, touring with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and building a creative life that spans music, painting, and writing. A conversation about patience, fearlessness, collaboration, and why the quiet...
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Clover County
Rhett sits down with singer-songwriter Clover County, whose debut record arrives after years of writing, refining, and navigating the rollercoaster of early adulthood in public. From her roots in Athens and Atlanta to discovering her home on the road, Clover talks candidly about identity…
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The Bones of J.R. Jones
Rhett welcomes Jonathon Linaberry, the creative force behind The Bones of J.R. Jones, for a conversation about music, artistic evolution, and the emotional realities of releasing work into the world. They discuss his new album Radio Waves, life in upstate New York, and the tension between…
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David Fleming
Writer David Fleming joins Rhett to dig into craft, career pivots, and the true story behind A Big Mess in Texas—the wild rise-and-fall of the 1952 Dallas Texans (owned by Rhett’s grandfather). Fleming talks about finding meaning in real life, learning to “disappear” as a writer, managing…
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Vicki Peterson
The Bangles’ lead guitarist talks about making a new record with John Cowsill, why she’s a “serial band member,” the magic of songwriting, imposter syndrome, and running your art like a business. Vicki Peterson—lead guitarist and occasional lead singer of The Bangles—joins Rhett to unpack Long...
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Briscoe
Rhett sits down with Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, the two young Texans behind Briscoe, a harmony-rich Americana duo making waves with their sophomore album, Heat of July. Recorded in Nashville during AmericanaFest, the conversation covers the band’s early days at UT Austin, their musical...
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Murry Hammond
Rhett sits down with his longtime bandmate and creative partner, Murry Hammond for a conversation about their 35+ years of making music together—from early songwriting days in Dallas to their latest solo and collaborative albums. Hammond opens up about the evolution of his creative process, the...
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Amanda Shires
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter opens up about her new album, her journey from fiddle prodigy to songwriter, and how painting, practice, and persistence fuel her creative life. Rhett Miller sits down with longtime friend and collaborator Amanda Shires during AmericanaFest in Nashville. The…
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Matt Nathanson
Singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson joins Rhett for a fast, funny, and candid conversation about craft and survival. They dig into the constant hum of the inner critic, and the strange mix of persistence and delusion it takes to stay in the game. From KISS posters and Pixies deep cuts to journaling,...
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James McMurtry
James McMurtry, hailed as one of our greatest living songwriters, joins Rhett for a candid conversation about the craft of songwriting, life on the road, and the realities of sustaining a career in music. Known for his sharp storytelling and uncompromising perspective, McMurtry opens up about his...
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Samantha Fish
Fresh off the release of her new album Paper Doll, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Samantha Fish joins Rhett to discuss balancing life on the road with creative work, the vulnerability of songwriting, and her evolution as a guitarist. She opens up about overcoming shyness and stage anxiety, and...
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Evan Felker
This week on Wheels Off, Rhett welcomes longtime friend, collaborator, and Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker. Evan joins Rhett from his ranch in Oklahoma for a candid conversation about the Troubadours’ resurgence, his creative process, and why stepping away from the road made the band…
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Ray Benson
In this wide-ranging conversation, Rhett welcomes the legendary Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel to Wheels Off for a candid, wisdom-packed chat about music, longevity, and learning by doing. Ray shares stories from his early days as a folk-singing kid, reflects on collaborating with icons like...
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Josh Rouse
Rhett welcomes singer-songwriter Josh Rouse for a wide-ranging conversation about carving out a life in music. Josh reflects on coming of age in a different era of the music business—when CDs still mattered and labels took chances—and how the ground beneath that world has shifted. The two dive…
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Kristina Murray
Singer-songwriter Kristina Murray joins Rhett to discuss the creative journey behind her new record Little Blue (New West Records), a project that was years in the making. From long nights in honky-tonks to building her own community of musicians and collaborators, Kristina’s story is one of…
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Chris Trapper
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Chris Trapper joins Rhett to talk about his winding, decades-long path through music—from lip-syncing Tom Jones as a kid to signing a major label deal with The Push Stars and building a solo career defined by resilience, honesty, and hustle. From his early days...
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Jordan Wax
Rhett is joined by multi-instrumentalist, folklorist, and genre-defying artist Jordan Wax to discuss his emotionally rich new album, The Heart Deciphers. With roots in Missouri and a home in rural New Mexico, Jordan brings a rare blend of intergenerational storytelling, Jewish diasporic heritage,...
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David Gedge
Rhett is joined by indie legend David Gedge, frontman of The Wedding Present and Cinerama, for an in-depth conversation that spans four decades of creativity, resilience, and evolution. David shares stories behind the band’s origin, his distinctive strumming style, and why he still writes songs...
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Esther Rose
Singer-songwriter Esther Rose joins Rhett to discuss her transformative new album WANT, her journey into music, and the evolution of her sound. Dialing in from Santa Fe, Esther shares why this record feels like her most personal yet, how she confronts anxiety through songwriting, and the…
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Nathan Hill
In this episode of Wheels Off, bestselling author Nathan Hill (The Nix, Wellness) joins Rhett for an open-hearted conversation about creativity, resilience, and the slow, surprising process of writing novels. From the trauma of losing three years of work in a car break-in to the lessons he…
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Rebecca Martin
In this episode of Wheels Off, acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, and activist Rebecca Martin joins Rhett for a candid conversation about her decades-long music career, her passion for water protection and civic engagement, and the release of her new acoustic album, She. Rebecca shares insights from...
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Sigrid Nunez
Sigrid Nunez, one of our most celebrated literary voices, joins Rhett for a conversation about writing, adaptation, and the creative process. She shares her experience of seeing her novels adapted for the screen and reflects on how film adaptations, much like cover songs, bring a new vision to a...
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Terry George
Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter Terry George (Hotel Rwanda, In the Name of the Father) joins Rhett for this week’s episode. Known for his compelling storytelling and focus on everyday heroes, Terry discusses his creative process, his background in journalism, and the real-life...
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Sarah Jaffe
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe joins Rhett for a conversation about artistic evolution, reinvention, and creative resilience. From her early days as an indie-folk sensation, she reflects on the twists and turns of her genre-defying career. Sarah and Rhett discuss the challenges of…
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Todd Barry
Comedian, actor, and author Todd Barry joins Rhett to discuss his journey through the world of comedy—from his first appearance on Letterman at age 18 to launching his own crowd work tour following a successful Comedy Central special. They explore the personal experiences that shaped Todd’s…
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Billy Reid
Award-winning fashion designer Billy Reid joins Rhett to talk about the artistry that has shaped his iconic brand. From rebuilding after 9/11 to shaping modern American menswear, Billy reveals how gut instincts have guided his success, shares candid insights on transforming setbacks into...
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Moon Zappa
Moon Zappa Joins Rhett to talk about the the process of writing her book, Earth to Moon, and her unique upbringing as the daughter of Frank Zappa. The two discuss the impact of her memoir on her future fiction writing and Moon shares insights on navigating her identity within a patriarchal…
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Jeremie Albino
Singer-songwriter Jeremie Albino is known for emotionally-nuanced storytelling and electrifying performances. From busking on the streets of Toronto, to sharing stages with artists like Orville Peck and Sierra Ferrell, Jeremie has embarked on his latest chapter with the release of Our Time In The...
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Open Mike Eagle
On this episode, Open Mike Eagle—Los Angeles-based emcee, musician, comedian, and podcaster—joins Rhett to talk about his latest projects and the creative process behind his work. He shares how discovering hip hop in the mid-90s and a supportive creative community helped him kickstart his career....
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Matthew Caws
On this week’s episode Rhett welcomes Matthew Caws, frontman and founding member of the beloved alternative rock band Nada Surf. With hits like "Popular" and "Always Love," he has built a legacy of thoughtful, emotionally honest music that has captivated indie rock fans since the mid-90s. Matthew...
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Maya C. Popa
Award-winning poet, author, editor and educator Maya C. Popa joins Rhett to explore the intricacies of the writing process, managing the artistic ego, and balancing one’s integrity with commercial pressures. They discuss the role of educators in nurturing talent, and Maya shares thoughts on the...
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Pat McGee
Pat McGee, frontman of the Pat McGee Band and a celebrated solo artist, joins Rhett to unpack his career, from his roots as an independent musician in Virginia to his latest projects and collaborations with some of the biggest names in the industry. Pat opens up about his artistic growth, the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for the Old 97s, hosts “Wheels Off” a show about the messy reality of the creative life. Conversations with musicians, writers, artists, actors, and comedians about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grapple with the challenges, and the joy, of living a creative life.
HOSTED BY
Rhett Miller
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Wheels Off with Rhett Miller have?
Wheels Off with Rhett Miller currently has 257 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Wheels Off with Rhett Miller about?
Rhett Miller, musician and frontman for the Old 97s, hosts “Wheels Off” a show about the messy reality of the creative life. Conversations with musicians, writers, artists, actors, and comedians about the pivotal moments that shaped their work, what it means to create in a digital age and grapple...
How often does Wheels Off with Rhett Miller release new episodes?
Wheels Off with Rhett Miller publishes regularly with 257 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Wheels Off with Rhett Miller?
You can listen to Wheels Off with Rhett Miller on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Wheels Off with Rhett Miller?
Wheels Off with Rhett Miller is created and hosted by Rhett Miller.
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