Rhett Miller ‘89, lead vocalist and primary songwriter for his band the Old 97’s, received the Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award in Nashville, Tennessee, in mid-September. The Old 97’s is a band that focuses on Americana music, which is a blend of country, folk and gospel.
Miller’s journey from a student at the school to an acclaimed musician has not been linear. As a student, Miller’s commitment to music and creative writing, albeit at the expense of math and science, helped him receive a scholarship to the Sarah Lawrence College in New York.
After just one semester, however, Miller found that his true calling wasn’t in academia.
“I realized, ‘Oh my god, what am I doing?’” Miller said “Music is what I am meant to do.”
Dropping out to pursue music full-time was a gamble, but a one guided by a lesson he learned early on: “believe in yourself.”
“I made it so that I either had to succeed in music or live in squalor,” Miller said. “I lived in squalor for my early 20s, but by the time I was about 28, I started making enough money to properly feed myself and live in a place that didn’t come with a bunch of cockroaches for roommates.”
That early leap of faith set the tone for the rest of his career. Miller has seen the music industry transform around him through decades of performing, but the mindset that carried him through changing times remains the same.
“My experience making music was different then compared to a young person now starting out in the music industry,” Miller said. “When I started, CDs were the medium. Now, that is not part of the job. Live performance winds up being the biggest revenue stream in my industry, more so now than ever, because the music is basically given away for free to the streaming services.”
As the landscape shifted, Miller found that staying true to himself mattered more than chasing trends.
“The moments I found throughout my career where it could have gone very wrong are the moments where I was tempted to try and do something for the sake of commercial success rather than artistic authenticity,” Miller said.
However, that commitment to authenticity hasn’t always been easy. In an industry built on audience approval, Miller admits that it can be hard not to question himself. Still, the confidence he first learned at school continues to guide him through those moments of doubt.
Holding onto that belief has taught Miller that fulfillment in music comes from persistence, not praise.
While he appreciates the recognition from the music industry, that was never Miller’s only goal or intention. He and the band have been performing together for over 32 years.
“If there’s any lesson in the Old 97’s getting the kind of recognition we’ve been getting this deep into our career, it’s that you’re not trying to play the lottery; it’s definitely about playing the long game,” Miller said. “Treating every gig like this is the moment, like every record is the only record.”
That commitment to the long game has defined the Old 97’s from the start — a band that’s thrived outside the boundaries of radio hits and awards.
“My band has never been the kind of band that gets Grammy nominations or really any kind of award recognition because we’re weird,” Miller said. “The band itself is sonically challenging; we’re very loud and fast in a way that most pop music or Americana music is not. My lyrics tend to be literate, convoluted and thorny in a way that, again, most pop and Americana music isn’t.”
Although his band is slightly unorthodox, Miller stays true to his beliefs and believes that commitment will help him realize his goals. He currently teaches at the New School in Greenwich Village, where his daughter attends. Between his busy schedule shuttling between New York and Nashville, it can be difficult to enjoy dinner with his family and escape the often-chaotic life of creating music.
“There’s a lot of ‘no rest for the wicked’ in my life,” Miller said. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. You know, I feel like St Mark’s taught me really well: to work really hard, stay up late and wake up early.”
Even so, Miller still loves all things music. He performs, writes and teaches music.
“They say that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” Miller said. “I’m the father of two young adults. I’ve got a career that I’m really proud of, and even though I still have to work really hard to pay my mortgage every month. I like working hard. So what do I care? This is fun.”