By Robin Giles ’12, Arts Editor
While most of us know him as “the maintenance guy” or “the motorcycle guy,” a far more accurate description of Steve Miller would be “the music guy.” For him, playing music is more than just a hobby – it’s a lifelong passion. And while he has occasionally graced our stage with his fiddle, he has mastered much more than just one instrument. “When it comes to music, I’m the utility man,” he stated, “I play guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, accordion, tin-whistle – basically anything you can fit in a car.”
When he is not here at NA, Mr. Miller is on the road, playing gigs with his two bands. His main commitment is to “Paddy and the Pale Boys,” an Irish pub-band similar in sound to Flogging Molly. The group, as he put it, “isn’t a small deal.” They recently returned from Ohio, where they played a number of shows promoting their new album, Sit Like a Man. It is their third record to date, including their eponymous debut and their second album, Look Right. He also plays with a smaller, folksier group called “Da Roux.”
But Mr. Miller’s musical career started decades before either of those bands existed. “Music is communication on an emotional level,” he explained, “and I was drawn to that, even as a kid.” He started playing the drums at age thirteen, and soon transitioned to the guitar, which he excelled at. And, of course, he got “bit by the rock n’ roll bug.” Soon he was playing with a number of groups, including several rock bands, and even a Power Pop group called “Ambulance.” And while none of these groups were widely successful, a little research revealed that Mr. Miller’s music has quite a significant cult following. On the Internet, a single Ambulance LP typically sells for several hundred dollars, and is prized among collectors as a “Power Pop classic.” And Ambulance isn’t the only group to achieve cult popularity. He noted casually that “they’re planning to re-release some of [his] rock stuff on vinyl in Europe and Japan.” Clearly, Mr. Miller has left his mark on world of professional music.
In response to a question about receiving royalties for his music, he smiled and said: “Of course I don’t get royalties. I left the business end of music for a reason.” When he was a professional, he often felt frustrated with the demands of record companies.“They want you to keep making the same music with different lyrics,” he remarked, “but you evolve as a musician, and [want] to explore different things.”
True to his art, Mr. Miller abandoned the possibility of money and glamor to follow his own path. “When it comes down to it, you play for yourself. And if anyone else likes it, well, that’s good too.” It seems that this idea perfectly embodies his philosophy: he uses music to explore his emotional landscape as well to communicate with others. And while Mr. Miller is certainly talented, it is his humble attitude and genuine passion that make him such a unique part of the NA community.
Check out his music at the following sites:
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