BEN MILLER BAND
''HEAVY LOAD''
AUGUST 7 2012
34:13
1. Your Dyin' Ass 3:40
2. I Got Another One 3:31
3. Strike Up the Band 2:54
4. Holly 3:10
5. I Don't Want You 2:58
6. Love Is War 3:08
7. Alone 3:49
8. No One Came 3:14
9. Heavy Load 4:09
10. Get Right Church 3:44
Album Notes
by cdbaby
ABOUT the BAND
Hailing from Joplin, Missouri, The Ben Miller Band is a one-of-a kind trio that combines the frenetic energy of bluegrass, the soul of the delta blues and the haunted spirit of Appalachian mountain music. Band members Ben Miller, Scott Leeper, and Doug Dicharry create a unique and modern sound while continuing the tradition of blending together many different musical styles, which has long been a trait of their native Ozarks.
Poet and songwriter since childhood, Ben Miller started playing guitar at age 16. He soon left his home in Curlew, Washington and began his musical career on the streets of Northern Europe, playing his distinctive delta-blues slide guitar and honing his one-man-band performance style which now includes guitar, banjo, harmonica, and foot percussion. Armed with a plethora of earthy songs about prostitutes, meth, scriptures, and the meaning of life, he met Scott and Doug in Joplin, Missouri and formed the Ben Miller Band in 2004.
Washtub bass player, Scott Leeper started playing drums at age 7 and by age 10 he was wowing audiences in his family’s band, The Leeper’s. Throughout his career Scott has played in a duo with his brother, performed as a one-man country act, and played drums for various blues artists. Finally, in 2004, Scott began playing the one-stringed washtub bass and singing backup vocals with pitch-perfect harmony for The Ben Miller Band. Comprised of a weed eater string attached to a wooden pole, this is not your ordinary bass. "Playing that thing may sound simple but it is deceptively difficult," says Ben of his musical comrade. “You have to adjust the tension to change the note. It is incredible to watch him do it. We always have a few bass players right up on him in complete disbelief.”
Drummer and percussionist Doug Dicharry started playing trombone in the 6th grade and continued to study music throughout his college years. As an Air Force brat growing up, Doug moved across the globe every two years. During this time he assimilated an array of musical styles, from punk to ska, to progressive noise and school marching bands. In high school, he began playing trombone in various bands while teaching himself to play the drums. In 2004 he picked up the washboard, and with a bit of homemade ingenuity, made it electric. During that time, he met Ben at an open mic night in Joplin, Missouri and “followed him until he had to hire him.” Now Doug plays drums, trombone, trumpet, mandolin, percussion, electric washboard, and electric spoons for the Ben Miller Band. "I basically have musical A.D.D," says Dicharry. "Playing all these instruments isn’t hard, it’s just loading them in and out that’s hard. I feel sorry for whoever becomes my tech."
Despite the eccentric and out-of-the-box appearance of The Ben Miller Band, "we're not some kind of gimmick band," says Ben Miller. "Just because we use junk to make music doesn't mean we aren't serious about it. We are legitimately making real music, and when you hear us play I think you get that."
Together for the past eight years, and playing over two hundred shows every year, The Ben Miller Band has crafted a tight, dynamic, and amazingly original sound that captivates and embraces people of all generations.
BIOGRAPHY
by Chris Berggren
The Ben Miller Band formed, roughly, in 2005, as a result of an open-mike night experiment gone right. Ben Miller, who grew up in rural Washington state before attending art school in Philadelphia, had been working as an open-mike night host in his adopted home of Joplin, Missouri when he met and began playing music with Doug Dicharry and Scott Leeper. Miller fronts the band on guitar (styles include both slide and fingerpicking), banjo, harmonica, and lead vocals. He's also proven to be an accomplished songwriter. Dicharry is primarily a percussionist, though he also plays trombone and mandolin. Percussion-wise he handles drums, washboard, and electric spoons. Leeper gives the band its backbone, keeping rhythm on his homemade one-string washtub bass. The bass is constructed from a weed-eater string that runs from the end of a stick that sits upon an inverted washtub, to the washtub itself, which presumably houses an elaborate pickup system that gives the instrument's deep resonant sound a lot more volume than you'd expect. Occasionally, Leeper also keeps rhythm on the side of an old school fire bell that he's transformed into an interesting-sounding drum. Dicharry and Leeper both add backing vocals as well.
The band plays a gritty, modern mixture of various types of old American heritage music, including blues, bluegrass, folk, and country. Originally, the bandmembers called their sound "Ozark Stomp" as a tribute to the influences from their geographical region, but now refer to it as "Mudstomp" in reference to their label, which focuses on similar music, but in a wider regional area. In 2010 The Ben Miller Band released a pair of albums on Mudstomp Records, 1 Ton on June 10 and 2 Ton on August 5. The albums were assembled from a huge backlog of material and were developed as they were being recorded. Aside from the closeness of release dates and titles, the only other similarity is that both albums contain 14 songs. The albums are remarkably different and punctuate the band's versatility.
The Ben Miller Band is not only curious and inventive musically, but also instrument and equipment-wise. Leeper's homemade one-string bass has been mentioned, but Miller and Dicharry have some interesting gadgets of their own. Miller sings into two microphones; one is your typical mike, while the other is the receiver from an old land-to-land telephone. The telephone mike offers a distorted sound and is run through a trunk, which Miller keeps beat on with his right foot using a drum pedal. Attached to Miller's left foot is a tambourine and he alternates between the pedal and the tambourine. Dicharry, meanwhile, has a suitcase full of distortion pedals, which he uses to great effect when playing washboard and electric spoons.
On May 22, 2011, The Ben Miller Band was in Lawrence, Kansas preparing for a concert when their hometown of Joplin, Missouri was decimated by a tornado. The bandmembers have since set up a nonprofit charity to help rebuild their community.
''HEAVY LOAD''
AUGUST 7 2012
34:13
1. Your Dyin' Ass 3:40
2. I Got Another One 3:31
3. Strike Up the Band 2:54
4. Holly 3:10
5. I Don't Want You 2:58
6. Love Is War 3:08
7. Alone 3:49
8. No One Came 3:14
9. Heavy Load 4:09
10. Get Right Church 3:44
Album Notes
by cdbaby
ABOUT the BAND
Hailing from Joplin, Missouri, The Ben Miller Band is a one-of-a kind trio that combines the frenetic energy of bluegrass, the soul of the delta blues and the haunted spirit of Appalachian mountain music. Band members Ben Miller, Scott Leeper, and Doug Dicharry create a unique and modern sound while continuing the tradition of blending together many different musical styles, which has long been a trait of their native Ozarks.
Poet and songwriter since childhood, Ben Miller started playing guitar at age 16. He soon left his home in Curlew, Washington and began his musical career on the streets of Northern Europe, playing his distinctive delta-blues slide guitar and honing his one-man-band performance style which now includes guitar, banjo, harmonica, and foot percussion. Armed with a plethora of earthy songs about prostitutes, meth, scriptures, and the meaning of life, he met Scott and Doug in Joplin, Missouri and formed the Ben Miller Band in 2004.
Washtub bass player, Scott Leeper started playing drums at age 7 and by age 10 he was wowing audiences in his family’s band, The Leeper’s. Throughout his career Scott has played in a duo with his brother, performed as a one-man country act, and played drums for various blues artists. Finally, in 2004, Scott began playing the one-stringed washtub bass and singing backup vocals with pitch-perfect harmony for The Ben Miller Band. Comprised of a weed eater string attached to a wooden pole, this is not your ordinary bass. "Playing that thing may sound simple but it is deceptively difficult," says Ben of his musical comrade. “You have to adjust the tension to change the note. It is incredible to watch him do it. We always have a few bass players right up on him in complete disbelief.”
Drummer and percussionist Doug Dicharry started playing trombone in the 6th grade and continued to study music throughout his college years. As an Air Force brat growing up, Doug moved across the globe every two years. During this time he assimilated an array of musical styles, from punk to ska, to progressive noise and school marching bands. In high school, he began playing trombone in various bands while teaching himself to play the drums. In 2004 he picked up the washboard, and with a bit of homemade ingenuity, made it electric. During that time, he met Ben at an open mic night in Joplin, Missouri and “followed him until he had to hire him.” Now Doug plays drums, trombone, trumpet, mandolin, percussion, electric washboard, and electric spoons for the Ben Miller Band. "I basically have musical A.D.D," says Dicharry. "Playing all these instruments isn’t hard, it’s just loading them in and out that’s hard. I feel sorry for whoever becomes my tech."
Despite the eccentric and out-of-the-box appearance of The Ben Miller Band, "we're not some kind of gimmick band," says Ben Miller. "Just because we use junk to make music doesn't mean we aren't serious about it. We are legitimately making real music, and when you hear us play I think you get that."
Together for the past eight years, and playing over two hundred shows every year, The Ben Miller Band has crafted a tight, dynamic, and amazingly original sound that captivates and embraces people of all generations.
BIOGRAPHY
by Chris Berggren
The Ben Miller Band formed, roughly, in 2005, as a result of an open-mike night experiment gone right. Ben Miller, who grew up in rural Washington state before attending art school in Philadelphia, had been working as an open-mike night host in his adopted home of Joplin, Missouri when he met and began playing music with Doug Dicharry and Scott Leeper. Miller fronts the band on guitar (styles include both slide and fingerpicking), banjo, harmonica, and lead vocals. He's also proven to be an accomplished songwriter. Dicharry is primarily a percussionist, though he also plays trombone and mandolin. Percussion-wise he handles drums, washboard, and electric spoons. Leeper gives the band its backbone, keeping rhythm on his homemade one-string washtub bass. The bass is constructed from a weed-eater string that runs from the end of a stick that sits upon an inverted washtub, to the washtub itself, which presumably houses an elaborate pickup system that gives the instrument's deep resonant sound a lot more volume than you'd expect. Occasionally, Leeper also keeps rhythm on the side of an old school fire bell that he's transformed into an interesting-sounding drum. Dicharry and Leeper both add backing vocals as well.
The band plays a gritty, modern mixture of various types of old American heritage music, including blues, bluegrass, folk, and country. Originally, the bandmembers called their sound "Ozark Stomp" as a tribute to the influences from their geographical region, but now refer to it as "Mudstomp" in reference to their label, which focuses on similar music, but in a wider regional area. In 2010 The Ben Miller Band released a pair of albums on Mudstomp Records, 1 Ton on June 10 and 2 Ton on August 5. The albums were assembled from a huge backlog of material and were developed as they were being recorded. Aside from the closeness of release dates and titles, the only other similarity is that both albums contain 14 songs. The albums are remarkably different and punctuate the band's versatility.
The Ben Miller Band is not only curious and inventive musically, but also instrument and equipment-wise. Leeper's homemade one-string bass has been mentioned, but Miller and Dicharry have some interesting gadgets of their own. Miller sings into two microphones; one is your typical mike, while the other is the receiver from an old land-to-land telephone. The telephone mike offers a distorted sound and is run through a trunk, which Miller keeps beat on with his right foot using a drum pedal. Attached to Miller's left foot is a tambourine and he alternates between the pedal and the tambourine. Dicharry, meanwhile, has a suitcase full of distortion pedals, which he uses to great effect when playing washboard and electric spoons.
On May 22, 2011, The Ben Miller Band was in Lawrence, Kansas preparing for a concert when their hometown of Joplin, Missouri was decimated by a tornado. The bandmembers have since set up a nonprofit charity to help rebuild their community.