Blake Mills began writing music because he wanted to impress a girl in high school. Now, on tour with three-time Grammy-award winner Lucinda Williams, the Los Angeles based guitarist is reaching people on a larger scale. Mills will be performing tonight at Royce Hall as part of UCLA Live’s Roots Music Series. Mills sat down with Daily Bruin’s Leah Christianson to talk about his upcoming show, his use of humor to diffuse pain and his attitude toward making records.
Daily Bruin: When did you start playing guitar?
Blake Mills: I was 10 (years old). I was a big fan of groups like Metallica and Nirvana. As I kept playing, I got to experiment with a bunch of other stuff, and eventually it developed into more than a hobby. It definitely wasn’t my life focus, but it was my excuse for getting out of things I didn’t want to do ““ mostly homework.
DB: How about writing music?
BM: I met a schoolmate who also played my kind of music, and there was a girl we liked in school. We found out what kind of music she really liked and decided to start a band and write songs. I was just trying to write songs that I thought she would like. Piano songs were the goal at first because she liked Ben Folds and bands like that, so that’s what I wrote.
DB: Did it work?
BM: Well … in a funny way it did. In a long, roundabout way, it ended up working. Just not in the timely fashioned I had wanted.
DB: You were a member of the band Dawes back when it was still called Simon Dawes, and you’ve performed with countless groups over the years ““ Band of Horses, Weezer, Andrew Bird. What’s it like to finally start playing your own songs?
BM: Well, Simon Dawes was something that I felt very close to ““ everything was collaboration in that band. I actually got a taste of playing my own music in that band. When I was with Simon Dawes, music was my “life’s work” ““ the outlet for everything I wanted to do musically. It came with a lot of unnecessary importance put on decisions about music and artistic freedom, or lack thereof. Now, because solo records and song writing are only one element of what I’m doing, there is less pressure. I can have more fun with my music, and do it on my own terms and not let it become overwhelmingly important.
DB: What else are you working on?
BM: I’ve developed a lot of connections this year. I just finished a record with Jesca Hoop and have another one with Sara Watkins. I’m working on some film stuff, as well as building a studio. I collaborated with various other people this year too. I’m very busy but don’t stick with anything for too long. I’m the happiest when I can jump off one thing into another.
DB: You performed a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Heart of Mine” earlier this week. Would you cite Dylan as one of your musical influences?
BM: Yes, definitely. His records are fantastic because you can pull it up and think, “How did I never hear this?” That’s what happened with “Heart of Mine.” It’s not one of the classic Dylan records, yet there’s material on it that I think could have changed the whole game for him. There (are) little gems … that I’m still discovering.
DB: On your website, you say that there’s a sense of humor on your album “Break Mirrors” that you credit to Ben Bridwell and Ryan Monroe of Band of Horses. Can you elaborate on that?
BM: When I was playing with those guys, it was probably the time in my life when I laughed the hardest. Their sense of humor permeates into their music, and I think it really started when Ryan, the keyboard player, joined the band. I like that you can be dancing around a serious topic while using humor to illustrate the humanity of it. It’s like how people make jokes in the face of something really serious. I’ve been exploring the musical equivalent of that, especially when I was putting the songs together for “Break Mirrors.”
DB: Is it true that you wrote the song “Hey Lover” about your current girlfriend, Danielle Haim?
BM: It’s true. I had dated a few girls who would jokingly complain about how I never wrote a song about them, but she never did. It was nice to hang out with somebody who wasn’t asking me for that, so I actually felt like writing something for someone.
DB: You’re an L.A. native, correct? Are you excited to be playing at UCLA?
BM: Yes, I’ve been to Royce Hall a few times. I like playing L.A. because you don’t wonder why everyone is standing quiet with their arms folded ““ that’s just the natural mood of the venue.
Email Christianson at
lchristianson@media.ucla.edu.