The name "Matt Miller" has recently gained a modicum of notoriety in the AU area. The stickers affixed to garbage cans and signs in the Tenleytown area make you wonder: just who is Matt Miller?
Instead of the place you toss your trash, you should be associating the name with the catchy pop/rock the AU alumnus produces. Miller's brand of indie pop, which brings to mind Matt Kearney and Raconteurs' lead singer Brendan Benson's solo work, is worth a listen.
So do memories of being an Eagle last after years of gigging, moving across the country to explore your artistic creativity and breaking into a new music scene?
Miller, a 2005 graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences said the answer is yes.
He still remembers his beginnings at AU and even previous mentions in The Eagle.
"I may or may not be in there for running for SG president at one point," Miller said. Miller ran for SG president in 2004, receiving 15.5 percent of the vote.
Now past any hopes for student politics, Miller resides in Los Angeles, touring and gaining support for his newest EP, "EP II," which reached stores in August. The five-song release is a simple, melodic collection that offers tracks featuring both groove-heavy rhythms and delicate, dreamy instrumentation.
Miller recorded the EP early this year, traveling around California to bring inspiration to the project.
"I wanted to let my voice be heard," Miller said. "I wanted to put myself in new places where I was seeing things I hadn't seen before, try to spark something new inside of me."
This wasn't the first time traveling helped Miller explore musical possibilities. He said his semester studying abroad in Italy was the genesis of his musical career.
"I started playing shows while in Rome," he said. "Rome was amazing. Playing over there was unlike anything I've done yet."
Miller enjoyed the rambunctious attitude of the music scene there. He added that one of the strongest musical impressions from that trip was the gypsy bands that would play on street corners and trams.
"It's the soundtrack to my trip over there," he said. "Any time I hear accordion folk music it always reminds me of the gypsies."
Miller then returned to D.C. to finish his undergraduate degree in history and remained in the area the following year to work on his music career. He feels he learned a lot from playing in some of D.C.'s smaller venues, like the Grog and Tankard on Wisconsin Avenue, where he played his first regular gig.
"I was always welcome to go in and just jam with friends or whatever band I had," he said. "I think that's really important."
Once he left D.C. and moved to California, one of the first things Miller set out was to find a venue he could call home.
"There's something to be said about the way music is in D.C.," he said. "[It's] a little more pure. [In California], everything is sort of touched by the industry. People are trying to write for other people as opposed to writing for themselves and their emotions."
While Miller lived in D.C., he worked as a waiter at Clyde's, played shows and traveled to New York to meet with producers and agents. He met with Jack Douglas, producer for John Lennon and Aerosmith, who helped Miller with his first EP, "EP."
After meeting with Douglas, Miller said he knew moving to New York or Los Angeles was a must to continue his career.
Miller chose the latter, where he found a new community of musicians who eventually would help him craft "EP II."
Though now on the opposite coast, Miller said his memories of AU are still vibrant.
"Letts 117 was ... my favorite room," Miller said, who lived in Letts, Anderson and McDowell halls during his years as an undergraduate. "We like to consider ourselves the South side of North side," he added about his floor on McDowell.
He also shared his favorite place to hang out on campus - the roof of the parking garage by Bender Arena.
"We used to just chill up there ... late at night," he said. "[We'd] just watch people walk into campus."
Whether Miller was hanging out in the Letts first floor lounge or playing in D.C.'s dive bars, his time at AU provided experiences that remain part of who he is. He said it also provided the fodder that prepared him for his move to California.
"It was an important time for me to grow," Miller said. "I was playing a lot of shows to literally one person ... I just knew I had to go and do it. It's important with any art to learn how to do it for yourself."
You can reach this staff writer at tbrooks@theeagleonline.com.
