Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist RICK MILLER made his debut effort as a solo artist back in 1983 with the new age production Starsong, which shifted a highly respectable 30.000 units at the time. He would follow up this venture with Windhaven in 1987, and his efforts Interstellar Passage from 1998 and the EP No Passion, No Pain from 2009 would continue exploring similar musical territories.
I got in touch with him and he patiently answered my questions.
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Just to start with,
please tell us more about your background and why you took up music.
Which bands were you influenced by ?
I
began playing on the piano in my mother’s house in my early teens.
A friend of mine and I used to make recordings on an old sound on
sound, reel to reel recorder. He played drums and I made all sorts of
sounds on the piano, various electronic toys we had, and later on a
MicroMoog that I managed to save up for. We were heavily influenced
by bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Genesis and Yes. Neither
of us had any musical training, but we were passionate.. I must have
spent at least six hours a day listening to music back then. I think
Keith Emerson’s MiniMoog solo at the end of Lucky Man made me want
to become a musician more than any other one thing.
This is an archive
based interview also intended for the fans you get well after both
you and I have passed away so let's go straight to your albums.
Please give us your long or brief views on your albums, starting
with.......
Starsong from 1983
This
album was actually commissioned by Eli Bay who still runs a company
in Toronto called “The Relaxation Response.” Starsong is strictly
electronic, relaxation music. Not Prog at all. Distribution was
picked up by Vital Body Marketing in New York and the cassette sold
very well all over the world. At least 30000 copies. I had it
remastered in 2000 and I still sell a few CDs on my own website. The
music was created with an array of vintage keyboards. A Mellotron,
Roland Vocorder Plus, Sequential Circuits Pro One, MicroMoog, Roland
JX3P.
Interstellar Passage
from 1998
A
collection of more electronic, relaxation type music recorded between
1983 and 1998. Some of the pieces have been used in various
commercial AV productions over the years.
The One from 2003
This
was my first attempt at Progressive Rock. I was learning my way in
the recording studio with instruments other than synthesizers. Most
of the sounds on this CD were midi based aside from the vocals and
guitars of course. Only about half of the songs turned out to be Prog
songs and I was never totally pleased with the production, so I only
had it for sale online for a limited time. I did have the fortune of
knowing several singers in the area, so there are some great vocal
performances on The One. Especially Julie Leahy on “I’m Alive.”
Dreamtigers from 2004
The first of my CDs that
actually turned out to be a Prog CD. The sounds are much more
developed than anything I had done previously and the music was much
darker. I finally convinced myself that I could write lyrics by now
and I even sang a small part in one song. Kristina Vowles did an
excellent job on the rest of the vocals. Her childlike voice against
the brooding musical background gave the whole CD a weird kind of
contrast that doesn’t exist in any of my other CDs. I also used a
lot more musicians. Barry Haggarty, who is one of this country’s
top session guitar players did a great job along with Sarah Young on
flute and my friend Will on drums. Released privately by me in 2004
and re-issued by MALS in 2010.
The
End of Days from 2006
This
was the first album that I sang on. For years before, I had always
used other people’s vocals, but this time is was just me, and I
think the effect was positive. Although I didn’t have the range of
some other singers, there was a masculine edge now to my music that I
liked. The overall effect was an album that was even darker sounding
than Dreamtigers, but also containing a heavy edge to it. I felt both
the songwriting and the production was getting better with each
album. Released privately by me in 2006 and re-issued by MALS in
2010.
Angel of My Soul from
2008
With
Angel Of My Soul, I believe my songwriting and production continued
to improve, but there was now an element of passion in the songs that
perhaps was lacking in previous CDs. I remember writing and recording
songs like “For The Love Of You” and “Footprints In The Snow”
and thinking to myself.. “I really have put something of me into
this song.” This entire album I believe reeks with emotion, laid
overtop of a brooding, dark atmosphere. Probably the most “Pink
Floydish” of all my CDs. Released privately by me in 2008 and
re-issued by MALS in 2010.
Falling Through
Rainbows from 2009
I
have to say that I believe this is my best album. I think that this
was the first time that I actually came close to doing exactly what I
set out to do with an album. The songwriting, singing, musicianship,
production are all at the highest level I have achieved. The CD was
picked up and distributed by Unicorn Digital and although it didn’t
sell a million copies, I am really happy with it. It is the kind of
music that I like to listen to. Dark, brooding, but with plenty of
melody. Barry Haggarty’s guitar sounds are very “Dave Gilmourish”
and the singing turned out sounding a lot like the Moody Blues. I
also started using a cello player, Mateusz Swoboda who I believe
adds a real melancholy edge to things.
In the Shadows from
2011
This
album has a range of material on it. “A Promise Worth Making” and
“The Fall of Uqbar” are probably two of the most Proglike songs
I’ve ever recorded, while “Angel Eyes” and “The Last Night”
are really folk songs. I find as I get older, I am more drawn to
singer, songwriter, folk type music, and that is perhaps why there is
more of it on this CD than any other. The lyrics are more personal,
and the musicianship is a little more refined overall. Plenty of
melancholy cello from Mateusz Swoboda on this as well as some fine
guitar work from Barry Haggarty and flutework by Sarah Young.
How would you describe
your development from your first album to the most recent one ?
As
this interview is for a Prog Website, I will answer this question for
my Prog albums only. From “The One” to “In The Shadows,” my
CDs have changed dramatically. The performances as well as the
production are much more refined and professional. I find that as an
artist, the most important thing to can achieve is to do what you
really want to do. That may sound easy, but it’s not. When you sit
down to create something, you need to keep your focus and don’t
compromise. This to me is what I think I have achieved in my later
albums that perhaps I didn’t achieve to the same degree in my early
ones.
How would you describe
your music ?
I
feel that the music I create is the music that I would like to listen
to. I like rich sounding music, with deep, dark haunting melodies
that stick with you. I don’t need to be barraged by heavy guitars
or constant changes in tempo. There is no “heavy metal” or “jazz
fusion” in my music. I am a romantic and I like and make music that
appeals to the heart more so than the head. I realize this isn’t
mainstream Progressive Rock, but it’s what I like. I once read a
review of one of my CDs where my style was described as “old school
melancholy.” I agree completely.
You have worked in a
recording studio and released eight albums. What is your experiences
with the music industry ?
The
music industry that I knew when I first started bears little
resemblance to the industry today. In the 80s, if you wanted to
record your own music, you needed a lot of money. Home studios simply
didn’t exist like they do today. Of course it was a lot easier to
be heard by people in the business back then though. There were
actually plenty of record companies and if you had talent and you
really worked at it, there were opportunities. Today, mainstream
music is run by four large multinational companies that are more
concerned about the bottom line than the music itself. If it wasn’t
for the spread of Indie music on the internet, the music industry may
well have been killed off completely by now as an artform. I have
dealt with both Unicorn Digital and MALS and have had only positive
experiences with both. I don’t think anybody in the Indie music
business is getting rich, but at least artists are doing what they
want to do, and primarily because of the internet, they are being
heard.
What
is your current status and do you have any plans for this year and
beyond ?
I
haven’t recorded anything for at least six months now, although I
have produced my son Kane’s first CD entitled, Dreamtime. It is
mostly folk music, but there are a few of what I like to call “Prog”
twists to it. He has it posted on Bandcamp, and it is really doing
well considering he has basically no promotion other than word of
mouth. I have no plans to record anything in the foreseeable future,
but who knows what moods may strike.
Is
music your main occupation in life or do you have a “normal”
job
too ?
I
have no desire to lead the life of a starving artist, so yes, I have
a daytime job too.
To wrap up this
interview, is there anything you want to add to this interview ?
I
would only like to say thanks to Prog Archives for providing a forum
for artists and listeners to connect like this.
Thank you to Rick Miller for this interview
His PA profile is here and his homepage's here
Edited by toroddfuglesteg - May 16 2011 at 12:55
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Rick Miller
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