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Bill Miller's been playing with the Dave Graney
Show for the last six years. He played on and helped arrange the first
, group titled album and then the second, "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", the
third, "heroic blues" and the fourth, "the brother who
lived".
He was heavily involved in the making of "Hashish and Liquor"
in the studio with Clare Moore. Editing and recording. His guitar playing
features on the track, "a lot to drink about".
Bill is a superb guitar player, arranger and vocalist.
He approaches music and life with a real sense of delight and play. I'm
not saying he's a blissed out , mystic hippie. I mean that he has his
priorities and one of those seems to be that he doesn't expect to be bummed
out every time he turns around a corner. He's tough and wiry and cranky
and he's a complete joy to play with. He knows his nuts and his bolt.
"Elsternwick 69" is the name of Bills third solo release. It
follows, "Victoria" (1998) and Yarraville ( 1996). We first worked with
Bill on a remix of a Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes single called "feelin
kinda sporty". He was working with Andrew Duffield and Phil Kenihan on
this project and ended up providing most of the backing vocals and guitar.
They also coked up a version of "the sheriff of hell" from the
samd CD (the Devil Drives). This was so out there that Universal thew
up their hands and let us go. (Only joking, they let everybody go at the
same time). This was done n 1997 but wasn't released until the "Baddest"
collection of 1999.
Prior to working with Andrew and Phil , Bill Miller had been working with
his band "the Spaniards". Before that he'd worked with "the Great Blokes".
Before that he'd had his biggest mainstream recognition as the leader
and chief songwriter for "the Ferrets". Their single "don't fall in love"
was number one for three weeks in 1977. Bill played the part of the pop
star to the hilt. He was at the end of the spectrum where it's good to
be bad. He knows what excess feels and tastes like. It's quite enjoyable
actually. The Australian scene prefers its pop stars to be humble and
thankful for the opportunity to briefly rise above the pack. I don't know
for sure as I wasn't there but I can't imagine Bill playing that particular
game quite that demurely.
Before the Ferrets Bill had been in a band called "Buster Brown" with
the pre Rose Tattoo mainstays "Angry" Anderson and Dallas "Digger" Royal.
(This is a long rock'n'roll story we are coming in on here). Just before
this Bill spent two years in the chorus of "Jesus Christ superstar".
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