Midwestern Modesty out everywhere on March 6th. CD and vinyl available for purchase via Bandcamp. 

Local Spins profile

This December, Local Spins ran an interview and feature on me, discussing my musical origins, accomplishments regionally, as well as future plans. Give it a read here. 

Carols By The Fire b/w The Absence Of Sound

TWO SONG SINGLE OUT DECEMBER 9, 2025

This December will see the release of my first original Christmas song, coupled with a song that evokes the silent cold of Midwestern winters. "Carols By The Fire" is imbued with nostalgia, much like the season itself, relying on very specific memories that hopefully manage to transcend the personal and tap into the universal. "The Absence Of Sound" is the aural painting of a midwinter day, the world blanketed in white, frozen and surreal. 

A Sunday In April

Four Song Live EP Out June 13, 2025

A Sunday In April captures four songs performed live at Dogtown Studio in Grand Rapids on, you guessed it, a Sunday in April, 2025. Two songs (first single "Heart Sleeve Blues" and "(Notes On) An Imaginary Ending") will be featured in  full-band arrangements on my forth-coming sophomore record, Midwestern Modesty. The set also includes "Across The Lake" from The Road Of Life and the as-yet unreleased epic, "Franklin Devereaux's Last Stand." Find it anywhere you stream or download music Friday, June 13, 2025. 

The Road Of Life

Debut full length out june 14, 2024

The Road of Life is my first proper solo debut record. It’s a collection of songs culled from life that, taken together, represent a small portion of the person I am today. I’ve vehemently stuck to the adage “write what you know,” pulling everything directly from my personal life and experiences. A couple weeks ago I had to wear a wristband that said “Observer” while my two boys (6 and 8, also prominent figures on the record and in my songwriting in general) bounced around an indoor trampoline park. I’ve never been on for tattoos, not liking anything enough to want it permanently etched on my body, but that single word best summed up the gist of who I am. Not much of a talker, probably seen by most as standoffish or aloof, not terribly engaged. But the opposite is true. I’m just constantly taking everything in, the whole world around me, the people, places and things that make up a life, attempting to process it both in the moment and contextually within my years on this planet. My deepest apologies to those who’ve thought otherwise and figured me for an asshole. I promise I’m not. Just often lost in thought and deeply uncomfortable in most social settings (rather ironic, given the nature of my chosen career path). These ten songs best represent where I’ve been and where I’m at, an autobiographical sketch examining the who, what, where, when, how, and why of life. I offhandedly referred to it once as not so much songwriting as emotional journalism. So it goes. 

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Latest Track

Shows

Date Event Location
John Richard Paul Jacob's Farm, Traverse City, MI Jacob's Farm, Traverse City, MI
Rhett & John Soul Squeeze Cellars, Lake Leelanau, MI Soul Squeeze Cellars, Lake Leelanau, MI
John Richard Paul Leelanau Uncaged (Yard and Lake stage), Northport, MI Leelanau Uncaged (Yard and Lake stage), Northport, MI
Rhett & John Glen Arbor Wines, Glen Arbor, MI Glen Arbor Wines, Glen Arbor, MI
Rhett & John Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI
Rhett & John Kilkenny's Irish Pub, Traverse City, MI Kilkenny's Irish Pub, Traverse City, MI
Rhett & John Private Event, Omena, MI Private Event, Omena, MI
Rhett & John Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI
Rhett & John Northern Latitudes Distillery, Lake Leelanau, MI Northern Latitudes Distillery, Lake Leelanau, MI
Rhett & John Glen Arbor Wines, Glen Arbor, MI Glen Arbor Wines, Glen Arbor, MI
Rhett & John Dune Bird Winery , Northport, MI Dune Bird Winery , Northport, MI
Rhett & John Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI Chateau Fontaine, Lake Leelanau, MI
Rhett & John French Valley Vineyard, Cedar, MI French Valley Vineyard, Cedar, MI
Rhett & John The Village at Lafranier Woods, Traverse City, MI The Village at Lafranier Woods, Traverse City, MI
Rhett & John Northern Latitudes Distillery, Lake Leelanau, MI Northern Latitudes Distillery, Lake Leelanau, MI
John Richard Paul Charlevoix Public Library, Charlevoix, MI Charlevoix Public Library, Charlevoix, MI
Rhett & John The Village at Lafranier Woods, Traverse City, MI The Village at Lafranier Woods, Traverse City, MI
John Richard Paul Seven Hills, Traverse City, MI Seven Hills, Traverse City, MI
Rhett & John Ethanology, Elk Rapids, MI Ethanology, Elk Rapids, MI
David Chown & Friends Bay Theater, Suttons Bay, MI Bay Theater, Suttons Bay, MI
View previous events

Latest News

Debut Album The Road Of Life out 6/14/2024

April 14, 2024

June 14th will see the release of my debut solo full-length album, The Road Of Life. It will be available on all streaming services, and in limited physical copies on both CD and vinyl. 

Pre-Order