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Album
Ben Miller Band
Any Way, Shape Or Form
(New West Records)

Price: 149 SEK

Combining the urgency of rock and roll, the frenetic energy of bluegrass, the soul of the delta blues and the haunted spirit of Appalachian mountain music in to a unique musical stew they dub “Ozark Stomp,” Ben Miller Band will release its sophomore album, Any Way, Shape Or Form, August 5 on New West Records. Produced by Vance Powell (Jack White, Kings of Leon, Wanda Jackson) at Sputnik Studios in Nashville, the LP was recorded in between tours supporting legendary Texas rockers ZZ Top and signifies the Joplin, MO-based band’s New West Records debut.

Any Way, Shape or Form is the band’s battle cry and encapsulates its DIY philosophy. “The title
refers to our method of using any means necessary to get the songs across,” singer/guitarist Ben Miller
explains. From the genre hopping and melding of a century’s worth of wide-ranging influences to their
makeshift instruments, unstinting work ethic and must-see live show, it’s a statement that rings true in everything they do and one that has helped them develop a grassroots following.

The Ben Miller Band's homespun, self-reliant approach extends to the lo-tech, and largely self-built, instruments that the members play on stage and in the studio, e.g. singer-songwriter Miller's thrift-shop guitars and banjos, bassist Scott Leeper's one-string washtub bass – comprised of a weedeater string attached to a wooden pole – and drummer Doug Dicharry's varied arsenal: trombone, trumpet, mandolin, electric washboard and electric spoons. Their use of offbeat instrumentation shouldn’t be misunderstood as a gimmick, however. “What I really care about is songs, and the rest of it is just a vehicle to get you to that destination,” Miller says, adding, “Just because we use junk to make music doesn’t mean we aren’t serious about it.”

Any Way, Shape Or Form is an exhilarating listen that opens with the barnburner “The Outsider” and
moves from the roadhouse blues of “You Don’t Know” to the thoughtful country ballad of “I Feel For You,” the searing jam of “Burning Building” to left-field departures like “23 Skidoo,” which sees the
band hopping from Dixieland jazz to a Tom Waitsian dirge to Santo & Johnny’s iconic “Sleep Walk” in
the same song. While those tunes show off Miller’s songwriting craftsmanship, a memorable workout on
the Appalachian folk song “The Cuckoo” underlines the band’s interpretive abilities and turns tradition
on its head with Dicharry’s effects-laden electric spoons playing.

“We wanted to keep the record as live as possible,” Miller explains, “so we recorded it live and did lots of
takes. That was important to us, because we’ve been a live band for our whole career, and we wanted that to come across in the recordings, that feel of guys playing in a space together. We worked long days in the studio for about a month, we just played the songs over and over, pushing ourselves to maintain the high energy level of our shows.

Since forming in 2004, the hard-working unit has been turning heads and amassing a growing fan base through old-fashioned ingenuity and an unrelenting work ethic of playing as live as much as possible. In 2012, the Ben Miller Band took its first tentative steps in the recording studio, resulting in the embryonic self-released album, Heavy Load. Since the release they have generated a national buzz that has resulted

in glowing press and high-profile touring with ZZ Top, thanks to the enthusiastic patronage of avowed fan Billy Gibbons.

1. The Outsider
2. You Don't Know
3. Ghosts
4. Hurry Up And Wait
5. I Feel For You
6. 23 Skidoo
7. Burning Building
8. The Cuckoo
9. Twinkle Toes
10. Life On Wheels
11. No War
12. Prettiest Girl
13. King Kong

Other albums by Ben Miller Band: