Rhett Miller is a quintessential acoustic rocker. “I play cowboy chords and I strum really loud on my guitar. [The guitar] is an excuse for me to sing the melody and the lyrics.” Now that is an oversimplification, but here Miller’s guitar and vocals are truly soaring together, so why complicate things?
For this AG Sessions in Place, Rhett Miller plays “This House Got Ghosts,” from Old 97’s’ latest record, Twelfth. The entire record is a testament to the acoustic guitar’s home in rock music; Miller digs into his instrument, driving alongside the rhythm section while electric lead lines rip.
Alone with his Gibson Songwriter 12-string (tuned down a whole step, to D G C F A D), Miller brings a beautiful shimmer to the driving rhythm of the song.
Towards the end of the video, filmed in Hudson Valley, NY, Miller shows off a couple other Gibsons in his arsenal: a J-200 (“It’s a workhorse!”) and a 1964 B-25.