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Quirky? Diverse? Eclectic? The answer is yes, yes, and yes. Indeed, you may be hard pressed to find a musical project that takes more twists and turns than There From Here by Todd Miller. Like a small-budget movie willing to take chances that studio blockbusters predictably shun, There From Here doesn’t embrace formula.

Seasoned movie buffs relish a piece of cinema empowered by a director that doesn’t capitulate to popular sensibilities. So it is with Todd Miller, serving as producer on his solo musical debut There From Here. In fact, as an independent artist with little to risk and without the shackles customarily imposed by label executives, Miller voraciously pursues his own vagaries and eccentricities. And they are legion.

Like most independent artists, Miller writes all of his own music. There From Here includes songs about a dead man, a Minnesota winter, and a character from a Herman Melville short story. These are songs which offer offbeat, peculiar perspectives on familiar themes. Miller often uses personification to bring inanimate objects to life. A beach house, stars, and the ocean tide all assume human qualities under Miller’s unconventional pen. Like any songwriter, Miller faced a steep challenge in constructing believable, real characters in the time span of a single song. For the most part, he pulled it off. Still, this musical portfolio resembles a wild dream combining incongruent situations and interesting people. 

Although Miller’s primary instrument is the ubiquitous folk guitar, he does employ a wide variety of instruments to create a potpourri of sonic styles. "Eastern Standard Time" and "Looking Up" feature a medium tempo country flavor. "Tequila Girl" employs the marimba and what sounds like bongo drums, to create an island sound. When "Old Time Remedy" changes velocity, you can almost see the honky-tonk piano and accordion players across the bar through the thick, smoky haze. Subsequently, when Miller launches into the chorus, the song changes colors again into a rousing gospel sound. "Winter Affair" meshes a rocky beat with speedy bluegrass licks. "Long Away" is written to the traditional tune of "Amazing Grace", assuming a marching rhythm later in the song with a lonesome tin whistle providing a longing, wistful embellishment. "Working Days" features a Jamaican beat, utilizing nothing but percussion and vocals.

One can only hope Miller enjoys these varied musical approaches now. If he is ever signed to a label, the experimental revelry might be over. Under the watchful supervision of label executives, this project would never make it to market. Although it might be compelling and fun for fans that enjoy musical surprises, it’s much too diverse for the average consumer. Despite that, if you respect and appreciate versatility and variety as much as I do, don’t hesitate to seek out a copy of There From Here for yourself.

Todd Miller belongs to an association of folk musicians called Living Room tunes.com. The alliance is a cooperative group of artists joined to promote its individual members. While a handful of artists seeking radio airplay actually receive it, there is an amazing array of talent with viable and aesthetically pleasing music waiting in the wings. As a listener, there’s a certain egotistical joy in appreciating the music of these talented but sometimes anonymous artists, while the rest of the musical universe exists on a repetitive diet of the same sound, hour after hour, day after day. If you agree, you may wish to visit the Living Room tunes.com web site where you will graciously be given the opportunity to down load the compilation CD Keepsakes. Two of Miller’s tunes off of There From Here are featured on this collection. 

Miller’s vocal timbre and folk song writing style bear a strong resemblance to Brian Spahr, a fellow Living Room tunes.com member. If you read my review of Spahr’s Deeper you know I would consider that a good thing. It also stands to reason since these fellows have likely spent more than a little time together. Among other opportunities for collaboration, Miller played bass, accordion and mandolin on Deeper. When talent shares company with talent, there’s bound to be a certain degree of mutual influence.

Miller’s voice is utilitarian, not showy. If I were to rank Miller’s songwriting, musicianship and vocal skills in order, it would be in the order they appear in this sentence. Vocally, he doesn’t have especially broad range or technical proficiency. His pipes strain sometimes under the stress of holding a note or venturing into an uncomfortable octave. 

Although unconventional, I am intrigued and enthusiastic about these songs. As a writer, Miller seems to relish the element of surprise. "House on the Beach" appears initially to be a song about a young couple living their lives full of wedded bliss and joy, eventually growing old. As we wait for the punch line, pondering which contrived denouement Miller will utilize, we are caught off-guard with an unexpected twist. Granted, it’s a wrinkle I’ve seen repeatedly in movies, but never in a song.

"Dead (Now That I Am)" is eerily weird. The first verse provides explicit detail on the metaphysical aspect of dying, blow by blow:

Everything got large, all got small and then
Like breathing in and out, it happened all again
Everything got fast like when the film is sped
Back in those old time films and I knew I was dead

I’m never really sure if Miller is aiming for laughs, the gross-out factor, or to be instructive. And that’s part of the offbeat appeal of his songs. He keeps us guessing. Usually, I just smile inside and figuratively shake my head. I’m tickled by the sometimes outrageous perspective of these songs, but also cheering the inward pluck it takes to write so bluntly and atypically. 

Miller’s early years seem normal enough. Raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, he was brought up listening to the likes of Billy Joel, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Dan Fogelberg, and Jim Croce, singer songwriters with a gift for inventing real characters. While we see shades of the literate influence of these writers in Miller’s compositions, none of these artists ventured as far into the world of the bizarre as their student. 

While There From Here is his first solo effort, Todd Miller isn’t a beginner. He’s played bass and acoustic guitar full-time for the Christian band Echelon (http://echelonministries.com/index.html), traveling the country with a schedule of nearly 200 gigs every year.

Although occasionally a little clumsy, irregular and unpolished, There From Here is a decent effort. Much of its appeal is its amusing eccentricity. In short, it’s as peculiar lyrically as it is musically, a collage of diverse styles, unusual phrases, and upside down vistas. Get a copy, before you are dead. It might make you feel like dancing an Irish jig. 

Curt McLey July 28, 2002