When Rhett Miller, the frontman for the beloved alt-country band the Old 97s, appeared in his recent solo set at the Union Stage, he sang with renewed vigor. For years, he explained, he had to limit his repertoire to a fraction of the songs he’s written over more than 35 years. He was limited by a cyst in his vocal cords, which he’s described as feeling enormous, though it was no larger than a grain of rice.
Surgery on a vocal cord cyst isn’t without risk. After having such an operation, Judy Garland famously never sang again. When Rhett consulted with a surgeon, he said, he was told that he could go through the rest of his life without having the operation. But he opted to have the procedure, which has successful, restoring his vocal range, especially the high and low ends. Rhett’s been able to add songs back into his shows, like “Come Around,” which allowed him to show off his falsetto and sustain.
At Union Stage on Dec. 11, Miller’s set drew from across his career, including songs he’s written for the Old 97s, songs he’s recorded on his solo records, songs he’s written with other artists for their albums, and even some new material. There were songs that he intended for the band, but they weren’t feeling, like “Singular Girl,” that instead made its way onto a solo album. “Come As You Are,” which is not the Nirvana song, was co-written with Evan Felker and released by his band, the Turnpike Troubadours.
Watch the official music video for “Come As You Are” by Rhett Miller featuring Evan Felker on YouTube:
Although his most recent solo album, A Lifetime of Riding by Night, just came out recently, Miller only played the records’s “Ellie on the Wharf,” instead treating the audience to songs they knew and loved, which had them singing along for much of the show. He opened with a couple of Old 97s tunes, “Jagged” and “Won’t Be Home,” followed by “Point Shirley.” One of the cool things that Rhett has done in his career — especially for self-described geek — is appearing in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special — and, this being the season, he played “Here It Is Christmastime” and “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here).”
We got a nice moment when Rhett dueted with opener Alice Carolyn, who he met as a student in his songwriting class at The New School in New York City, on “Fireflies.” Other songs included “Niteclub,” “Champaign, Illinois,” “Barrier Reef,” “Jesus Loves You,” “Lonely Holiday,” “Come Around,” “Rollerskate Skinny,” “Doreen,” and “Big Brown Eyes.” He closed the main set with “Longer Than You’ve Been Alive;’ in addition to “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is,” his encore included perennial favorites “Question” and “Timebomb.”
As I mentioned, Miller met opener Alice Carolyn when she was a student in his songwriting class, so she’s a newcomer to the music scene, having released her debut album last year. She’s already trying out new material: She’d never played “Blame You For,” and she wasn’t sure if it was done. (Many great songwriters, like Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, and Steve Earle, might blanche at the idea of songs ever being truly “done,” as they’ve changed lyrics over the years.) One of Alice’s songs, “Possibilities,” was about how “sometimes you’re interested in someone else.” (As I enter middle age, I am tempted less, as there are far fewer fish left in the sea, and years of dating becomes wearisome.)
Watch Alice Carolyn play for Sunday Sessions at The New School via YouTube:
“Lost Angels,” she explained, is about a friend who passed away. She finished her set with a gorgeous cover of Tom Waits’s “The Day After Tomorrow,” which she said reminds her of the season. Hearing the song again for the first time in a while, I agreed, and I was reminded of what an amazing songwriter Waits is.
Alice Carolyn has a great voice, and she’s a very talented young songwriter. Rhett, of course, has been writing great songs for nearly four decades. It was a real treat to see him with his vocal powers restored; he sounded better than ever.
