By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The House of Blues has played host to the biggest names in the
music business ““ from George Clinton to Tony Bennett. Stars
from every genre have graced its rustic wooden floor. This Friday,
UCLA’s own Jason Miller will be added to that list.
Selected from a pool of more than a thousand contestants, the
third-year undeclared student will strap on his Fender Stratocaster
and take the stage alongside blues phenom Kenny Wayne Shepherd as
the winner of the Jam With Kenny contest. Though Miller is no
novice to the guitar world, having played for 12-and-a-half years,
it still came as a shock to learn that he had been chosen.
“The guy called me and said “˜Kenny just called from
the tour bus in Vermont or something and you’re the one who
the band’s been listening to. You won.’ I was in front
of Wooden and I just freaked out ““ yelling and
screaming.”
Relaxing on the stairs of Kerckhoff Hall, he took time to sit
down for a quick interview. Though the excitement had not yet worn
off, he was careful not to let it get the better of him, remaining
modest in the face of his accomplishment.
“There were 1,200 entries and they liked mine. I
don’t know if it’s my place to say it’s better or
anything, just that they liked it.”
To qualify for the contest, guitarists logged onto
Shepherd’s Web site and downloaded a brief clip of his tune
“In 2 Deep.” They then recorded their own solos on top
of the song and submitted it for review, trying to match musical
wits with the hard-driving blues rocker. Two winners were selected,
with Josh Williamson, a 16-year-old from San Jose, taking first
place in the under-18 category. Miller himself barely made the
deadline.
“I turned it in on the last day, so I wasn’t even
sure if they were going to get it,” he said.
His recording did indeed find its way to the appropriate
location, and now he’s on his way to the grand prize jam.
It’s fitting that the two should find themselves playing on
the same stage, because they both draw their inspiration from the
same source: Stevie Ray Vaughan.
“He’s my ultimate guitar hero,” Miller said.
“It’s ridiculous what he can do. What is it they say?
“˜Imitate, not duplicate?’ That’s what I try to
do. It’s hard being a white kid playing the blues, because I
don’t want to be known as a Stevie Ray rip-off. At the same
time, let’s be honest, he got me started on the stuff, and I
play that style because of him.”
This wasn’t always the case for Miller, who began his
musical career in an unusual fashion. At the age of eight, he took
a fateful voyage with his father to Toys “˜R’ Us, not
exactly the mecca of young musicians.
“He said, “˜Do you guys see anything
interesting?’ My brother wanted a set of baseball cards, and
I saw this cheap guitar with a speaker built in. I said,
“˜Yeah this is what I want.’ He said, “˜What? You
want a guitar? You want to start playing an
instrument?'” Miller recalled.
Well, not in the traditional sense.
“No, I wanted that guitar, this little hundred dollar
thing that was battery operated.”
Eventually, he graduated to a real axe, taking lessons and
honing a style. While his musical contemporaries joined up with
now-forgotten groups, he was content to do his own thing.
“I never played in bands growing up. Everyone wanted to
play punk, but I was never really into it. I spent a lot of time in
my room, playing along with records and teaching myself.”
Though he initially flirted with the hard-edged rock that
entranced a generation of long haired headbangers, that all changed
when he got his first taste of the Texas blues from Vaughan.
“I was into heavy metal ““ Metallica, Skid Row and
all that ““ when I younger. In eighth grade, I heard
“˜Mary Had a Little Lamb’ on the radio and I freaked. I
know it sounds corny, but that’s honestly how it was. That
was the first time I’d heard a song and just said “˜That
was so cool, I don’t know what that was.’ I went right
out and bought the album.”
After he began to learn the blues the same way Vaughan did
““ listening to the record over and over ““ it
wasn’t long before he’d picked up enough to hold his
own. Once again, the same song played an important role in his
musical development.
“My high school teacher kept guitars in his room, and
we’d mess around with them. In eleventh grade, he said,
“˜I’ve got a band if you’d like to come down and
sit in with us.’ I got some friends and family together and
went down to Malibu. They wouldn’t let me in the club, since
I was underage, but my mom finally convinced them.
“I went down and the first song we played was “˜Mary
Had a Little Lamb.’ The guys asked me to play with them in
practice, and I ended up being with them for four years in this bar
band, entertaining the drunk fans. I was 16, and they were all
30,” he continued.
Since entering UCLA, Miller has kept playing, but has
encountered trouble in putting his own band together. In order to
stay sharp, he’s kept jamming and also taken on session work
with the TV series Becker. His father, television score composer
Bruce Miller, was his in-road to the show, but it was his talent,
rather than connections, that ultimately won him the job. Now, on a
regular basis, he contributes his gritty, blues-driven sound to the
score from his father’s home studio.
Ever since the initial Toys “˜R’ Us guitar purchase,
the elder Miller has been supportive of his son’s musical
aspirations. This help was not lost on his son.
“He’s never been one of those parents who’s
been, “˜Well, my son blah, blah, blah,’ but for this
whole contest, he’s been bragging. He’ll tell people
“˜Just bare with me another week and when the show’s
over, I’ll be quiet.’ He’s been really helpful
through all of this.”
As far as Friday’s show goes, Miller has set no grandiose
goals. Rather than betting on instant stardom, he’s playing
it safe.
“I don’t expect anything. If something were to
happen, it probably scare the hell out of me,” he said.
“If something were to happen with this, great. If not,
whatever, it should be an awesome time, and I’ve had a good
time looking forward to it.”
MUSIC: Jason Miller will play the House of Blues with Kenny
Wayne Shepherd on Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, all
ages. The concert will also be Webcast on www.hob.com and www.launch.com on Saturday, May 20 at 6
p.m.