Bravado, beer and a blue collar. These are the constants that have hung with Scott Miller since his V-roys days, loudly proclaiming his roughneck philosophies with swagger and bluster. With the V-roys, Miller created a sort of Southern Replacements that mixed brash, boozy rockers with solid writing and undeniable earnestness and left behind a legacy of three great records and legions of followers. Since then, Miller has been delving into his Appalachian roots, touching on family history and his origins in Virginia. Regarding his home state, Miller remarks, "the shape of said state is a giant hand flipping the bird ... declaring, 'Up yours, we want no part of your b---s---. We are now different.'" That's much the way he approaches his newest work.

His latest enterprise, Scott Miller and the Commonwealth, has produced Thus Always To Tyrants (released June 12 on Sugar Hill Records) - a remarkably complex and introspective record that showcases Miller's depths as a songwriter and artist. The songs explore the emotional casualties of the Civil War and the listlessness of Gen Xers in the face of faith while still taking time to indulge in the pleasures of drunkenness, love and overall toughness.