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Rhett Miller isn't one to pass up an opportunity. The Texas-bred musician spent the better half of two decades serving as the charismatic frontman for alt-country stalwarts the Old 97's, while still managing to issue a handful of excellent solo records. For his latest, The Traveler, he traded New York—where he's currently based—for Portland, enlisting the help of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and local bluegrass purveyors Black Prairie to serve as his backing band. WW spoke to Miller about his eight-day recording session at Jackpot Recording Studio and why Portland remains No. 1 on his list.
Willamette Week: So, where are you currently holed up at the moment?
Rhett Miller: Well, I'm in the back of a tour bus in Omaha, Nebraska. I'm on a short tour with Old 97's supporting Most Messed Up. We just played a great show in Denver, but I woke with a bit of a head cold.
It definitely happens. You grew up in the Midwest—or at least the middle of the United States—right? Texas?
Yeah, I did. That's where the Old 97's are based out of, but I now live in Hudson Valley, which is a couple hours north of Manhattan. We still start all of our tours in Texas for the most part, though. My parents and most of my family still lives there, so I get down there quite a bit.
Your upcoming tour in support of The Traveler starts up in our neck of the woods, though, not Texas.
True. I start in Seattle and then I'm headed to Portland to play Mississippi Studios. I love that place. My latest record is very Portland-y.
How did you initially get acquainted with Black Prairie and Peter Buck?
I had done a week-long tour in the northeast and Black Prairie joined me as my opener. [Decemberists and Black Prairie guitarist] Chris Funk, who I had never met before, asked me prior if I wanted the band to play with me on a couple songs. He said they could learn them pretty quick, so we played six or seven songs a night, including some Old 97's tunes they picked out. Those are so much fun to play with.
How so?
They're just a really magical band, with a killer rhythm section. We just really bonded musically and personally during the course of the week and agreed to stay in touch. Funk and I kept thinking about how we could work together in the future and I realized I had a stack of Old 97's songs leftover from the last album that really lent themselves to Black Prairie's sound—really pretty, rootsy material.
Where did you guys end up recording the album?
We recorded it at Jackpot Recording Studio during a short stretch in January 2014, in between our respective tours. The Old 97's put out Most Messed Up last year and most of the members in Black Prairie were touring the latest Decemberists album. We really took our time putting out [The Traveler], but almost 90 percent of it was recording during those eight days at Jackpot. Most of what you're hearing is playing live—I'm not a huge fan of the modern recording style. I don't believe perfection is really an attainable goal and my recording experience has always been different. The best music is the kind created in a single room, with people playing and looking at one another, just living in the moment.
How was working with Black Prairie different from working solo or with the 97's?
Black Prairie is the perfect illustration of why I got into music in the first place. It's about collaboration, friendship, and creating something in the moment. Recording with the Old 97's is fun because we have a strong grasp on our roles and what we bring to the table, but Black Prairie has their own shorthand and form of telepathic communication. I was stepping into a group of friends with a multitude of varied strengths. I didn't think the record was going to be attributed to me and Black Prairie, but I began listening to the rough cuts, I realized I'm just the singer-songwriter fronting the band. I've worked with great studio musicians in the past when recording on my own. They're great and show for the job, but Black Prairie approached it as though we were a band, not just a group of hired guns.
What was it like working with Peter Buck? He's a legend.
[Laughs] He's definitely one of my idols. R.E.M. really changed my life when I was 13 or 14 years old. I was going through the existential crisis all young people struggle with, constantly wondering why I should even bother to continue. I can remember listening to Life's Rich Pageant over and over again. [Buck] was my hero and a hero to most of my peers, but he's still just a guy who loves to play guitar, whether on stage or in the studio. The Old 97's got a few chances to open for R.E.M. over the years and I decided I'd love to have him on my record. You can hear that 12-string, arpeggiated guitar on some tracks and his dirty electric on others like "Kiss Me On the Fire Escape." The guy just likes playing music. I don't think he'd mind me saying that.
Would you ever consider relocating from New York to the Pacific Northwest?
Traveling to new places has always been a fun sideline of my career. You show up in a town, spend a little time there, and suddenly you find yourself saying, "I could live here!" Portland has alway been at the top of my list, though. I went to yoga classes and a great vegetarian place—I'll never remember the name of it—while we were recording. It's really strange, right down to its bones, which is what Austin used to be and the exact opposite of where I grew up, considering its conservative nature. God, maybe I'll just get a second home? [Laughs] Then again, maybe I'd get tired of it. Maybe I'd just find myself constantly asking, "Can anyone be on fucking time to a lunch meeting in this town?"
SEE IT: Rhett Miller plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Annalisa Tornfelt, on Tuesday, June 16. 8 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. 21+.
WWeek 2015