Mindy M Miller I discovered Mindy on YouTube, Mindy recently put a song out “I Don’t Wanna Drink Whiskey”. When I heard this the first thing I thought of was, wow what an amazing voice and you can never go wrong with Whiskey in the title. Well let’s talk about Mindy’s voice & sound. Mindy’s vocals are a throwback to a sound of when Country music was Country. She has a bit of the 80’s style of Country music. Mindy has such a beautiful tone to her voice and amazing control. Right now, this song is the only studio recording that I know of, but for me it’s all I need to know that Mindy has a gift. Another song that you can find which is an original of Mindy’s is “Seeing Red” this is a beautiful song about a breakup. Mindy has such beautiful control over this song with the notes that she holds. She also has a way of making some of the notes sound like that are floating. I have heard some videos of Mindy singing at venues. Every time I listen to Mindy sing it just gives me goosebumps. I was able to ask Mindy some questions, I have her answers below plus a couple of links to find out more about Mindy. I know that I am going to keep an eye out for Mindy M Miller in 2024. I strongly believe she is going places… I highly recommend checking out Mindy M Miller. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVcvz8Ezlw2pET34zDcDBgw https://mindymillermusic.com/ 1.How long have you been playing music? For as long as I can recall, I’ve been surrounded by folks singing and playing music. When I was young, I’d sit at my Dad’s feet and watch him strum tunes by Doc Watson, Country Gentlemen, etc. I eventually had my own guitar in my lap (I was far too little to hold it properly) where I’d learn to play the bass notes on chord progressions my Dad would play. My grandparents, being super talented musicians, were also professional Karaoke DJ’s and I loved it when I’d get the chance to sing with them. My grandfather plugged in great big Laser Discs by artists such as Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Keith Whitley and more for me to sing along with. I still sing those songs today. I sang in church, as a worship leader, with my Dad’s bluegrass band, and then around 14 years old, I started to accompany myself and began solo performance. By the time I was 16 years old, I was gigging full time around my home state of Maryland, expanding out the Mid-Atlantic region. 2. How many bands have you been in? I have had a revolving cast of musicians I’ve worked with through the years that I consider my family. I’ve been in a variety of bands. My first original band included my musical brothers Mike Walker, Chris Compton and Andy Westcott. I also had a group at one point I was part of called “Drytown” with my friends Chris and Dan. I’ve also worked as a sideman for many artists and was part of band with artist Shane Gamble doing background vocals. Honestly, too much to list. I’ve been so fortunate to work beside and learn from such a huge roster of musicians. 3.Where were you born? I was born in Frederick, Maryland. I grew up in Maryland and eventually moved to WV then to Nashville. 4.Are you self-taught? Well, I’ve learned to play music by watching and listening to musicians who are way better than me. No formal training. I learned a lot during family jam sessions and singing harmonies in church. I became very ill with Lyme’s Disease as a teenager and music was my escape during that time. I really honed in on learning to accompany myself learning songs and studying records like “Home” by The Chicks, Patsy Clines greatest hits, Patty Loveless records, LeAnn Rimes “Blue”, Travis Tritt records, and more. I eventually worked alongside musicians with way more experience than me, so I learned by watching them and playing alone. When I started gigging in the DC/MD/VA areas, traditional country music was really, well, uncool. That put me in a position to learn anything but country music ASAP. I worked with musicians who were steeped in blues and rock. I really expanded my background and began to learn from artists like Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, James Taylor, Allman Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks, Bonnie Raitt, and more. 5.Who are your biggest influences? My biggest musical influences are Patsy Cline, Patty Loveless, The (Dixie) Chicks, Keith Whitley and Chris Stapleton. 6.What style of music do you consider yours? I’ve always been true to, and have felt the most connected to, what I was first exposed to as a tot: country music. Since we now have so many varieties of genres, I feel like I most fit the “neo-traditional country music” and “Americana” styles. 7.What was your first gig? How old were you? That’s hard to recall. We had a music venue open in my hometown called “The Music Café.” It was a listening room with a small cafe where you could only drink coffee/tea and non-alcohol beverages because my town was a “dry” town. I began playing open mic night there to eventually have my own headlined shows there before I could drive. 8.What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? First and foremost: watch and listen to people who are eons better than you as you go. Be uncomfortable and always allow yourself to be vulnerable as you become more and more accomplished. That’s how you know you’re growing! Never stop learning. A few things I always try to keep conscious of:
9.Do you write your own songs? Yes I do! Songwriting is one of my favorite things about music. 10.What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? Ooooh I like this question but probably D’Angelo, Toots & The Maytals And some D.C Gogo Band records including the “Godfather of Gogo” Chuck Brown. 11.What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? Probably something with natural medicine. I’m a bit of an autodidact with things pertaining to medicinal uses of plants and fungi. 12.Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? This is always a tough question because there is a revolving list of favorites, but “Crazy” by Patsy Cline will probably always be my favorite. 13.If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? I’d love to see any artists that are keeping traditional country at least as a part of their sound if not completely their sound…People like Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Jon Pardi. I’d even love to throw some emerging artists like Zac Top, Logan Ledger, and Will Jones in the hat! If I could go back in time, I’d faint if I heard Dawn Sears sing any of them.
3 Comments
Stan Belo
1/3/2024 06:07:43 am
I have had the joy of seeing Mindy on a number of occasions and convinced she is a superstar. Thank you for helping spread that message
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Teri Manis
1/3/2024 10:08:29 am
Mindy Miller is going to be a superstar one day! Her voice is like an angel and her range is phenomenal! Watching Mindy perform captivates your ❤️. Her music makes your feet start to tap first then next thing you know you are whole body dancing!😁 Keep up the great work Mindy and looking forward to hearing more music from you!
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Donna Richards
1/3/2024 03:29:46 pm
She is a natural! She connects with her audience such an awesome entertainer! Was such a pleasure to actually attend her shows this past year! Can’t wait to see her again! Most down to earth person you will ever meet! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for her with her exceptional talent!
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AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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