Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

Rhett Miller
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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.

  1. 2d ago

    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 alt-country. He and Rhett also get into burning out on the road, and Caleb shares what 13 years of sobriety have taught him. His new album Heavy Thrill (Handplow Records) is available now. Follow Caleb @calebcaudle Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle on his new album and building his own label

  2. Aug 18

    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 snapshot of a creative moment. They get into his background as a jazz violinist, his Berklee years, and how boredom, nature, and surfing shape his songwriting process. Kishi Bashi is an Emmy-nominated virtuoso violinist, songwriter, and filmmaker renowned for his loop-based live performances and cinematic blend of indie pop and orchestral arrangements. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he has released five critically acclaimed solo albums and composed major soundtracks, including the Apple TV+ series Stillwater and his documentary Omoiyari. Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. The 10th anniversary Edition of Sonderlust is out now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Kishi Bashi on 'Sonderlust' at 10, Creative Boredom, and Surfing for Songwriting Inspiration

  3. Aug 4

    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 indie-leaning rock of her latest record, Face the Feeling. Riccio is candid about quieting her inner critic and the songwriting lesson that helped her face down imposter syndrome. She and Rhett also dig into how climate activism fuels her writing, and what she's learned about holding her own as a solo performer. Face the Feeling is out now.  Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Jobi Riccio: Americana Singer-Songwriter on Finding Her Voice

  4. Jul 21

    Jim Ward: New Sparta Record, Punk Roots, 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 music before lyrics. He explains his one hard rule for songwriting and shares a peek into his own process, from voice memos to old notebooks. The two get into gear mode, digging into Vox amps, $500 Telecasters, and the pedalboard tricks behind Ward's sound. Sparta’s new album is out now.  Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Jim Ward: New Sparta Record, Punk Roots, and chasing that Guitar Tone

  5. Jul 7

    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 reflects on leaving New York, finding meaning offstage, and returning to music with renewed purpose. She traces the origin of "Everyday Singing" — built from feminist letters and recorded with a choir of women affected by lost research funding — talks through her strategies for quieting the inner critic, and offers hard-won advice to young artists: trust your instincts, and "put love in the world." Tift’s new album is out now Follow Tift @tiftmerritt Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Tift Merritt on Her New Album Sugar & Making a Life in Music

  6. Jun 23

    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 synchronicity after a long stretch on the road. Ritter and Rhett also get into the interior work — imposter syndrome, comparison as the thief of joy, and why gratitude isn’t soft wisdom but a practical creative strategy. Plus: the Pete Seeger postcard that arrived a year after Ritter mailed a cassette from high school, and what it finally meant when he was old enough to understand it. Josh will be joining Rhett at his Songwriting Is Magic retreat in September. Learn more here. Follow Josh @joshritter | Follow Rhett @rhettmiller  Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.  Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes of Wheels Off drop bi-weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Josh Ritter: On Songwriting, Mentorship, and the Creative Life

  7. Jun 9

    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 creativity gets harder with age, the books that shaped his process, and why the most powerful thing a young artist can do is realize they have more time than they think. Pre-order Get Over It Underdog.  Follow Aaron Lee Tasjan @aaronleetassjan Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Aaron will be joining Rhett at his Songwriting Is Magic retreat in September. Learn more here. Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Aaron Lee Tasjan on Joy, Songwriting, and Learning to Let Go

  8. May 15

    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 poetry is the structural foundation of everything, and what it means to take bigger creative risks later in a career. Emily Franklin is the bestselling author of twenty-five books including The Lioness of Boston, now in its eleventh printing and recently a Jeopardy! clue. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Kenyon Review, and JAMA, and been featured on NPR. Follow Emily @emilyfranklinauthor Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97’s. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven.  Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it. Revisit previous episodes of Wheels Off with guests Rosanne Cash, Rob Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, Lucinda Williams, Stewart Copeland, Jennifer Egan, Nick Hornby, and more. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    Emily Franklin: Love and Other Monsters, Writing 25 Books, and the Creative Life
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4.9
out of 5
605 Ratings

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 with the challenges, and the joy, of living a creative life.

Information

  • Creator
    Rhett Miller
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    255
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Studio Kairos • Rhett Miller
  • Show Website
    Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

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