RHETT MILLER OF OLD 97'S

The tenth solo album from Rhett Miller, A lifetime of riding by night is a study in surrender. Days before

undergoing potentially damaging surgery on his vocal cords, the Texas-born singer/songwriter headed into

the studio with his Old 97’s bandmate Murry Hammond and recorded a batch of songs, then handed them

off for Hammond to complete as he recovered. Threaded with his lived-in reflection on mortality and love

in all forms, the album contains some of Miller’s most unguarded material yet—an achievement he

attributes to revelations gleaned through his recent work in teaching songwriting at The New School in

Manhattan, as well as the open-hearted nature of his collaborations with an eclectic lineup of co-writers

(e.g., Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker, singer/songwriters Caitlin Rose and Nicole Atkins,

former New Yorker editor Ben Greenman). Rooted in Miller’s soul-baring vocal work, A lifetime of riding

by night ultimately proves the immense power in releasing all attempts to control the creative impulse.

While Miller has long embraced a certain candor in his songwriting, A lifetime of riding by night reaches

an entirely new level of emotional truth thanks to a deliberate shedding of self-consciousness. “Through

my experience in teaching, I’ve watched all these young songwriters feel scared to death about bringing

their songs in and sharing them with the class,” says Miller, who also leads songwriting retreats in upstate

New York. “It’s reminded me to forgive myself for my own anxieties about the vulnerability that’s required

for songwriting, and over time that’s made me less fearful.”

After recovering from surgery, Miller headed out on tour with Old 97’s and finally experienced his first

listen of A lifetime of riding by night in its completed form. “We were on the West Coast and I sat on a

bench looking out onto the ocean, put my headphones on and played the album from start to finish,” he

remembers. “It was very moving, partly because I could really feel that the songs were emotional in a way

that I might not usually have the bravery to go through with.” For Miller, that moment also brought a

heightened awareness of the rarity and magic of lasting creative connection. “It’s very much a love

relationship when people work together the way that Murry and I have since I was a teenager recording my

first demos,” he says. “So many people who were once our contemporaries are gone now or haven’t

survived this business, but we’re somehow still here and able to create something that feels new and vital

and unexpected. I think that’s an incredibly beautiful and special thing.”

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