Katie Miller has long loved singing, but it was only recently she decided to head to the recording studio to share her music with a broader audience.
鈥淚 started writing songs about the same time that I started being asked to perform at various local events in the Esterhazy area,鈥漵aid the CBC Music Searchlight Contest semi-finalist. 鈥淢y solo performances included a mix of original and cover material, in addition to playing in various cover rock bands. Recording my music was always in the back of my mind, but the spark ignited when I was performing at a house concert in August, 2013. My set contained mostly covers, with only a couple of my original songs, and after the show, I was asked where people could buy my music. It was that moment, that I realized it鈥檚 now or never and I began take my song writing seriously, and pursue recording my debut album.鈥�
And that meant writing more material.
鈥淚 draw inspiration for my song writing from my observations on my prairie surroundings, and reflections on my life experiences and those around me,鈥� said Miller, who grew up on a farm just outside Gerald, SK and now resides in Esterhazy. 鈥淢ost of my songs deal with overcoming struggle, being true to yourself, and finding light out of the darkness.鈥�
Miller said music has always been part of her life.
鈥淢y first musical memories are as a very young girl, singing with my Dad on our walks around the farm,鈥� she said. 鈥淲henever listen to music, I always find myself adding a harmony line which is something I remember my Dad doing when I look back on those early childhood memories. Growing up in a musical family helped to shape my passion for music. I took organ lessons, but when I learned to play the ukulele in junior high school, I discovered it was a great instrument to accompany my singing. I loved it and would accompany myself and my three younger brothers at church concerts in Gerald. 聽
鈥淎bout this same time, my brother, Stephen Weiss, got a guitar and was a natural and is now a guitar teacher in Montreal:聽 http://pages.videotron.com/swguitar/
My ukulele playing then transformed into playing the guitar, with my first songs on the guitar being some folk songs that I still enjoy singing today, such as The Boxer (Simon and Garfunkel) and Leaving On A Jet Plane (John Denver).鈥�
Other early musical influences include Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills Nash and Young.
鈥淚 always thought I was born in the wrong era,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淔olk-rock, Indie-rock and Singer-Songwriter music is what I listen to and what I write. Here are some of my biggest musical influences: Neil Young (Fave Album: Harvest), Eddie Vedder (love his ukulele album!), The Tragically Hip (Fave Album: Phantom Power), and The Avett Brothers (Love All their music).鈥�
So with varied influences fuelling her writing Miller began to look for a place to record what would become her debut disc.
鈥淚t was Ken Kohlert, owner of Fuzztone Music in Yorkton, who I first turned to for advice about recording my album,鈥� she said. 鈥淜en spoke highly of Byron Chambers, a recording engineer and producer that works out of Blue Door Recording Studio in Regina, who is also a mind-blowing bass player. Ken also told me that Byron, along with Byron鈥檚 brother, Evan, (who is a guitar genius), both were Yorkton boys that used to take music lessons with Ken. The Chambers brothers now live in Regina and have their own blues-rock band, 鈥淓van Chambers And The Third Alarm.鈥� Their cousin, Eric Mazden on drums, completes the band.
鈥淎nother local connection is Ryan Enockson, originally from Yorkton now in Vancouver working at Bryan Adam鈥檚 Warehouse Studio:聽 Ryan did the mastering of my album.
鈥淪o, the album was recorded at Blue Door Recording in Regina, with all songs written by me. It was produced by myself and Byron Chambers and was recorded and mixed by Byron.鈥�
As you might expect the recording studio was a learning curve for Miller.
鈥淭he very first recording session last summer was very much like playing in a band, as we all played together in the studio, with me on vocals while the drum tracks were laid down for all my songs. After the drums were mixed, the guitars, bass and some keyboard and strings were recorded, and vocals were the very last tracks to be recorded,鈥� she said, then added that would change. 鈥淩ecording the vocals was very different from when I perform, as I accompany myself on guitar and harmonica during my shows, and in the studio, I had only my vocals to concentrate on, so it was a totally different feeling to sing without playing an instrument.鈥�
But the effort is one Miller is satisfied with as a first effort.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy with the finished product and am happy with the response I鈥檝e been receiving from the album,鈥� she said.
鈥淎 couple of weeks before I released my album, I released my first single from the album, 鈥淧rairie Sea,鈥� on SoundCloud.聽 I posted this on Twitter, and Facebook, and received hundreds of views in a matter of 48 hours. Taron Cochrane, Saskatchewan Media Music Commentator and SaskMusic Board Member, is one of my followers on Twitter, and loved 鈥楶rairie Sea,鈥� retweeting it with, 鈥淟ocal Music Find of the Night: Hum along to the harmonies & harmonica,鈥� and 鈥淭hank you for a song that I could listen to 9 times on repeat tonight!鈥澛� 鈥淧rairie Sea鈥� paints a portrait of summer on the prairies and was featured as the theme song for Embrace Theatre鈥檚 (Saskatoon) family production that toured Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial parks in the summer of 2014.鈥漈he album launched in February on Bandcamp, an on-line music store and also a platform for artist promotion that many independent artists use to sell their music and merchandise direct to consumers in digital and physical format.聽 (http://katiemiller1.bandcamp.com/album/silverflower)
Miller said the interest is building.
鈥淚 have been invited to be a guest on a couple of shows on Regina鈥檚 community radio station, CJTR:聽 鈥淐abin Fever鈥� on April 29, at 9pm. and 鈥淧ickin It Country鈥� on May 29 at 6pm. I am now doing follow-up with other community radio stations across the country, and it鈥檚 been great to see the response in stations downloading my music and requesting for me to mail out my CD, from stations from Nova Scotia to Quebec to the prairie provinces as well as BC,鈥� she said.
鈥淩egina Global Morning heard about my music via Twitter and contacted me about being on their Music Monday Show on May 4. I will also be making an appearance on Regina CTV Morning on May 5. That is a busy week for me as on May 6 I am one of three performers at the annual 鈥淲omen In Song鈥� Event at Bushwakkers in Regina, as well as my Hometown CD Release Party May 9 at the Esterhazy Legion Hall.聽 I鈥檓 very excited that Evan Chambers And The Third Alarm will be performing with me at my CD Release Party. They are such amazingly talented musicians.鈥�
On a personal note Miller has her own favs on the album.
鈥淢y favourite track is the last track on the album, which is the acoustic version of 鈥淟ittle Brother鈥� which is also track two on the album done with the full band sound,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he acoustic version is how the song was written, and is where my heart is when I hear the song. 鈥淟ittle Brother鈥� is a very personal song and was indeed for my little brother.
鈥淭he song is a reminder for those that find themselves in a dark place, that there is someone who cares and will always be there for you, even though they may not have the answers. I may return to more acoustic roots in the recording of my next album, which I have songs for, but have to decide on some more specifics as to where and when I will record.鈥�
Track three, 鈥淪ilverflower,鈥� which is also the title of the album, is also liked by the artist.
鈥淭he song compares a person to a flower, and in particular the lotus flower which is a beautiful flower that grows from dark muddy waters,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淟ike the lotus, a person can come from not such a great home life situation, but still grow into a person that can radiate positive energy.鈥�
CDs are for sale at Fuzztone Music in Yorkton, Sagebrush Studios in Churchbridge and many local businesses in Esterhazy, or they can be purchased online via the Bandcamp website.
