Roger Miller (rock musician)
Encyclopedia
Roger Miller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known for co-founding the groups Mission of Burma
and Alloy Orchestra
.
His main instruments are guitar
and piano
. Guitar Player
magazine describes Miller's guitar playing as balancing rock energy with cerebral experimentation, while his keyboard work has earned comparisons to Béla Bartók
and even Cecil Taylor
.
. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix
and Detroit-area bands like the Stooges
and the MC5
, Miller formed several garage band
s in his teens. With brothers Benjamin (Ben) Miller and Laurence B. (Larry) Miller
, he formed Sproton Layer
; their recordings were collected and released in 1992 as With Magnetic Fields Disrupted. Miller played bass guitar
and was the primary singer and songwriter, and the ongoing collaboration M3.
Attending CalArts in 1976, majoring in composition, Miller also studied piano
and French Horn, and studied music by 20th century experimental composers like John Cage
and Karlheinz Stockhausen
. He would eventually drop out of college in favor of punk rock
.
before co-founding Mission of Burma
in 1979. The group was popular in and around Boston, but was unable to expand their audience. Miller played guitar and sang, and slightly edged out bassist/singer Clint Conley
as the more productive songwriter. It was also Miller's idea to invite Martin Swope
to join the group and add tape loop
effects, giving the group an unusual, experimental sound.
Mission of Burma disbanded in 1983 due in large part to Miller's worsening tinnitus
, attributed in large part to their notoriously loud live performances. In subsequent years, Mission of Burma's small body of recordings grew to be regarded as important and influential.
During the Burma years, Miller worked as a freelance piano tuner.
, which he left in 1987.
Afterwards, Miller had several collaborations, solo efforts and film scores; many of these post-Burma albums were released by SST Records
:
Alloy Orchestra
Binary System (Roger Miller and Larry Dersch)
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
dredd foole and the din (dredd foole, Roger Miller, Clint Conley, Pete Prescott)
M-3 (Roger Miller, Ben Miller, Larry Miller)
No Man
Out Trios Volume One (William Hooker, Roger Miller, Lee Ranaldo)
Roger Miller's Exquisite Corpse
Sproton Layer (Roger Miller, Ben Miller, Larry Miller)
replacing Swope. On stage, Miller has his Marshall amplifier at the edge of the stage on his right, with the speakers facing away from him (as seen in the reunion footage in the M0B documentary Not A Photograph).
Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma is an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller , Clint Conley , Peter Prescott and Martin Swope...
and Alloy Orchestra
Alloy Orchestra
Alloy Orchestra is a musical ensemble based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, that performs its own accompaniments to silent films of the classic movie era. Percussionists Terry Donahue and Ken Winokur and keyboardist Caleb Sampson founded the group in 1990...
.
His main instruments are guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
magazine describes Miller's guitar playing as balancing rock energy with cerebral experimentation, while his keyboard work has earned comparisons to Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
and even Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
.
Biography
Born in Boston, Miller was raised in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Detroit-area bands like the Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, Miller formed several garage band
Garage band
The term garage band can refer to:* A band that performs garage rock* GarageBand, audio production software published by Apple Inc.* GarageBand.com, a website that helps publicize emerging bands...
s in his teens. With brothers Benjamin (Ben) Miller and Laurence B. (Larry) Miller
Laurence B. (Larry) Miller
Laurence Bond Miller is an American rock and avant garde guitarist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, who has formerly been a member of such Detroit/Ann Arbor bands as Destroy All Monsters, Sproton Layer, M3, Nonfiction, The Empty Set, and Larynx Zillion's Novelty Shop.- Biography :Destroy All...
, he formed Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer
Sproton Layer was a rock and roll group formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the late 1960s. Their music was mostly hard rock with psychedelic touches....
; their recordings were collected and released in 1992 as With Magnetic Fields Disrupted. Miller played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and was the primary singer and songwriter, and the ongoing collaboration M3.
Attending CalArts in 1976, majoring in composition, Miller also studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and French Horn, and studied music by 20th century experimental composers like John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
and Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. He would eventually drop out of college in favor of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
.
Mission of Burma years
Relocating to Boston, Massachusetts, Miller was a member of the short-lived Moving PartsMoving Parts
The Moving Parts was a late 1970s Boston-based rock music band. Though short-lived and little noticed during their career, the band's members went on to form parts of more influential bands Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and Mission of Burma....
before co-founding Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma is an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller , Clint Conley , Peter Prescott and Martin Swope...
in 1979. The group was popular in and around Boston, but was unable to expand their audience. Miller played guitar and sang, and slightly edged out bassist/singer Clint Conley
Clint Conley
Clinton J. Conley is an American rock and roll musician from Boston, Massachusetts.He is probably best known as a co-founder of Mission of Burma. He played bass guitar, occasional guitar, and wrote and sang some of the group's best-known songs, such as "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" and...
as the more productive songwriter. It was also Miller's idea to invite Martin Swope
Martin Swope
Martin Swope was the tape manipulator and sound engineer for the Boston-based postpunk band Mission of Burma from 1979–1983, when they split up due to lead vocalist/guitarist Roger Miller's problem with the hearing disorder tinnitus...
to join the group and add tape loop
Tape loop
In music, tape loops are loops of prerecorded magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound. Contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen used tape loops to create phase patterns and rhythms...
effects, giving the group an unusual, experimental sound.
Mission of Burma disbanded in 1983 due in large part to Miller's worsening tinnitus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
, attributed in large part to their notoriously loud live performances. In subsequent years, Mission of Burma's small body of recordings grew to be regarded as important and influential.
During the Burma years, Miller worked as a freelance piano tuner.
Other musical projects
After Burma broke up, Miller turned his attention to playing piano with the more experimental, instrumental group Birdsongs Of The MesozoicBirdsongs of the Mesozoic
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic is a musical group founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980.The music of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic is almost entirely instrumental, and incorporates many different musical elements; critic Rick Anderson writes, "Very few bands have ever managed to straddle the worlds of...
, which he left in 1987.
Afterwards, Miller had several collaborations, solo efforts and film scores; many of these post-Burma albums were released by SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
:
- Alloy OrchestraAlloy OrchestraAlloy Orchestra is a musical ensemble based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, that performs its own accompaniments to silent films of the classic movie era. Percussionists Terry Donahue and Ken Winokur and keyboardist Caleb Sampson founded the group in 1990...
, a trio with Miller on keyboards that composes new scores for silent filmSilent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s. The group's name refers to the many metal objectsFound objectA found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...
(hubcapHubcapA hubcap, wheel cover or wheel trim is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at least a central portion of the wheel. Cars with stamped steel wheels often use a full wheel cover that conceals the entire wheel. Cars with alloy wheels or styled steel wheels generally use smaller...
s, springSpring (device)A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
s and potCookware and bakewareCookware and bakeware are types of food preparation containers commonly found in the kitchen. Cookware comprises cooking vessels, such as saucepans and frying pans, intended for use on a stove or range cooktop. Bakeware comprises cooking vessels intended for use inside an oven...
s) used by percussionists Ken Winokur and Terry Donohue; - Exquisite Corpse, an instrumental group with Miller on guitar, piano and sampler; violinist; percussionist; and a shawmShawmThe shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
/sackbutt player; - Binary SystemBinary systemBinary system may refer to:* Binary numeral system, the base-2 internal "machine language" of computers* Binary opposition, a bipolar distinction in philosophy, structuralism and critical theory...
, an instrumental piano/drums duo with percussionist Larry Dersch; - Hooker/Miller/Ranaldo, a free improvisationFree improvisationFree improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
group composed of William Hooker (percussion), Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
(guitar), and Miller (bass); - M3, an ongoing musical collaboration with Benjamin Miller and Laurence Miller;
- Maximum Electric Piano (solo prepared piano with loops);
- No Man (rock-oriented project with Russell Smith on bass and Ken Winokur or Malcolm TravisMalcolm TravisMalcolm Travis is an American drummer from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for his work with Human Sexual Response, The Zulus, Sugar , No Man , and Kustomized ....
on drums); - Elemental Guitar (solo prepared guitar with loops).
Discography
Solo albums- No Man Is Hurting Me (Ace of Hearts, 1986)
- Groping Hands EP (Ace of Hearts, 1986)
- The Big Industry (Ace of Hearts, 1987)
- Win Instantly (Ace of Hearts, 1988)
- Oh (Forced Exposure, 1988)
- XYLYL and A Woman in Half (New Alliance, 1991)
- Elemental Guitar (SST, 1995)
- The Benevolent Disruptive Ray (SST, 1996)
Alloy Orchestra
- Masters Of Slapstick (Accurate, 2001)
Binary System (Roger Miller and Larry Dersch)
- Live at the Idea Room (SST, 1997)
- Boston Underbelly V/A Compilation "Impov. #4 October 5, 1996" (Sublingual, 1998)
- from the Epicenter (Atavistic, 1999)
- Invention Box (Atavistic, 2001)
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
- A Wicked Good Time V/A Compilation "Pulse Piece" (Modern Method, 1981)
- Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic EP (Ace of Hearts, 1983)
- Magnetic Flip (Ace of Hearts, 1984)
- Beat of the Mesozoic (Ace of Hearts, 1985)
- Soundtracks V/A Compilation "To A Random" (Arf Arf, 1987)
dredd foole and the din (dredd foole, Roger Miller, Clint Conley, Pete Prescott)
- Songs in Heat, "So Tough" b/w "Sanctuary" (Loose Music/Religious Records, 1982)
M-3 (Roger Miller, Ben Miller, Larry Miller)
- M-3 (New Alliance Records, 1993)
- Unearthing (Sublingual, 2001)
No Man
- Damage the Enemy (New Alliance, 1989)
- Whamon Express (SST, 1990)
- How the West Was Won (SST, 1991)
Out Trios Volume One (William Hooker, Roger Miller, Lee Ranaldo)
- Monsoon (Atavistic, 2002)
Roger Miller's Exquisite Corpse
- Unfold (SST, 1994)
Sproton Layer (Roger Miller, Ben Miller, Larry Miller)
- With Magnetic Fields Disrupted (New Alliance Records, 1991)
Mission of Burma reform
Mission of Burma reunited in 2002, with Bob WestonBob Weston
Bob Weston is an American musician, producer, recording engineer, and record mastering engineer. Critic Jason Ankeny declares that "Weston's name and fingerprints are all over the American underground rock of the post-punk era, producing and engineering dates for a seemingly endless number of...
replacing Swope. On stage, Miller has his Marshall amplifier at the edge of the stage on his right, with the speakers facing away from him (as seen in the reunion footage in the M0B documentary Not A Photograph).