Buddy and Julie Miller

March 30, 2000

The Ark

Ann Arbor, MI

I got to see another great show at the Ark last week that featured the country/rock/folk duo, Buddy and Julie Miller. Buddy and Julie are a husband and wife singer/songwriter team that are sort of a cross between the famous pairings of George Jones with Tammy Wynette and Richard Thompson with Linda Thompson. That is to say that these two have solid country credentials but they are also top notch singer/songwriters.

I first saw the Millers when they opened a triple bill that also included Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Emmylou Harris at the Portland Zoo a few years ago. During their short set I was impressed by their songs and their sound. Buddy also played guitar in Emmylou's band, Spyboy that day and I was really blown away by his skills on guitar. He had absorbed that Daniel Lanois vibe that Emmylou had going and had crossed it with some of the hottest traditional country picking I' ve seen. All around it was a great show, but Buddy's playing is one of the things I remember most. That tour with Buddy is documented on Emmylou's great live album from 1998 called Spyboy. A year or so later I got to see Buddy play again, this time with Steve Earle and again he tore up the stage with his playing. In short these two have been keeping some pretty good company even though they are largely unknown to most people.

Canadian singer/songwriter Colin Linden opened the show at the Ark with a short set of folky tunes. His singing and songwriting were decent but his guitar picking was excellent. The highlight for me was when he eulogized the Band's Rick Danko who had played his final show at the Ark just a few days before his death in December. In memory of Rick he played a great version of "Remedy", a song Colin cowrote with the Band on their album Jericho.

Soon the Millers took the stage accompanied by a drummer and a bass player and opened with the early 70's Dylan tune "Wallflower". This was a nice surprise and the song fit their style well. Buddy picked a crazy looking guitar while Julie strummed an acoustic. They tend to sing songs together rather than switching off verses. Buddy voice is a full of grit and twang while Julie's voice is fragile yet powerful. They continued on with the show, mixing tunes from both of their solo albums. One highlight was Julie singing her song "All My Tears (Be Washed Away) which Emmylou Harris also covered on her album, Wrecking Ball. Buddy told a story about a fan at a gig giving him a copy of Little Jimmy Scott singing the tune. He caught a red eye flight home that night and played the song for Julie who didn't even recognize it at first.

Other highlights included Buddy singing the soul standard "That's how Strong My Love Is" and his own "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger?". Buddy was confident and relaxed on stage while Julie seemed nervous and uneasy between songs. However, as soon as she started singing she seemed to relax and the crowd was really into her performance. She also told a funny story about how she was at the store and they had personalized toothbrushes on sale for ten for one dollar. So she staterd to pick out toothbrushes with her friends and families names and then she realized she could give them out at gigs since there was bound to be somebody in the audience with these names. Unfortunately, she left the toothbrushes on the bus that night.

Buddy's songs tended to rock a bit more and Julie's songs teneded to be quiter which made for a nice mix. The drummer and bass player were solid and unobtrusive. Suppossedly, the Millers are working on their first album that will be billed as Buddy and Julie Miller. All their previous albums have been by either Buddy Miller or Julie Miller separately. I think this album has the potential to be their best yet because their styles mesh so well. In the mean time check out their solo records or catch them on tour if you can while they are playing at such intimate venues.