Scott Miller blends folk and rock like there ain’t no words for. The power of storytelling with the power of a compressed electric guitar comes through this Virginian not heard since the likes of Wayne Newton (fellow Virginian) or The Statler Brothers (also of the Commonwealth.) Not even since Thomas Jefferson (Virginian) and Woodrow Wilson (another Virginian) formed their rock trio with drummer Stewart Copeland (northern Virginian) “League of Nations”.
Unlike most of the faux-simplified-effete’-elite-Americana/ Alt-Country world, Miller was actually raised on a working farm. His parents were a WWII generation couple that carried on the Spartan lifestyle of their Scots-Irish forefathers. Miller has described the lifestyle as “Amish that drink.” In 1990, Miller left the family farm and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he started scraping a living in local bars and clubs. Miller then founded a rock band called the V-roys, the first band signed to Jack Emerson’s (R.I.P.) and Steve Earle’s E-Squared label. His songwriting became more mature. His understanding of the music “biz” (“It ain’t called ‘show-friends.”) became more astute, but his guitar playing remained the ham fisted flat-picking of his youth. He calls them “solos.”
Releasing four albums over the next 6 years for the highly respected Sugar Hill Label: THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS ( ’01), UPSIDE/DOWNSIDE (’03–a #1 Americana Record), CITATION (’05), and the live album RECONSTRUCTION (’07) , Miller and the Commonwealth spent a year as the house band for the WB Network’s “Blue Collar TV with Jeff Foxworthy.” Miller recounts, “Suddenly the band and I didn’t have to load up and travel every night, we could walk across from the theatre where the television show was taped into a 5 star hotel bar, and make great money doing it. I hated it, of course.”
And now, like most artists with a brain these days,Miller has founded his own record label (F.A.Y. Recordings) and is releasing a brand new record for ’09 titled FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. This new batch of songs are already causing quite a stir among fans and critics. And critics of fans. And fans who criticize critics. And fans who criticize other fans. And even the critics who critique the critics of criticizing fans… A parting word from the artist: “If this record gets to number one I will send each of you a REAL LIVE PONY!”