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-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

so 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 homegrown 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

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-thealtar 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,

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'

flowing, musically speaking, was born plain Eric Clapp...

'I lived in Merrow, which was just down the road from Ripley in Surrey. I remember

seeing Eric in 1977 when

__-e _ but in the end it just came so easily.' The result is "When 'ltory died 1 thought enjoyably 'authentic' and

"There's nobody doing this appropriately precedes When The Blues Mana11Y more. 'Why don't 1 do it?' Walked The Earth, his

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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

_ 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

And another thing... 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

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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 '1've got a really great bandvolume, so I've put the original pickups back in and 1 love it more than ever. my 2002 now; it's still a warm and lovely sound.' 1couldn't askfor atry more'

Amp-wise, Marshall ---------.'--------endorsee Larry uses a

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combination of a IOOW Vintage Modern, with KT66 to the audience, far more listenable. It's all part of that

tubes that give it 'a bassy, midrangy sound', with a earlY-'7oS rock sound. You've got the Hammond organ,

IOOW DSL. '[ tend to use both amps on, with the the Marshall, the Les Paul, tight arrangements, it's such

Marshall speakers designed for the Vintage Modern. a classic sound. I think a whole evening of me playing

It's a 4X12" with the 25W Celestions designed for with my three-piece and a Strat can be hard work for

the Jimi Hendrix tribute amp - old-school sounding 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.