Iowa Songwriter Robert Deitch Shares the Story of His Nashville Journey and New Single ‘Bullet Holes’

In this episode of Maxwell’s Iowa CoffeeCast, Maxwell sits down with Iowa-based singer-songwriter Robert Deitch—a craftsman of lyrics and emotion whose journey from Nashville to the Midwest is as powerful as his music. Together, they unpack Deitch’s latest release, “Bullet Holes”—a haunting, redemptive song about addiction, empathy, and healing. Featuring backing vocals from Mary Gauthier, the track has quickly become Deitch’s most impactful work, amassing thousands of views and deeply personal listener responses from those who have faced addiction themselves.

Robert opens up about the song’s evolution, revealing that it took years and a moment of raw honesty to find its center. “Mary told me, ‘You know what two lines they are—you’re just not being honest yet.’ Once I found that truth, the song revealed itself.” That lyric—“a hurt as deep as the secrets I’ve never told”—became the heartbeat of the song.

Maxwell and Robert trace his remarkable path through Nashville’s songwriting scene, where he wrote with top-tier artists while still living in Iowa, an almost unheard-of arrangement. Deitch describes the hierarchy of the writers’ rooms, the sting of songs “on hold” for stars like Kenny Rogers or Garth Brooks, and the humility that comes from near misses. They also discuss the bittersweet inspiration behind his song “Goodbye Nashville,” a tender farewell to the city he once loved like “the other woman.”