Rhett Miller of the Old 97s: Coming to the Mercury Lounge Tulsa
Rhett Miller is one of those human beings who have so many things in the works paralleling his solo career. OKR had the chance to chat with Miller recently and got a whole lot more than we were expecting; not only did we discuss his 2018 album release, The Messenger, and his accompanying solo tour including an upcoming appearance at the Mercury Lounge of Tulsa, we also talked about all the things he has on his plate in addition.
1.) He started his musical career at a very young age. Turning to music as a means to manage some of the bullshit of adolescence: he started playing guitar at 12, writing songs soon after and eventually worked his way to the role of lead singer for the popular, critically acclaimed band, The Old 97’s. While he’s currently on solo tour, he plans to be back in the studio soon to begin recording a new album with the band.
2.) Rhett said while writing songs for the upcoming Old 97’s album he spent a good portion of time in the quiet seclusion of his good friend Rainn Wilson’s Pacific Northwest cabin. Rainn, perhaps best known for his portrayal of the character Dwight Shrute on NBC’s sitcom The Office, is also featured on the latest edition of Rhett’s podcast, Wheels Off, where Miller discusses the chaos and reality of creative life with his fellow muscians, actors, writers and poets.
3.) He’s a published children’s book author. His book of poems, No More Poems!: A Book In Verse That Just Gets Worse, is a collection of works he says his kids played a big part in sculpting. Not only were they his first-line critics, as most children are, but also they often had creative verses to add to most of the poems he wrote for them. He goes on to say that sharing a love of poetry helped him stay connected with his children while he was on the road and away from home.
Miller said his Tulsa crowd at the Mercury will of course be treated to a good amount of his song’s from The Messenger and his earlier solo releases, but that he also plans to play quite a few songs from The Old 97’s discography as well. Miller headlines the June 3rd, 2020 show at the Mercury Lounge. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am CST and can be purchased here: bit.ly/2PEVHe1
