We had the good fortune of connecting with Rhett Uhland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rhett, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As business has picked up, it has certainly been an adjustment for my wife and I. Being busy usually means being gone on weekends, and working to get our live performances ready at night during the week. It’s all about the little moments when you can take a breath and unwind. I think in order to be successful, you sometimes have to sacrifice your free time to work in whatever craft you are pursuing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been writing songs and playing gigs since I was 14 years old, and thankfully I have gotten much better at it in my 12 years of writing and performing. I started playing piano by ear around 14 and began putting words to those melodies, just like any new task I wasn’t very good at it, but I fell in love with songwriting. At 16 I picked up guitar and began playing it in place of piano. Songwriting and being a gigging musician has many challenges, the main one I have struggles with and continue to struggle with is mostly all mental. It’s easy to get lost in the thought pattern, of why am I not more successful or “I’m not good enough to be doing this”. It’s important to get back to the reason of why I started creating music, which is because I love songwriting and playing live music. Regardless of the venue, hours spent on the road, and the constant writing and revising lyrics and melodies, at the end of the day I get to make art that I love and love the process of creating. It’s not about where this journey takes me but all the memories and songs I’ll have to look back on. Like many other artists, I use songwriting as an outlet to cope with emotions. The songs are genuine, I’m not necessarily trying to write a hit, I’m trying to express feelings I have, and find inspiration for songs in moments I’ve lived and bring them to life by telling the story. So, if this sounds like something you’re into, please check out our music, you can find us wherever you get your music under “Rhett Uhland and The Morning Shakes”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Lunch/Dinner: Goldenlight Cantina, Braceros, Yellow City Streetfoods

Drinks/Night life : Pondaseta Brewing Company, Six Car Brewery, The Lumberyard, Hoots Pub

Outdoor Recreation: Palo Duro Canyon, Sad Monkey Mercantile, Lake Meredith

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to send a shout out to my parents, Monica & Stacy Uhland, my wife Nicole Uhland, and my grandmother Judy Fell. They have always pushed me to pursue music and chase what truly makes me happy. My father, Stacy, has always worked extremely hard on our family farm, and instilled the value of working hard for something you’re passionate about. My Grandmother Judy, has always been my biggest fan and offers a helping hand anyway that she can. I’d also like to shoutout the book “How to Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back” by Jeff Tweedy. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to get in touch with their creative side.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhett_uhland?igsh=MTA1aWpqeWpjcXk3&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AZaLqp2qi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QyQVuMGODgC8WNw3vRX0F?si=BRne97wIQ-WWeSb4Q9_6YA

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