Startin’ Fresh with John R. Miller

John R. Miller will hit the stage at the Press Room (along with The Deslondes) on Saturday, April 13. He graciously spent some time to run through some questions with us in support of the show. Here’s the results of that session:

Granite Rodeo: Let’s talk about your latest single, “Nobody Has to Know Your Mind.” Feels weird asking a question on the heels of that song title, but here we are… What were the goals for this track?

Miller: Mostly to try and make it sound good! The way we were originally playing it, it didn’t have as much of a two-feel, was a lot more spacey and saturated with delay and tremolo, moody… I liked it that way, it was possibly closer to where I was when the song was written, but in the studio, it got shifted to more of a stoned country-rock kinda feel, and then I thought it would make an inviting opener for the record.

Granite Rodeo: Pretty excited to hear the rest of your impending record, “Heat Comes Down.” What kind of heat are you bringing? What excites you about this follow up to “Depreciated”?

Miller: Every record is a chance to start fresh, and it’s always a great learning experience. I’d wanted to do a record at the Bomb Shelter with Andrija Tokic at the helm, and to work with my buddy John James Tourville (of the Deslondes, who are touring with us in April) co-producing and playing with the band. Their taste is fairly aligned with mine, but their knowledge and experience are far greater, and I thought it would be fun to put our heads together to come up with a warm, vibe-heavy approach to the songs. The musicians are mostly the road band I’ve been playing with for a few years now and so we’re all super comfortable with each other, and Andrija brought in Jeff Taylor for keys, piano, accordion, etc. He’s a monster player and tied everything together… Getting to track most of it live with him made us all play better and made all the difference. They’re all new songs too, whereas “Depreciated” was about two-thirds new and one-third older songs I wanted to revisit.

Granite Rodeo: Why music? Why do you seek it? Why do you create it?

Miller: Sound has always been exciting to me, even more the older I get and the more I’m able to wrap my head around abstractions. I also think everybody should participate in it in some capacity. It wasn’t that long ago, before recording technology, when it was communal rather than commercial. In some traditional music circles and cultures, it still very much is – ritual and powerful. At the risk of gravitas, it’s this invisible thing, a mutual language that we found (we’ve invented ways to use, manipulate, compartmentalize, label, and sequence sound, but we didn’t invent IT, and I think that’s an important distinction to consider) that can move people, bring them together, heal pain, and in its loftier moments, even effect social progress. I don’t have any long-term aspirations, I just wanted to participate; it gave me a place to go when I was a bummed-out young misfit. I never expected to make a career out of it, I just never cared as much about anything else.

Granite Rodeo: I read some of your earliest memories with music we’re sitting around the stereo with a blank tape queued up, ready to hit record. I was right there with you… What kind of stuff were you waiting for?

Miller: I wasn’t super selective, those days (early 90s) I was between the ages of 4 and 10, but some of the earliest stuff I remember loving as a kid that I still appreciate was CCR, TLC, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Tommy James & the Shondells… East coast hip hop as well, a lot of the Bad Boy Records stuff; I didn’t know how to seek out music at that age so I just waited for it to come on the radio or I learned about it from friends.

Granite Rodeo: How was your mix tape game? I get a bit nostalgic about the bit if lost art, honestly… haha

Miller: Yeah, me too… I made a lot of those as a teenager before I had a way to burn CDs. I thought I was pretty good at it back then, but I found a box of cassettes a couple years ago that had been hiding for years and found that my taste has pretty drastically changed, haha. There was some stuff I still have a fond place for though – Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, Rilo Kiley, the Clash…

Granite Rodeo: Is songwriting an easy or arduous process for you? Are you an in the moment kind of writer, or do you need to schedule office hours to put pen to paper? When do you know it’s time to make a new record?

Miller: It depends. My most productive periods are when I do make time for it every day, and I’ve heard this is true for a lot of people who try to create. Most of the songs for this last record, I was getting up at 5 AM and trying to write for an hour (or until getting diminishing returns). I did it before anyone else was up, for a few months, and I still have piles and piles of words from that time.

When we’re touring a lot it’s much harder for me, as I generally need to be alone to do it (and I’m usually driving the van). But I’m always trying to keep the antennae up for lyrical driftwood, and I’ll usually stop whatever I’m doing to write something down, even if it means I’m pulling into a gas station parking lot when I’m already late for something. You never know what’s gonna cause a spark and become part of a song, and I’ve learned that usually, if you don’t grab it, it’ll disappear just as quickly.

Granite Rodeo: Who or what inspires you? What keeps you chasing down the song?

Miller: I’m always exploring new music to listen to, and if I chase anything, it’s that… I don’t necessarily go chasing new songs to write; they seem to come when they want to. But as a lover of a huge spectrum of music, I am often inspired by what I find and like to see what I can shake loose by listening.

Granite Rodeo: You’re heading to New Hampshire for a gig at the Press Room here in Portsmouth. Have you spent any time here in the Granite State?

Miller: Not enough! We were there last year for a minute and had a great time. Looking forward to being back.

Granite Rodeo: What do you appreciate about the road and I’m bringing your tunes from town to town?

Miller: The adventure of it is a definite perk… I still like traveling, even if sometimes it gets tough on the body these days. I love meeting new people, learning about new things, and it’s also how I keep in touch with old friends. It keeps things in perspective for me, keeps me growing as a person and I feel fortunate to be in a line of work that offers me that possibility.

I also love getting to try regional brands of potato chips.

Granite Rodeo: Is it weird to set foot on stage to a room full of strangers staring right at you? What’s the best way to break that ice (if only mentally)?

Miller: I think going right into a song is the best icebreaker, and then feeling things out from there. You can tell a lot about the room you’re in after the first song.

I’m always psyched if the room’s looking full. Sometimes I think it feels weirder to go on stage to a room full of people I know well, haha. Our crowds have been lovely & kind… respectful of the space, other bands, or singers on the bill, and of each other too, which I’m so appreciative of.

I’ve been doing it for 20 years now and truth be told, if the sound is good, I’m fine. If it’s not, well… It’s probably too late to look for a new job.

Granite Rodeo: What can folks expect when they come out to check out the gig?

Miller: We’ll pretty much be doing what we do, expanding on songs from the records with some newer arrangements and sounds thrown in. The Deslondes are one of my all-time favorite bands, wonderful songwriters, and all-around great dudes. This is kind of a dream tour for me, getting to see them and absorb what they do for a couple weeks. Good vibe for dancing too, if that’s your thing.

Visit www.pressroomnh.com to grab your tickets to the show!