Rhett Miller at City Winery

Rhett Miller is a seventh-generation Texan, born in Austin and raised in Highland Park, a suburb of Dallas. He started taking guitar lessons when he was 12 years old and started writing songs when he was 13. He attempted suicide at age 14, and as part of his recovery Miller turned to music and started to play in bands while still in high school. He became a folk artist, and played his first gig at age 15 in Dallas. In 1989, while still in high school, Miller self-released a limited-edition album called Mythologies. In Dallas in 1990, Miller formed a power-pop trio called Sleepy Heroes, who released one album before disbanding. Miller was the lead singer of various bands in Dallas between 1990 and 1993: Rhett Miller's Third Eye, Buzz, Rhett's Exploding, and Retablo. In 1993, Miller formed Old 97's initially as an acoustic trio, but soon added musicians and electrified the sound. In 1997, Miller moved from Dallas to Los Angeles, California. then in 2000 moved to New York City, three blocks south of the World Trade Center and was home on 9/11. Miller now lives in the Hudson Valley area of New York state. Miller remains the leader of Old 97's, who have released 16 studio albums. Miller's fifth and most recent solo studio album is 2015's The Traveler.

Rhett Miller tonight headlined his fifth annual Holiday Extravaganza at City Winery. This show featured Miller performing alone on acoustic guitar and introducing stand-up performances by Jen Kirkman, Todd Barry and Janeane Garofalo. Oddly, while the comedians kept the holidays somewhere in their scope, much of Miller's set was comprised of uptempo songs that dwelled on discomfort. His performance was animated and this high-energy stage manner was thoroughly engaging, even on the darkest songs. Miller sang well, projecting his husky voice into the angst of his songs, particularly on a song about suicide. Although the show was billed to be holiday themed, Miller performed only three Christmas songs, two of which were self-penned and hardly about holy days. The show closer was the evening's sole traditional song, "A Holly Jolly Christmas," which Miller seemed to perform mockingly. Miller proved he was a talented lyricist and performer, but perhaps his unorthodox holiday spirit begged the question of what holiday he was celebrating. The show was a lively celebration of whatever.

Visit Rhett Miller at www.RhettMiller.com.