Rob Miller, Rhett Miller Talk Country, Punk, and Bloodshot Records

A conversation featuring Rhett Miller alongside Rob about his new book, The Hours Are Long but the Pay is Low. Free admission. Limited seating available; first come, first served. Bookends Music Hall at SPACE will host this afternoon discussion between Rob and Rhett Miller regarding their new publication, The Hours Are Long but the Pay is Low: A Curious Life in Independent Music (3 Fields Books, 2025). The event occurs at SPACE, located at 1243 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, beginning at 3PM. In 1993, while employed as a house painter in Chicago, Rob Miller co-founded Bloodshot Records, which championed independent artists blending punk and country influences discovered through dive clubs, oddball record stores, flea market vinyl, and radio shows. His new book details this music scene, described by Neko Case as a glorious, detailed landscape of how music transforms and elevates people. Although Bloodshot nurtured unknown artists into Grammy winners with hundreds of thousands of albums sold, Miller and the label remained fiercely independent for over 25 years, helping build Chicago's music community while prioritizing off-the-beaten-path showcases, indie record stores, and venues like those Miller worked at in Detroit as a stage manager, roadie, and night custodian. Rhett Miller is an award-winning singer-songwriter known for more than three decades fronting the popular rock band Old 97s. Beyond his songwriting, he has authored short stories, essays, and articles featured in Rolling Stone, Bookforum, Sports Illustrated, McSweeny's, The Atlantic, and Salon. He also published two children's books through Little Brown Young Readers. The discussion and Q&A will occur at the Lobby at SPACE and conclude with a book signing. Doors open at 2:30 PM for this event.