"When `ltory died 1 thought "There`s nobody doing this

-
LARRY MILLER
Foreve
Touring and releasing his own albums since 1997, Larry Miller is
following in the footsteps of Rory Gallagher and Jimi Hendrix while
keeping his brand of blues-rock unique. Interview by Michael Heatley
s
o what's in a name' Larry Miller could be
the moniker of your local plumber, butcher
or car mechanic. Such is the lot of a home­
grown guitar hero that, though latest album
On The Edge is the seventh of his career, Larry remains
under the radar as far as much of the media goes. It's
asituation rather like that of his all-time hero, Rory
Gallagher, and who knows ... things might change.
'It's fascinating, really,' he smiles. 'There are so many
bands out there that have so much more press than
me. We do so many gigs - obviously I make a living out
ofit - but a lot of bands that get far more press aren't
pulling in anywhere near the numbers we do, which is
quite nice. I put it down to word of mouth; people come
to see me, get what I'm doing, and come back.'
Of course, he could take a shortcut, add some
American exoticism and become, say, Larry Lee Miller,
but that's not his way. Besides, even the man who first
got his creative juices
- - - - - -_ _-e
flowing, musically
speaking, was born plain
Eric Clapp...
'I lived in Merrow,
which was just down
the road from Ripley
- - - - - -_ _- e
in Surrey. I remember
seeing Eric in 1977 when
he played the Cranleigh Village Hall, when he started
doing a series of smaller gigs.
'My brother, who's three years older than me,
introduced me to all this sort of stuff - I was really
ahead of all my friends. It seemed like every time I'd
come down in the morning before going off to school
there'd be a new album by Black Sabbath, Quintessence
or the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I remember watching
my brother and his friends jumping around the room
to the Who's Live At Leeds. I was only a little boy but 1
remember thinking "This is fun!" Of course, then they
all went off and got normal jobs!'
Larry took significantly longer in creating On The
Edge than previous albums: 'I've spent the last year and
a half totally indulging myself.' But, as he explains, the
songs he knocked out relatively quickly, and the ones
that give him the least satisfaction, are sometimes the
ones people like the most.
'There's a song called Road Runner which I just threw
down in the studio, but Paul Jones plays it on his radio
show! You're trying to stretch the boundaries, but the
ones that people pick up on are often the ones that you
thought were throwaways.'
One of the album's more personal compositions is
the standout The Wrong'Name, a classic jilted-at-the­
altar ballad that has already won Larry a nomination
for the UK's best blues writer, courtesy of an impressed
radio producer. However, he's aware of the pitfalls of
straying from the familiar blues-rock highway.
'This type of music is all quite derivative, it's all been
done before, and if you step outside those boundaries
then people don't like it. So it's finding the right
balance; don't get too clever. .. but at the same time it
has to come from the heart.'
Larry tries to have an acoustic number on each of his
albums, and this time The Devil's In The Detail- played
in a Jimmy Page-approved DADGAD tuning - was
the last number to be cut. 'That song is really weird
because I originally had those sets oflyrics to a different
type of song completely,
_
but in the end it just came
so easily.' The result is
enjoyably 'authentic' and
appropriately precedes
"When 'ltory died 1 thought
"There's nobody doing this
a11Y more. 'Why don't 1 do it?'
_
Guitars
Gibson Les Paul,
Fender Strat, Martin
D-35 acoustic
Amps
Marshall Vintage
Modern, Marshall DSL
Effeds
Ibanez Tube Screamer,
Cry Baby wah-wah
'and maybe just a
clean boost'
When The Blues Man
Walked The Earth, his
homage to the greats.
.~
Takin CareOf BUSINESS
JULY2012 Guitar & Bass 33
LARRY MILLER
LARRY MILLER
Fearless
(2005)
Album four, his first in
four years, contained
Rory, larry's tribute
to his personal friend,
hero and influence
LARRY MILLER
Unfinished
Business
(2010)
The follow-up to
Outlaw Blues was even
more impressive. 'Why
isn't he a superstar?'
was Classic Rock
mag's verdict
LARRY MILLER
UNFlNISHED BUSINESS
LARRY MILLER
On The Edge
(2012)
On sale this May, this
is larry's deepest and
most satisfying effort
yet. Full-tilt opener
When Trouble Comes is
just one of many
standout tracks
Larry's always been a Strat player
- his '70S Larryocaster, played live
since 1985, is the stuff of legend. So
it comes as a surprise to find that
On The Edge was created solely with
the classic 'Beano' combination of
a Les Paul and Marshall amps.
'I didn't use any Strats - Rory
will be turning in his gravel He
would say things like "The Gibson
has a very lush sound, that big
sound, but the Fender would
hit the wall at the back." But
sometimes the Fender sound is
just a bit too thin and weedy. If
you can play the Les Paul and use
the tones and the volume - and
get some sort of clarity on your
amp as well, so it's not one big
mush - then, because you've got
the humbuckers, especially on the
single notes for the solos, they do
sing a bit more than single coils.'
Larry's had his Les Paul for a
decade now - 'It's a 2002, though
I'd love to say it was a '59" - and
has not been afraid to tinker
with it to obtain the result he
desired. 'I put Seymour Duncan
Antiquity pickups in it, which
have less volume but more tone
going on. But just after I finished
the album I picked up a 1960
reissue Les Paul, and the pickups
on that are Burstbuckers.
When I went back to the
Antiquity pickups there
was a noticeable drop in
volume, so I've put the
original pickups back in
my 2002 now; it's still a
warm and lovely sound.'
Amp-wise, Marshall
endorsee Larry uses a
combination of a IOOW Vintage Modern, with KT66
tubes that give it 'a bassy, midrangy sound', with a
IOOW DSL. '[ tend to use both amps on, with the
Marshall speakers designed for the Vintage Modern.
It's a 4X12" with the 25W Celestions designed for
the Jimi Hendrix tribute amp - old-school sounding
---------.--------­
speakers really make
such a difference.'
The recently added
keyboards of Ian
Salisbury have given a
new sheen to Larry's
output. 'I think it's made
it far more presentable
to the audience, far more listenable. It's all part of that
earlY-'7oS rock sound. You've got the Hammond organ,
the Marshall, the Les Paul, tight arrangements, it's such
a classic sound. I think a whole evening of me playing
with my three-piece and a Strat can be hard work for
the listener, perhaps.'
Larry's ultimate aim is not stardom but longevity.
'There is always going to be omebody who's been
around two minutes and all the doors open for them,
and there are certain people that play all their lives and
never get anywhere, great players out there that never
get a look-in.
'I've got a really, really great band, I love it more than
ever and I'm getting better and better - and I couldn't
ask for anything more than that. You're going out on
the road with these great guys, and people are turning
up to hear you play and they're loving it and getting
what you're doing.' He may not be a household name,
but Larry Miller's happy to be a local hero. <B
'1've got a really great band
and 1 love it more than ever.
1 couldn't askfor atry more'
---------.'--------­
And another
thing...
L
While many bluesmen
are ageless, larry
won't reveal how old
he Is. 'It never used to
bother me, but I now
know why everyone
wants to know that,'
he sighs. 'They will
think "Ah, he's over
there so we can put
1i!;;;I_h_im=in_t_hl_'S_b_OX_"_'= =;;!I
34 (;"it~r /I, R~~~ lilLY 2012