Phelps, who had been responsible for Silkworm's most introverted songs, debuted solo with Warm Springs Night (El Recordo, 1996), a collection that displayed his skills at both the power-ballad (Counsel) and the chamber lied (The Graze And The Graves), while indulging in the classy hard-rock of God Bless The Three Little Pigs.

After his successful solo album, Joel Phelps formed a trio called The Downer Trio and released the EP The Downer Trio (Pacifico, 1997), that features unusually baroque arrangements on songs such as At El Paso (saxophone and slide guitar) and Good Advice For Dogs (piano).

The album The Downer Trio:3 (Pacifico, 1998) returned to his noir songwriting with solemn stories such as Aleta Alita and The Graze And The Graves.

Phelps's third album, Blackbird (Pacifico, 1999), steers away from those manic psychological analyses and revels in harsh rock and roll and even occasional bursts of punk-rock (Then Slowly Turn, I Got A Live One). In this alternating sorrowful acoustic or semi-acoustic ballads (Unless You're Tired Of Living, Blessed Salt Lake) with fiery rocking songs, Phelp's career mimicks Neil Young's.

Inland Empires contains one original and six covers.

Joe Phelps and the Downer Trio returned with Customs (Moneyshot, 2004), another exercise in suspense-filled storytelling, followed by, a decade later, Gala (2013).