Ben Miller Band

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Ben Miller Band
Ben Miller Band (2016)
Ben Miller Band (2016)
General information
origin Joplin , Missouri , United States
Genre (s) Folk , blues , country
founding 2004
Website benmillerband.com
Founding members
Ben Miller
Doug Dicharry
Scott Leeper
Current occupation
Ben Miller
Scott Leeper
Mitch Twombley
former members
Doug Dicharry
Bob Lewis († 2019)
Rachel Ammons

The Ben Miller Band is an American band from Joplin , Missouri around the songwriter Ben Miller, which moves stylistically between blues, country and folk.

Ben Miller, singer, guitarist and songwriter of the Ben Miller Band, live in Germany 2015

history

2004–2015: foundation and first successes

The Ben Miller Band in their original line-up (2014)

After Ben Miller made his first steps as a musician in Europe in 2003, he founded the Ben Miller Band in Joplin in 2004 together with Scott Leeper and Doug Dicharry. In the first few years, the trio was mainly live in the border area between Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, before releasing the two albums 1 Ton and 2 Ton on Mudstomp Records in 2010 . After the devastating tornado disaster in their hometown in May 2011, the band recorded the tribute EP Record for Joplin , before the album Heavy Load followed in 2012 .

In the same year ZZ Top became aware of the Ben Miller Band and booked them as support for their US and European tour, which increased the trio's popularity far beyond the region and earned them a contract with New West Records . There, the album Any Way, Shape or Form was released in 2014 , which the band recorded in Nashville under the direction of producer Vance Powell, who has already worked with Jack White , Kings of Leon and Wanda Jackson .

In addition to extensive tours as headliners, the Ben Miller band accompanied ZZ Top at concerts in North America and Europe every year between 2012 and 2016, as frontman Billy Gibbons was impressed: “I don't remember having stood through an opening act's show in quite some time . But I couldn't seem to leave. They were that engaging. “In addition, the band played concerts and concerts together between 2013 and 2015. a. with Valerie June and Blackberry Smoke . Miller can also be heard playing the jaw harp on Seasick Steve's single "Summertime Boy" from the album "Sonic Soul Surfer" (2015).

At the end of 2015, the band made a guest appearance in Outsiders (TV series) at the side of u. a. Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) and David Morse (House Dr., True Detective) in front of the camera. The series premiered on the WGN channel in January 2016. The soundtrack, released in January 2017, features seven pieces by the band.

2016–2019: Personnel changes and a new beginning

On January 6, 2016 Doug Dicharry announced his departure from the Ben Miller Band. On January 19th, the band announced that Dicharry would be replaced by musicians friends Rachel Ammons and Smilin 'Bob Lewis, who previously worked as a duo under the name "Tyrannosaurus Chicken" and emerged from the same local scene as the Ben Miller Band. In the same and the following year the band toured North America and Europe.

At the end of 2017, "Akira Kurosawa" was the first joint track of the new formation as a harbinger of the new album "Choke Cherry Tree", which was released in early 2018. Ben Miller also broke new ground in production. In order to capture the raw sound of the band in live performances, they worked in the studio for the first time with Chris Funk from the Decemberists as a new producer. The band was supported with the recordings by the multi-instrumentalist Funk himself, as well as by other guest musicians. Including Jenny Conlee and Nate Query (also from the Decemberists) and the renowned saxophonist Ralf Carney , who is best known for his work for Tom Waits and who compensated for his use of wind instruments on "Choke Cherry Tree" after Dicharry left the band.

On July 19, 2019, Smilin 'Bob Lewis passed away after a brief serious illness. After his death Rachel Ammons left the band and Mitch Twombley was signed as a new member. After a break, the band continued their live performances together with Twombley in late summer 2019.

Discography

Albums

  • 2010: 1 tone
  • 2010: 2 tone
  • 2012: Heavy Load
  • 2014: Any Way, Shape or Form
  • 2018: Choke Cherry Tree

EPs

  • 2011: Record for Joplin

Web links

Commons : Ben Miller Band  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

swell

  1. ↑ Christian Düringer: We Call It Ozark Stomp - a portrait. popspots.de, accessed on January 27, 2016 .
  2. ^ Biography of the Ben Miller Band. laut.de, accessed on January 27, 2016 .
  3. ^ New West Records Videos. www.facebook.com/newwestrecords, accessed June 2, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Christian Düringer: We Call It Ozark Stomp - a portrait. popspots.de, accessed on January 27, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Ben Miller On Finding Balance With New Band Members, New Tour, And A New Album. live for live music, accessed January 20, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Choke Cherry Tree Linernotes. benmillerband.com, accessed January 18, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Smilin 'Bob Lewis of the Ben Miller Band Has Passed Away. Saving Country Music. Retrieved August 18, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Ben Miller Band Info. Facebook, accessed October 12, 2019 .