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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The Band It About - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane, releases a new episode every Saturday. This in-depth Music Interview Podcast is an opportunity for musicians and others involved in the Music Industry to discuss their entire musical journey . Season 1; a variety of subjects. Season 2 “The Engine Room” interviews with drummers who were born, raised, lived, or have played in Adelaide, South Australia. This series is a unique opportunity to listen to musicians discuss their careers f ...
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Mike Gordon, bassist and co-founder of the seminal improvisational rock band Phish, joins Rhett to talk about his solo album Flying Games and the long, adventurous process of finishing the record. Mike and Rhett discuss grappling with creative roadblocks, what the “Ten-Thousand-Hour” rule really means, and the role that mindfulness and meditation p…
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After telling the story of the musicians who shaped his Oklahoma roots in his 2020 book Red Dirt, journalist and author Josh Crutchmer saw an opportunity to dig deeper into the artists that shaped independent roots music. His second book, The Motel Cowboy Show, is about the Americana music in the American West that began with cowboy poetry and live…
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Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and musician Grace Potter joins Rhett on this episode to talk about her latest release, Mother Road, and the journey that inspired the music. Grace tells Rhett about finding her voice at a young age, building characters and worlds around her songs, and why she’s more driven now than she ever was. …
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Stewart Copeland is perhaps best known as the drummer for The Police, but he’s also had a successful solo career as a composer, authoring a prolific series of film and television scores, video game soundtracks, opera, and ballet. His latest project is Police Beyond Borders, a reinterpretation of the seminal 80s band’s classic songs with diverse int…
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Alan Paul is an author, journalist and musician. His fourth book, BROTHERS AND SISTERS: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the 70s, out today, is a deep dive into the time before and after the 1973 album. Alan joins Rhett to talk about his career as a music journalist and unexpected turn as a touring musician. A…
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In this episode, singer songwriter Brian Dunne joins Rhett from Brooklyn. He talks to Rhett about his newly released album Loser On The Ropes, his songwriting process, and what success as an artist means to him. Brian and Rhett also bust a few rock and roll myths, and talk about why being a working musician doesn’t have an expiration date. Loser On…
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Ben Harper is a 3x Grammy winner who has amassed international praise for his genre-traversing body of work. He joins Rhett on this episode to talk about his life as a young musician, the creative projects he’s currently working on, and shares the advice he would give his 21-year old self. The two dive into the craft of songwriting and Ben tells Rh…
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Founded in 2011, indie-folk duo The Milk Carton Kids swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft. On this episode, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, the musicians behind the Grammy-nominated band, join Rhett to talk a…
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Jacqueline Holland’s first novel, The God Of Endings, weaves a story of love, family, history, and myth as seen through the eyes of one immortal woman. In this episode, Jacqueline joins Rhett to talk about the new books she’s working on, how she found her voice as a novelist, and she offers some valuable advice on the process of writing. The two di…
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In this podcast episode, acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer Layng Martine Jr. joins Rhett to talk about the process behind his latest album “Music Man”, a long-time dream project instigated by his son Tucker Martine, who is a producer. Layng and Rhett discuss the incredible lineup of musicians who participated in the making of the record an…
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Singer-songwriter, author, and artist Bob Schneider joins Rhett from Austin to talk about the evolution of his musical career, and the story behind his new graphic novel, FAYM. Rhett and Bob discuss the realization that success doesn’t necessarily change your life, why names are important, and agree that calculation can kill creativity. Bob Schneid…
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On this week’s episode, Rhett welcomes singer, guitarist, and songwriter Bill Janovitz, best known as the frontman of the alt-rock band Buffalo Tom. The two discuss the inspiration and effort behind Bill’s new book, Leon Russell, the Master of Space and Time's Journey Through Rock and Roll History. Bill and Rhett also discuss dealing with industry …
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Musician, songwriter, actor and playwright Queen Esther joins Rhett from her home in Harlem to talk about her extraordinary multi-hyphenate career, which currently includes two new albums (to be released this year), and a play, which will culminate in an off-Broadway run. There’s no shortage of wisdom and inspiration in this conversation, as Queen …
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Grammy winning producer, songwriter, and guitarist Joe Reyes joins Rhett from San Antonio to talk about his impressive career, which includes a Latin Grammy award nomination and a Grammy award win. Reyes discusses the upcoming Buttercup release, explains why he decided to get a degree despite his career in music, and shares some of the wisdom that …
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Owen King is the author of Double Feature, and We’re All in This Together: A Novella and Stories. He is the coauthor of Sleeping Beauties and Intro to Alien Invasion and the coeditor of Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories. Owen joins Rhett to talk about how he built the world that The Curator takes place in …
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Singer-songwriter Cassandra Lewis performed her first real show at a retirement home when she was eight years old. She joins Rhett to talk about that experience and what’s happened in between, the new album she’s working on, and the co-songwriting scene that she’s become part of since moving to Nashville. The two discuss the trope of needing to suf…
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Sam Quartin is an actor, activist, and frontwoman for The Bobby Lees, which she founded after discovering her future bandmates at a music school in upstate New York. The two discuss her recent role in Candy Land, a film about the underground world of truck stop sex workers. Sam tells Rhett about the impact that Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way had …
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Bestselling author Julia Cameron joins Rhett once again to talk about her new book Write for Life, in which she turns to one of the subjects closest to her heart: the art and practice of writing. This episode is full of wisdom, as Julia gives Rhett a peek into her own creative process and shares some of the best practices she’s developed over the l…
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Salim Nourallah is a musician and award-winning producer who has worked with OLD97s and Marty Wilson-Piper of The Church. He’s also the co-founder of indie label Palo Santo Records, and this week he joins Rhett to talk about balancing his role as musician, producer, and businessman. The two discuss the new projects he’s working on, what it means to…
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“You're much more productive when you actually feel like getting out of bed for the day. And I just think that you don't have to be in a dark place to write a dark song. And realizing that has opened up a lot of opportunities for me to live a more healthy life.” - Anthony D’Amato Singer Songwriter Anthony D’Amato joins Rhett on this episode to talk…
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The Paranoid Style is a garage-punk-pop outfit built around singer songwriter Elizabeth Nelson. Elizabeth joins Rhett this week to talk about their new album, “For Executive Meeting”, as well as the many other creative projects she’s involved in, like an upcoming piece about Springsteen’s “Nebraska”. Elizabeth and Rhett discuss what it means to be …
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During his years as lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips helped to create the band’s elegant folk/pop sound with honest, introspective lyrics that forged a close bond with their fans. He joins Rhett on this episode of Wheels Off for a deep dive into the inspiration behind his music and the playful approach he took…
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Amy Ray joins Rhett from her home in Georgia to talk about her recently released solo album and the new music she’s working on for an Indigo Girls project. Amy and Rhett discuss the epiphany moment she had when she first sang with Indigo Girls co-founder Emily Saliers, the headiness of achieving success early in her career, and why her activism and…
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Authors Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble join Rhett from Seattle to talk about their new book, which was inspired by their D&D podcast Dragon Talk. The book highlights the ways in which people are using Dungeons & Dragons to fuel creative endeavors, explore identity, deal with addiction, and process trauma. Shelly and Greg discuss how the game has e…
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Terre Roche, singer-songwriter and founding member of The Roches joins Rhett to talk about her new album and book Kin Ya See That Sun! The book chronicles the time when she and her sister Maggie traveled around the country as teenagers to perform on the college coffee house circuit, and the accompanying album includes live, unreleased recordings fr…
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Grammy-winning musician and producer Adrian Quesada joins Rhett from Austin to talk about the creative whims that guide his work, life as a “working class” musician, and how he harnesses his competitive spirit. The brand new album by GRAMMY-winning guitarist, producer and Black Pumas co-founder, Adrian Quesada, serves as a celebration of the super …
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Singer-songwriter Lauren Hoffman joins Rhett to talk about her unique journey through the music industry and shares her perspective on the impact that technology has on the creative process. The two discuss the meditative qualities of songwriting, the difficulties of being an emerging artist in the 90s, and why it’s critical to prioritize your peac…
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Singer-songwriter Cory Branan joins Rhett from the road to talk about his approach to writing and the creative process behind his new record, When I Go I Ghost. Cory tells Rhett about learning to record, mix, and master during lockdown, which resulted in five direct-to-fan cover records that included some surprise cover song requests; and, the impo…
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Nashville-based singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose joins Rhett to talk about the making of her forthcoming album CAZIMI, her first release in nearly a decade. Caitlin explains why the album is a “Pee Wee’s Playhouse situation”, plus the two discuss her passion for poetry, why she was ‘cosmically pushed’ to become an artist, and what it’s like to naviga…
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Musician, songwriter, and artist Courtney Jaye joins Rhett this week to talk about her ambitious new album, Hymns and Hallucinations. Courtney tells Rhett about why she’s chosen a nomadic lifestyle, shares an important lesson she learned when opening for John Mayer, and explains why the best stuff is the unexpected stuff. Hymns and Hallucinations i…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E9 ROGER SMITH Harmonica Teacher and Player for The Bluescasters
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Roger Smith is a South Australian harmonica player who has been playing with his Blues/Rock band The Bluescasters for the past 16 years. Roger began his musical journey playing the djembe in a world music band called 'Fuego' with his good friend Glen Reynolds. Roger has always loved the blues and was really interested in learning how to play the ha…
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Tim Burgess, frontman for The Charlatans joins Rhett from Manchester to talk about his new solo album Typical Music, how he unexpectedly created an online music community with his now-beloved Twitter Listening Party, and why he still considers himself lucky, even after 33 years of success in the music industry. Tim Burgess is a proper polymath, a h…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E8 SNOOKS LA VIE Formerly the frontman of The Deliverymen, The Hiptones, Snooks La Vie & The Reprise, The Fabulous Rumble'ators, currently with Romaldo’s Groove, The Dirty Roots Band, and more
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S3 E8 Snooks La Vie (Paul Wimbles) is a South Australian born blues/soul/country vocalist and harmonica player who first began to play the harmonica after finding a brand new Hohner Marine band harmonica that was underneath a former partners bed. He began to teach himself how to play whilst sitting outside in his Monaro. He first started out playin…
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Kathleen Edwards joins Rhett from Florida to talk about taking time away from music to get “big perspective time”, what she learned about her approach to songwriting from Bryan Adams, and shares the advice she often gives emerging artists. Edwards released Total Freedom, her fifth studio album, on August 14th via Dualtone Records. Written and recor…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane's interview for “The Underground Railroad”, her debut blues/gospel single, released on the 22nd of September, 2022.
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Bonus Episode; BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series Host/Creator Di Spillane released her debut blues/gospel single “The Underground Railroad” on the 22nd of September to raise Narcolepsy awareness on World Narcolepsy Day. In this episode, you will hear Di Spillane being interviewed by Zofia Dendunnen from PBAFM and then by Julie Reynolds whose community…
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Wheels Off with Rhett Miller


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Crossover Episode: Too Much Effing Perspective
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This week we have a special episode for you: Rhett on the podcast Too Much Effing Perspective. Every performer who's ever been on the road has at least one bizarro story that could have been pulled straight from the iconic music mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap. Co-hosts Allen Keller and Alex Hofmann delve deep into their guests’ harrowing, humblin…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E7 DAVID BLIGHT, Harmonica player for Cold Chisel, The Flyers, Mick Kidd and David Blight, SA Music Hall of Fame, Artist work painter/sculptor, & John Martins Christmas Pageant Floats
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South Australian-born musician DAVID BLIGHT is without a doubt one of Australia’s premier harmonica players. There aren’t too many people in Australia who are not familiar with the harmonica playing of David Blight. Every time you hear that favorite of Australia’s rock anthems, KHE SANH by Cold Chisel you will hear David’s distinctive harp lines we…
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Sam Cohen is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose credits include albums with Kevin Morby, Curtis Harding, Alexandria Savior, and many others. He’s also the producer of Rhett’s new solo album, The Misfit. Sam joins Rhett to talk about the making of the record and how he approaches his work, helping artists when things get difficu…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E6 NATHAN DAWSON Harmonica player for The Sey Boys Blues Band and The Shuffle Shack, former bands include Oz Blues, Vic Bitter Blues, Greasy Gravy, The Customlines, and Rubes and the High Rollers
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Nathan Dawson was 17 when he first decided to start learning how to play the harmonica. A couple of his friends had begun to jam together and he wanted to join them, so he dug out the harmonica that he had given to his dad and began to teach himself how to play. Since then, Nathan has performed with many South Australian bands during his musical ca…
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New York-based visual artist Ryan Cronin joins Rhett from Tambacounda, Senegal, where he is developing a collaboration with Tambacounda-based artist Saliou Diop. Ryan discusses how he got started as an artist, the creative process behind his work, and why a combination of patience and persistence leads to success. Later in the episode, Rhett is joi…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E5 WILL KALLINDERIS aka Harpin' Will K - Solo Performer playing Harmonica/Guitar/Singer/Songwriter, former bands Star Step Evolution, The Young Sequoias, Cal Williams Jr.
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48:31
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Will Kallinderis aka Harpin’ Will K joins Di Spillane this week to discuss his musical journey, a journey that has followed him from Ottawa, Edmonton Alberta, Vancouver, and since 2005 South Australia. Will Kallinderis aka 'Harpin’ Will K' is a singer-songwriter who performs a lively mix of original roots, funk, and blues. Emerging in 2016 with his…
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This week, we’re revisiting an episode with one of our favorite guests from 2021: New Orleans-based artist Ashley Longshore. Ashley recently created the album artwork for Rhett’s forthcoming solo record, The Misfit (used here in the episode graphic). The album drops on September 16, which makes it a perfect time to revisit Ashley's brilliant creati…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E4 KAREN PATER Harmonica/Percussion for THE RIVER RATS, previous bands include BILLY GOAT BOOGIE and Heather Frahn & the Moonlight Tide
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Karen Pater was born in Sydney, spent her teenage/early-mid adult life in Perth, and in recent years moved to South Australia settling in the Fleurieu Peninsular. Despite taking up playing the harmonica initially whilst living in Perth, initially inspired to play this instrument after seeing Matt Taylor play, and Matt encouraging her to continue pl…
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Superstar producer, singer-songwriter, and guitarist Butch Walker joins Rhett from his studio in Nashville to talk about Glenn, his new album centered around an alter ego who is a rock n roll balladeer. Butch tells Rhett about the moment when he decided to pursue a life in music, what it was like to perform in Atlanta clubs as a high schooler and t…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E3 BOBBY BLUES Harmonica and Percussionist for The Harmonics - Funky Swinging Rhythm and Blues Band, Former Bands: The Toe Jammers, The Global Artichokes, The String Breakers, & Blu Stu Band
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55:47
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South Australian harmonica/percussionist Bobby Blues joins me this week to share his musical journey for the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series. Bobby whose given name is Greg Carmody, received his first harmonica when he was 8 years old, he played with it for a while and then put it away. It wasn't until he was 21 that he rediscovered that harmonica i…
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Dave Simonett joins Rhett from Minneapolis to talk about the latest Trampled By Turtles record, which was produced by Jeff Tweedy. Dave explains his writing process, which is dictated by the seasons, the creative exercises he employs to get out of his comfort zone, and the magic that happens when someone is learning a song for the first time. Dave …
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E2 DANNY FILMER: Singer Songwriter, Cigar Box Guitar, and Harmonica player for the South Australian duo SUEDAN.
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Multi-instrumentalist Danny Filmer joins me to discuss his musical journey for this week's episode of the BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series. Danny, born at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), and raised in Blackwood, South Australia, was the youngest of three children. His older sister played the piano and whenever she wasn't at home, Danny would use …
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Legendary photographer Danny Clinch joins Rhett from his home on the Jersey Shore to share some stories from the early days of his career and the little moments that led to his status as one of the top rock photographers in the world. Danny talks about the growth of his gallery, Transparent Clinch, explains how he developed his distinctive style, a…
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BAND IT ABOUT - Podcast Series


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S3 E1 MARK SNOAD is the Harmonica player for AP D'Antonio and the Captain Kidd Band, the YouBlues Band, and Don't Tell Joe
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S3 E1 Mark Snoad is a South Australian-born Hohner Harmonica player who despite having played from a young age, didn't actually join his first official band (AP D'Antonio and the Captain Kidd Band) until 2019. Mark began carrying his harmonica in his pocket and taking any opportunity to jump up and play at a party, at a jam, or with a band during t…
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American Aquarium’s BJ Barham joins Rhett from Philadelphia while on tour to talk about their new record Chicamacomico, and what it feels like to finally be back out on the road. BJ discusses his songwriting process, music as a way to help people through trauma, and how he turns negativity into a creative superpower. North Carolina alt-country outf…
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