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Lone Tyrant:Former V-roy Ready To Move On With New Solo Album by Adrienne
Martini Breaking up may be hard to do, but it is almost always the best, if hardest, route to artistic growth and fulfillment. At least it is if you're Knoxvillian Scott Miller, former frontman of the now defunct V-roys. Their start was promising, boosted by the attention and guidance of Steve Earle, and the group's slightly fractious divorce (from both Earle and each other) at the start of 2000 marked the end of what had been developing into a fresh, fun rock 'n' twang sound. While the band itself burned out, the musicians in it haven't faded away. Mic Harrison, Jeff Bills, and Paxton Sellers split off to form The Faults. While Sellers and Bills later stepped out of the touring lineup, Harrison's rock-pop talents illuminate any stage this new band, originally dubbed the "Three-roys," hops upon. Scott Miller chose to concentrate on a solo career. With the June 12 release of Thus Always to Tyrants, he has found a richer, more rewarding sound that recalls both the rock energy of Neil Young and the Appalachian lonesomeness of Ralph Stanley. The album is an amalgam of several styles of music--from the Replacements-esque passion of "Absolution" to the folk-infused "Dear Sarah." What keeps it all hanging together is Miller's sharp songwriting, snide humor, and earnest tenor. While all of these traits were evident in the V-roys, here they take on a crystalline sparkle. For the new album, Miller assembled a new band of merry men he dubs the Commonwealth, an homage to his home state of Virginia. "The Commonwealth," he explains, "is anyone and everyone that helped me get this record finished over the last year and a half. There is no way I could have done this record alone. I had the songs and an idea of what I wanted to try and do, but starting from the inception, Bob Kirsch at Welk, my publisher; R.S. Field, who produced it; Jim Demain, who engineered; and my career guidance counselor, Brad Hunt, all helped." The Commonwealth also refers to the musicians who played on Tyrants, including such hitters as Dave Grissom and Tim O'Brien, as well as Jimmy Lester, Jared Reynolds, and Rob McNelley, who will serve as Miller's touring band while he's on the road for the next few months. "Some of these guys are more well known than others," he says, "but all played with feel and focus and listened to what I wanted to try. If the record succeeds, it's due to them. If it fails, it's due to me. But the definitions of those two terms are subjective. I think it's succeeded just because the son-of-a-bitch was finished." The release of Miller's new solo record doesn't mean that he can leave his past behind, though. He's still often asked what it was like to work with Steve Earle. "The V-roys benefited so much from our working with him, it's like a penitence," he says of the frequent queries. "We got to start on second base in many ways that other bands didn't. There were also downsides. It was like having to go to high school where your father teaches. "I feel so lucky to have gotten this far and do what I love for a living. I look at every record as the last one I'll get to make, and every day [is] one less day I have to have a regular job. I'm quite paranoid, but I'm sure it will all end any day now, so I try not to bitch." |