Tex Miller oozes a quiet confidence beyond his years. “Greg Arnold from Things of Stone and Wood once told me that song writing is a life sentence,” he says rather nonchalantly, but I can tell he comprehends the gravity of his statement more than he lets on. His new EP aptly titled Prisoner to the Blues tells you enough to know Tex is in it for the long haul. He lives, breathes and writes about music every day. “Music is life to me. I’m a journalist by trade, [one of Forte’s alumni] I’m usually the one asking the questions, so it’s an honour and a surreal moment to be interviewed as an artist!” he laughed.
His cool and casual manner makes it easy to picture catching up for a beer after a gig, swapping stories about our favourite records. However, as fate would have it, we caught up on a bright and sunny Friday morning to chat about his upcoming EP launch at Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues. “The EP was recorded in Geelong at the home studio of the local blues band, The Mojo Corner.
“There are five originals and two covers, so I’ve been branding it a mini album,” he grinned, “and it feels so good to finally have it out.” Tex says Prisoner to the Blues was a labour of love explaining, “It’s a collection of old tracks – bar one [the title track]. It’s been about six years in the making.”
Tex readily admits to hunting through his parents’ vinyl collection for inspiration and hidden gems, shown in his eclectic taste and choice of covers included on the EP. “The two covers on the album are ZZ Top’s ‘Waiting for the Bus’ and ‘Milk Cow Blues’, which is a song that was written in the late ’20s. Elvis has done it, Willie Nelson has covered it too – all the greats.
“They’re the two tracks on the album that I play my resonator on . . . my Don Morrison – My Donmo!” he announced proudly. “Don Morrison is an Adelaide guitar maker – let’s get a plug in there for him,” Tex smiled.
As the conversation flowed, talk turned to his new-found appreciation for JJ Cale’s 1972 debut album Naturally (“JJ is the essence of cool. He knows how to write and arrange a groovy song”), recording a seven inch single in Jack White’s booth at Nashville’s Third Man Records, and Gretchen – the new love of his life.
“Gretchen is a 6118 ‘Double Anniversary’ Gretsch guitar. She’s just sexy and a beast of a guitar. She’s been my favourite guitar to play since picking her up, and the only one I’ve played for a couple of weeks now. I went on a trip to America about a month ago, mid-September to mid-October, and I picked her up in San Francisco.”
On the trip of a lifetime, Tex spent a week in Nashville, the same in San Fran and a week travelling down the West Coast. But it’s in Austin Texas, home to SXSW (the annual music showcase) where Tex’s heart truly lies. “I want to move there – it’s known as the live music capital of the world and having experienced it, I can tell you it absolutely is.
“I’ll never forget this one night for as long as I live. We went to see Sarah Carroll, who is Chris Wilson’s wife [also known as the ‘Ukulele Queen of the Bellarine’ and Tex’s support for his EP launch]. She was playing a gig with Bill Kirchen who was in the 1960’s band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airman. He’s known as the godfather of the Fender Telecaster,” Tex added, then continued: “They played on a Monday night at a small Mexican restaurant and there were over 300 people there! Austin has an amazing live music culture – music is everywhere! I’d love to see that reinjected back into regional Victoria.”
When&Where: Prisoner to the Blues EP Launch @ Pistol Pete’s – November 14
By Natalie Rogers / Photo by Jessica Shepherd