Featured Artist ~ May 2006
 Shelley
Miller
Bio
Shelley Miller is a hopeful caterpillar
on a shaky branch of life. Equal parts condemned building, strawberry
shortcake and high lonesome cowgirl, Shelley writes to document the hidden
bits of everyday existence. Blending genres as seamlessly as her voice
bends notes, Shelley writes in the margins between Americana, folk, pop
and blues-rock.
A tireless performer, Shelley has won
over audiences in both intimate coffeehouses and large festivals. Her
encore performance at the 2004 Midwest Music Summit (with Dave Golden
and Jeremiah Birnbaum) was lauded as "a highlight and perfect ending
to an amazing weekend of music" by Mary Lee Pappas of NUVO. Other
standout performances include the Rockrgrl Music Conference (Seattle),
Estrojam, The Chicago Folk and Roots Festival, Ladyfest Lansing, Nashville
New Music Conference, MidPoint Music Festival (Cincinnati) and theQueer
is Folk Festival (Chicago).
Shelley's songs have been honored by several
national songwriting contests including: A Call to Arts Song and Music
Contest (First Place, 2004), the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest (2nd
Place, Folk, 2004), the VH1-sposored Song of the Year Contest (Finalist,
2004) and the Great American Song Contest (Honor Award, 2004). Her music
has appeared on compliations released by Waterbug Records, SBS Records,
and Bannon Productions.
Shelley released her debut CD, Tear Me
Down, in June of 2002. Produced and arranged by Tommi Zender this eleven-song
disc features the talents of Tommi Zender, Jeff Oliver, Liz Conant and
rock trio 1/2 Mad Poet. Her second CD, Morning Somewhere, is slated for
release in 2006.
A firm believer in the power of community,
Shelley has organized showcases and two midwest tours for Indiegrrl. Shelley
has performed with the improvisational ensemble She Laughs, folk/poetry
duo Moon Lodge and goth-metal band Urn, and has lent her voice to recordings
by Tommi Zender, Amanda Sena, Kara Kulpa and Anthony Whitaker. In addition
to her solo work, Shelley sings and plays with Anthony Whitaker, Kara
Kulpa and Jeremiah Birnbaum and Dave Golden. She teaches
guitar and songwriting at the Old Town School of Folk Music. When
not playing music, Shelley can often be found careening her bicycle through
the streets of Chicago...singing.
Interview
How old were you when you started writing songs and how many years have
you been writing and performing?
I picked up the guitar when I was 22,
and started writing songs shortly thereafter. But I’ve been making
up little songs and stories to keep myselfcompany for as long as I can
remember. I played my first open mic in 1999 andmy first show in 2000.
Who were your major influences with your music?
When I first started out, the Indigo Girls were a huge influence. I’d
found their music by chance in high school (Sassy Magazine reviewed their
first CD), and it changed my life (no more Richard Marx and Tiffany for
me!). These days,
I’d have to say Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Eliza Gilkyson, Patty
Griffin, Jeffery Foucault, Lucinda Williams and The Mountain Goats.
How would you describe your music?
Hmmm…my tag-line for the longest time has been “darkly sensual
folk music”…but I’m feeling more gritty and twangy these
days than folky. Maybe “urban Americana”.
How many CD projects have you finished and are you working on or have
any future project in the works?
I have one CD (Tear Me Down) out and another (Morning Somewhere) on
the way—as soon as I can sit down for long enough to finish the
artwork and proofread all the liner notes! I think it will be officially
released in August, though I’m
hoping to have copies in my hand by the end of June.
What special honors or awards have you received over the years in your
music career?
I’ve been honored by a few different songwriting contests over
the past few years: A Call to Arts Song and Music Contest (First Place,
2004), the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest (2nd Place, Folk, 2004), the
VH1-sposored Song
of the Year Contest (Finalist, 2004) and the Great American Song Contest
(Honor Award, 2004). I’ve also been chosen to showcase at some pretty
cool events—the Rockrgrl Music Conference (2005), the Queer is Folk
Festival (2005), Estrojam
(2005) and a few other festivals around the Midwest.
What is your favorite venue to perform live and why?
Oh goodness…I’m a Libra…do I have to pick just one?
Uncommon Ground in Chicago is pretty sweet—it’s cozy and intimate,
and they have tasty teas in abundance. Crazy Wisdom Tea House in Ann Arbor,
MI is also cool—it’s a holistic bookstore with a tea room/performance
space on the second floor. It’s a gorgeous space, the crowd is always
great…and their vegan cakes are to die for.
What music organizations are you affiliated with?
Indiegrrl
What do you think of politics and expressing political views in music?
I’m not an overtly political person. While I was involved in a
lot of protests and letter-writing campaigns before and during the early
part of the Iraq war, I’m not comfortable with the idea of ANYTHING
being black and white. I’d rather
tell stories of how INDIVIDUALS are affected by a situation, rather than
call names or bang someone over the head.
When you are writing songs do you pull from personal experiences and
headlining news or events that are around you? If so how easy or hard
is it to create songs expressing what you feel about these topics?
I’m not a very disciplined writer—most of the songs I write
are written because I have no choice. A story or a memory grabs me and
won’t let me be a functional human being again until I write about
it. I try not to go into songs with any
preconceived notions of what I WANT to say, because I want to let the
stories tell themselves. It’s hard in that I have to put some time
into relaxing and getting out of the “organized and in control”
mode that I run around in most of
the time. But once I start writing, it’s pretty easy for me to tap
into emotions and details.
What does it mean to be "Indie" to you and do you own your
own record label or publishing company?
Being “indie” to me means being in control. I don’t
have anyone telling me that I have to write songs in a certain style or
dress a certain way. I don’t own a label or publishing company—I’m
not the most business-minded person in the
world, so the thought of running either is pretty daunting.
What advice can you give to someone who is just starting to market themselves
in the Indie music market?
Make sure that you believe in yourself and the music you’re making.
Don’t expect anything to be given to you. Never underestimate the
power of kindness—neither yours nor other peoples’. Build
a network of musicians and supporters. There are so many amazing people
out there who will help you.
How involved are you with your recording projects?
I write the songs and have a basic idea of how I’d like to see/hear
them get fleshed out. But I’ve worked with producer Tommi Zender
on both of my CD projects—he’s got a great ear for arrangements
and plays a gazillion instruments. I’ve also worked with outside
engineers and other backing instruments. I’d love to get comfortable
recording myself someday (and learn other instruments fluently enough
to record with them), but for now, I’m comfortable bringing my mouth
and guitar and letting the other folks do the rest.
What instruments do you play?
Guitar is the only instrument I play at shows right now, but I’ve
dabbled in fiddle, banjo and piano, too. That’s one of the perks
of working at a music school. I’d love to learn to play bass.
What are your main goals for 2006 and in your music career as a whole?
Well, I just quit my full-time secretarial job, so I am, as of June
1st, a full-time musician and music teacher. That’s been a goal
for a long time, and I still don’t quite believe that it’s
actually happening. Beyond that, I want to put my CD out and promote it
to indie and folk radio stations. I’d like to work more on fiddle
and banjo and piano and learn how to play bass. I’d like to be a
better guitar player.
For my music career as a whole, I’d like to get my songs into
more ears and keep improving as a writer. I’d like to use music
to work towards social justice and leaving the world a better place than
I found it. I’d like to pass along even
half of the joy that music has brought to me.
What does Indiegrrl mean to you?
Indiegrrl, with its hundreds of talented members, has been such an amazing
resource for me. I joined the listserv before I’d even played an
open mic on my own, and have learned so much—both about the industry,
and about how to live
life.
Is there anyone you would like to thank that has helped you along in
your career
or in the music industry as a whole?
I’d like to thank everyone that listened to me early on and encouraged
me to keep writing and playing. I’d also like to thank the few people
who suggested, after hearing me at open mics, that I stop playing guitar,
because they made me
practice my behind off. And everyone at the Old Town School of Folk Music—my
students, my teachers, and the entire community of music-loving humans—for
giving me such an amazing place to call “home”.
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