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Wheels Off with Rhett Miller: Daily Summaries Delivered
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.
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- 1 weeks ago57 min
Grammy Winner Jimmy Webb on Songwriting and His New Album "Yours For The Taking"
Rhett is joined by Jimmy Webb, the Grammy-winning songwriter behind "Wichita Lineman," "MacArthur Park," and "Up, Up and Away," and the author of Tunesmith, the songwriting book Rhett recommends to his own students. Webb arrives with a new album, Yours for the Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb,, and an hour of PBS's Great Performances devoted to his work. The conversation is packed with hard-won songwriting advice. Webb makes the case that a great title can do most of the work, explains why every song needs a message (a lesson from his Motown days), and argues that writing a song is harder than writing a poem. He describes what he learned from Joni Mitchell's notebooks, and when to rewrite a song or let it go. Jimmy Webb is the only artist to have won Grammys for music, lyrics, and orchestration. His songs have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, and Linda Ronstadt, among many others. He is a former chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the author of Tunesmith and the memoir The Cake and the Rain. Yours for the Taking: The Found Songs of Jimmy Webb is available now. Great Performances: Jimmy Webb: American Songwriter premieres Friday, October 30 on PBS. Webb plays City Winery in New York City on Sunday, November 1. Follow Rhett @rhettmiller Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. 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, Nick Hornby, and more. New episodes drop bi-weekly. If you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- 3 weeks ago27 min
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 tracked her down through a YouTube video. She also discusses the long road to recording her debut album, including a year-long hunt to clear a sample from an old Western for her opener, "Sleeping With My Boots On" — why touring is exhausting, yet still one of her favorite things, and the simple motto that keeps her grounded. Lily Meola is a singer-songwriter from Maui, now based in Nashville. Her debut album, Lucky to Be is available now. Follow Lily @lilymeola 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
- Sep 29, 202634 min
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 isn’t quite what it seems, and the question every songwriter wrestles with: how do you know when a song is finished? The new Fruit Bats album is out now. Follow Eric @fruitbats 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
- Sep 15, 202642 min
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 album, In the Last Hour of Light, and he and Rhett dig into what pulled him from songwriting into podcasting, the difference between hustle and talent, the mental math of comparing yourself to the artists you interview for a living, and how co-writing over Zoom during the pandemic changed his process. About Hrishikesh Hirway: Hrishikesh Hirway is the creator, host, and executive producer of Song Exploder, the podcast — and Netflix series — in which musicians break down how one of their songs was made; Vulture called it "probably the best use of the podcast format ever." He's also produced and co-hosted Home Cooking with Samin Nosrat and The West Wing Weekly with Joshua Malina, and composed music for the film Companion and Netflix's Everything Sucks!, among other projects. In the Last Hour of Light is his new album. Guest: Hrishikesh Hirway — website · Song Exploder · Spotify · Apple Music · Instagram New album In the Last Hour of Light 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
- Sep 1, 202625 min
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
- Aug 18, 202633 min
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
- Aug 4, 202644 min
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
- Jul 21, 202638 min
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 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
About Wheels Off with 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.
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