Wheels Off with Rhett Miller

In this episode, singer songwriter Brian Dunne joins Rhett from Brooklyn. He talks to Rhett about his newly released album Loser On The Ropes, his songwriting process, and what success as an artist means to him. Brian and Rhett also bust a few rock and roll myths, and talk about why being a working musician doesn’t have an expiration date. Loser On The Ropes, Dunne’s entrancing new album and debut...

Ben Harper is a 3x Grammy winner who has amassed international praise for his genre-traversing body of work. He joins Rhett on this episode to talk about his life as a young musician, the creative projects he’s currently working on, and shares the advice he would give his 21-year old self. The two dive into the craft of songwriting and Ben tells Rhett about the time that Leonard Cohen visited his...

Founded in 2011, indie-folk duo The Milk Carton Kids swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft. On this episode, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the musicians behind the Grammy-nominated band, join Rhett to talk about their personal creative journeys as well as t...

Jacqueline Holland’s first novel, The God Of Endings, weaves a story of love, family, history, and myth as seen through the eyes of one immortal woman. In this episode, Jacqueline joins Rhett to talk about the new books she’s working on, how she found her voice as a novelist, and she offers some valuable advice on the process of writing. The two dive into the impact that ChatGPT could have on crea...

In this podcast episode, acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer Layng Martine Jr. joins Rhett to talk about the process behind his latest album “Music Man”, a long-time dream project instigated by his son Tucker Martine, who is a producer. Layng and Rhett discuss the incredible lineup of musicians who participated in the making of the record and Layng shares stories behind the songs, which cov...

Singer-songwriter, author, and artist Bob Schneider joins Rhett from Austin to talk about the evolution of his musical career, and the story behind his new graphic novel, FAYM. Rhett and Bob discuss the realization that success doesn’t necessarily change your life, why names are important, and agree that calculation can kill creativity.  Bob Schneider is one of the most celebrated musicians in Aus...

On this week’s episode, Rhett welcomes singer, guitarist, and songwriter Bill Janovitz, best known as the frontman of the alt-rock band Buffalo Tom. The two discuss the inspiration and effort behind Bill’s new book, Leon Russell, the Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock and Roll History. Bill and Rhett also discuss dealing with industry obstacles in the early days of his career, how he...

Musician, songwriter, actor and playwright Queen Esther joins Rhett from her home in Harlem to talk about her extraordinary multi-hyphenate career, which currently includes two new albums (to be released this year), and a play, which will culminate in an off-Broadway run. There’s no shortage of wisdom and inspiration in this conversation, as Queen Esther discusses the importance of following the c...

Grammy winning producer, songwriter, and guitarist Joe Reyes joins Rhett from San Antonio to talk about his impressive career, which includes a Latin Grammy award nomination and a Grammy award win. Reyes discusses the upcoming Buttercup release, explains why he decided to get a degree despite his career in music, and shares some of the wisdom that he imparts to his music students. Joe Reyes has re...

Owen King is the author of Double Feature, and We’re All in This Together: A Novella and Stories. He is the coauthor of Sleeping Beauties and Intro to Alien Invasion and the coeditor of Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories. Owen joins Rhett to talk about how he built the world that The Curator takes place in and what it means to capture the “sound” of a nove...

Singer-songwriter Cassandra Lewis performed her first real show at a retirement home when she was eight years old. She joins Rhett to talk about that experience and what’s happened in between, the new album she’s working on, and the co-songwriting scene that she’s become part of since moving to Nashville. The two discuss the trope of needing to suffer in order to be creative, and Cassandra explain...

Sam Quartin is an actor, activist, and frontwoman for The Bobby Lees, which she founded after discovering her future bandmates at a music school in upstate New York. The two discuss her recent role in Candy Land, a film about the underground world of truck stop sex workers. Sam tells Rhett about the impact that Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way had on her life, shares her process for boosting self-...

Bestselling author Julia Cameron joins Rhett once again to talk about her new book Write for Life, in which she turns to one of the subjects closest to her heart: the art and practice of writing. This episode is full of wisdom, as Julia gives Rhett a peek into her own creative process and shares some of the best practices she’s developed over the last two decades. Julia and Rhett discuss how to ma...

Salim Nourallah is a musician and award-winning producer who has worked with OLD97s and Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church. He’s also the co-founder of indie label Palo Santo Records, and this week he joins Rhett to talk about balancing his role as musician, producer, and businessman. The two discuss the new projects he’s working on, what it means to be successful, and why Salim believes it’s import...

“You're much more productive when you actually feel like getting out of bed for the day. And I just think that you don't have to be in a dark place to write a dark song. And realizing that has opened up a lot of opportunities for me to live a more healthy life.” - Anthony D’Amato Singer Songwriter Anthony D’Amato joins Rhett on this episode to talk about going from publicity intern to client at Sh...

The Paranoid Style is a garage-punk-pop outfit built around singer songwriter Elizabeth Nelson. Elizabeth joins Rhett this week to talk about their new album, “For Executive Meeting”, as well as the many other creative projects she’s involved in, like an upcoming piece about Springsteen’s “Nebraska”. Elizabeth and Rhett discuss what it means to be a musician and a published music critic, the proce...

During his years as lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips helped to create the band’s elegant folk/pop sound with honest, introspective lyrics that forged a close bond with their fans. He joins Rhett on this episode of Wheels Off for a deep dive into the inspiration behind his music and the playful approach he took in the making of his new solo record, There Is So...

Amy Ray joins Rhett from her home in Georgia to talk about her recently released solo album and the new music she’s working on for an Indigo Girls project. Amy and Rhett discuss the epiphany moment she had when she first sang with Indigo Girls co-founder Emily Saliers, the headiness of achieving success early in her career, and why her activism and support of emerging artists helps her navigate th...

Authors Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble join Rhett from Seattle to talk about their new book, which was inspired by their D&D podcast Dragon Talk. The book highlights the ways in which people are using Dungeons & Dragons to fuel creative endeavors, explore identity, deal with addiction, and process trauma. Shelly and Greg discuss how the game has evolved and explain why it’s still so popular after...

Terre Roche, singer-songwriter and founding member of The Roches joins Rhett to talk about her new album and book Kin Ya See That Sun! The book chronicles the time when she and her sister Maggie traveled around the country as teenagers to perform on the college coffee house circuit, and the accompanying album includes live, unreleased recordings from the tour. Terre discusses the relationship she...

Grammy-winning musician and producer Adrian Quesada joins Rhett from Austin to talk about the creative whims that guide his work, life as a “working class” musician, and how he harnesses his competitive spirit. The brand new album by GRAMMY-winning guitarist, producer and Black Pumas co-founder, Adrian Quesada, serves as a celebration of the super funky, slightly delirious and deeply soulful sound...

Singer-songwriter Lauren Hoffman joins Rhett to talk about her unique journey through the music industry and shares her perspective on the impact that technology has on the creative process. The two discuss the meditative qualities of songwriting, the difficulties of being an emerging artist in the 90s, and why it’s critical to prioritize your peace of mind. Lauren is based in Los Angeles and is c...

Singer-songwriter Cory Branan joins Rhett from the road to talk about his approach to writing and the creative process behind his new record, When I Go I Ghost. Cory tells Rhett about learning to record, mix, and master during lockdown, which resulted in five direct-to-fan cover records that included some surprise cover song requests; and, the importance of being able to connect directly to fans....

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose joins Rhett to talk about the making of her forthcoming album CAZIMI, her first release in nearly a decade. Caitlin explains why the album is a “Pee Wee’s Playhouse situation”, plus the two discuss her passion for poetry, why she was ‘cosmically pushed’ to become an artist, and what it’s like to navigate the music industry after spending time away. Pr...

Musician, songwriter, and artist Courtney Jaye joins Rhett this week to talk about her ambitious new album, Hymns and Hallucinations. Courtney tells Rhett about why she’s chosen a nomadic lifestyle, shares an important lesson she learned when opening for John Mayer, and explains why the best stuff is the unexpected stuff. Hymns and Hallucinations is available now Courtney on IG: @tropicalijaye Rhe...