Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Miller.
Hi Craig, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m an advertising creative director by trade. But I have a long-dormant music career that I am attempting to resurrect with my new project, Blueburst.
I played in a relatively successful band in the 1990s in Dallas, TX called The Reach. We had major label interest from a few places, and the future seemed bright for us. But none of it ever quite panned out, and I thus went into a 20-year musical hibernation where I didn’t finish or release much of anything. I attribute this period to undiagnosed clinical depression, writer’s block, and a few too many gin’n’tonics.
But a great thing happened to me around 2010 when I met Marty Willson-Piper, who was playing guitar in one of my favorite bands, The Church. Nothing much happened at first, but we kept up a correspondence over the years until Marty eventually left The Church and began offering “Songwriting and Guitar Guidance” sessions online. I jumped at the chance to pick the brain of one of my favorite musicians and began working with Marty on the process of getting myself “unstuck”. And after a while, the songs started flowing, and Marty continued to push me to raise my game on every aspect of what I was going. I then recruited Michael Jerome, a terrific drummer who I knew from my days back in Dallas with The Reach. Next was Ryan Kelly, former bass player for Athens Legends Dayroom. The next thing I knew I had a full album’s worth of songs to release. And here we are.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been many challenges. Firstly, as I mentioned before, just getting over my demons and finishing some songs.
Secondly, we’re making an album in an unconventional way, with musicians all contributing from various parts of the world. Marty recorded his guitars in Penzance, UK, Porto Portugal, Dallas, TX and some here in Atlanta. Michael Jerome did his drum parts in LA, and Ryan did his parts in Savannah. That’s not only a logistical challenge, but a musical one, as it can lead to recordings where the band doesn’t quite sound together. But I’m really pleased with how we achieved the sound of a band with all members contributing together and meshing.
Next, I’d say the biggest challenge is promotion. It seems these days that to be a successful musician, you’ve got to have a huge social media presence and community built around you. Not an easy thing to pull off starting fresh at age 51. And it’s not something I’m completely comfortable with to be honest. I like a bit of mystery in my music.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our debut album, Significance, centers around ideas that came to me during my mid-life crisis. It’s that point in your life where you start to really question what things actually mean something, or whether it all means nothing. So lyrically, I’ve written from the voices of a cast of characters all trying to forge some kind of significance with their lives. “Vanish” is about a young couple deciding to abandon, even trying to significantly change things, and just taking off. “Executioner’s Song” is written from the POV of Gary Gilmore, a man who murdered two people in cold blood, then asked to be executed in an effort to perhaps be better in death than in life. “Amplify Me” is about the feeling of complete insignificance in the face of atrocity and the rage that comes with that feeling.
Sonically, the album is densely packed with loads of guitars. We really wanted a lush, big, full sound, and I think we achieved it with the help of our mixer, Ben Etter. It’s definitely a throwback in a way to 80s and 90s alternative, especially with the roomy drum sounds. But I think there’s something modern about it as well. Ben bringing a younger perspective to the mixes certainly helped. I think the album is really the sound that I never quite captured in the 1990s with The Reach. But I think we got it on this album. And now that that unfinished business has been taken care of, I think the next record will sound completely different.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
It’s a real challenge trying to do what I’m doing: resurrect a long-dormant music career after 20+ years away at age 50. But I’ve heard from a lot of people who are inspired by the project, and by the fact that it’s never too late to do something you love.
Pricing:
- Vinyl Album $25
- Compact Disc $10
- Hi-res 48khz/24 bit download $7
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blueburst.band
- Instagram: instagram.com/blueburstmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNurD1t7hCeOlzeZmiCl96Q
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/blueburstmusic
- Other: www.blueburst.band/epk
Image Credits
Gus Schmiege Photography Nocturna Photography Holly Miller
