(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Outpost in the Burbs presents Rhett Miller on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 8:00pm. Rhett is a revered singer-songwriter known for his more than three decades fronting the popular rock band Old 97’s who were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2025 Americana Awards at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.
After two independent releases, Miller and the 97’s signed to Elektra Records and released the critically acclaimed Too Far to Care. Their 13th studio album American Primitive was released on ATO Records in the spring of 2024. Between projects with the Old 97’s Miller has released eight solo albums, most recently 2025’s A lifetime of riding by night.
In addition to his songwriting, Miller has branched out to write short stories, essays and articles that have been featured in Rolling Stone, Bookforum, Sports Illustrated, McSweeny’s, The Atlantic and Salon. He has also published two children’s books via Little Brown Young Readers.
Tickets are $38 and available for purchase online. The concert takes place First Congregational Church (40 S Fullerton Avenue) in Montclair, New Jersey.
The latest solo album from Rhett Miller, A lifetime of riding by night is a study in surrender. Days before undergoing potentially damaging surgery on his vocal cords, the Texas-born singer/songwriter headed into the studio with his Old 97’s bandmate Murry Hammond and recorded a batch of songs, then handed them off for Hammond to complete as he recovered.
Threaded with his lived-in reflection on mortality and love in all forms, the album contains some of Miller’s most unguarded material yet—an achievement he attributes to revelations gleaned through his recent work in teaching songwriting at The New School in Manhattan, as well as the open-hearted nature of his collaborations with an eclectic lineup of co-writers (e.g., Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker, singer/songwriters Caitlin Rose and Nicole Atkins, former New Yorker editor Ben Greenman). Rooted in Miller’s soul-baring vocal work, A lifetime of riding by night ultimately proves the immense power in releasing all attempts to control the creative impulse.
While Miller has long embraced a certain candor in his songwriting, A lifetime of riding by night reaches an entirely new level of emotional truth thanks to a deliberate shedding of self-consciousness. “Through my experience in teaching, I’ve watched all these young songwriters feel scared to death about bringing their songs in and sharing them with the class,” says Miller, who also leads songwriting retreats in upstate New York. “It’s reminded me to forgive myself for my own anxieties about the vulnerability that’s required for songwriting, and over time that’s made me less fearful.”
After recovering from surgery, Miller headed out on tour with Old 97’s and finally experienced his first listen of A lifetime of riding by night in its completed form. “We were on the West Coast and I sat on a bench looking out onto the ocean, put my headphones on and played the album from start to finish,” he remembers. “It was very moving, partly because I could really feel that the songs were emotional in a way that I might not usually have the bravery to go through with.”
For Miller, that moment also brought a heightened awareness of the rarity and magic of lasting creative connection. “It’s very much a love relationship when people work together the way that Murry and I have since I was a teenager recording my first demos,” he says. “So many people who were once our contemporaries are gone now or haven’t survived this business, but we’re somehow still here and able to create something that feels new and vital and unexpected. I think that’s an incredibly beautiful and special thing.”
Outpost in the Burbs is a nonprofit outreach organization in Montclair dedicated to building community through music and volunteerism. For over 38 years, the Outpost has presented concerts by internationally known artists such as Judy Collins, Roger McGuinn, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Webb, Richie Havens, The Jayhawks, Nick Lowe, and Dar Williams as well as supporting emerging and local artists.
In addition to presenting concerts, Outpost volunteers have donated their time through programs affiliated with Toys for Tots, the Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair, MESH (Montclair Emergency Services for Hope), and a Community Food Program run by Outpost volunteers in Orange, NJ. The Outpost has also supported local students with a monetary gift to a graduating music student at Montclair High School as well as mentoring students from Montclair State University’s ‘Hawk Communications’ class.
