REVIEWS & KIND WORDS FOR:
“THE HOURS ARE LONG, BUT THE PAY IS LOW”
-Named one of ROLLING STONE’S Best Music Books 0f 2025
-Finalist: Richard Frisbie Award for Adult Nonfiction by the Society of Midland Authors
-Runner Up: Gordon Sharpe Americana UK Book Award
“…a thrilling, sensory-filled journey…Miller’s writing is at once funny, moving, insightful, and full of pathos, as are his tales of crossing paths with and releasing records from all sorts of indie luminaries across genres” —-ROLLING STONE
“Over 300 pages, including six must read appendices, every page a treasure. Not just a must read, it’s the most engrossing book since Tamara Saviano's Without Getting Killed Or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark (2016). Reading it brought back a lot of memories, and gives so many backstories to the hundred or so Bloodshot albums that you would have to pry from my cold, dead hands.”—-NO DEPRESSION
“Hits that magic combination of total behind-the-scenes access, coming-of-age wonderment, relatable music lover energy and some really entertaining and descriptive language."—-Selena Ferguson, Chicago Sun-Times contributor
"..insightful, idealistic and intelligent, written with love and humour." Read the whole thing here—Louder Than War
“If you love music, whether that’s the kind of stuff Bloodshot put out or not, this is an essential purchase, one that will restore your faith in the importance of music and the joy it can bring.” —-Soul of a Clown (UK) Read the whole review here
“Like the best Bloodshot releases, it’s fiery, funny, intelligent, and fun” —OnMilwaukee
“…told with enthusiasm & nostalgia with an inspired delivery. The book is an interesting journey for those interested in music, the business, or the struggling artists who had determination & guts to believe in what they were doing & a thrift store entrepreneur like Rob Miller who shared their dreams & tried to make it happen for them. It’s a bunch of pages music lovers would delight in. Miller never holds back, & that’s what makes the entire effort delightful. It’s like he’s talking to you.” READ THE WHOLE THING HERE
—AMERICANA HIGHWAYS
“He recollects his trials and tribulations with quick-witted, Gonzo-like detail, coming back to a main tenet he shares in the very first pages of the book: “I love music.””
—-CHICAGO SUN-TIMES/WBEZ PUBLIC RADIO
“The result is a book that captures the love, passion, and drive that allowed Bloodshot to thrive over the course of nearly thirty years. For anyone who remotely cares about alt-country and Americana music, and all points in between, Miller’s book is a must-read.”
—-GLIDE MAGAZINE
“A hugely entertaining account of Chicago’s Bloodshot Records. An independent label that was “too rock for country, and too country for punk”…brilliantly written with a frenetic, almost gonzo flavour to it. He avoids a chronological blow-by-blow retelling, preferring to alight on instances, happenstances, highs and lows and the grim reality of organising recordings, tours and events, and he does so in a highly entertaining style.” —-AMERICANA UK (Since they are English, I’ll forgive their quaint misspellings)
“A rollicking memoir…compulsively readable” —-Booklist