Clayton Miller Blues Band Entertains at ACUB Coffeehouse

   The Clayton Miller Blues Band was in town Wednesday night, and played in Van Dusen, giving a legitimate blues performance and impressing the intimate gathering of people with their Texan-Chicago brand of blues. The band members are a family of four made up of Larry (Father), Clayton 19, Cole 16 and 8-year old L.D. (the Hootchie Cootchie man).
   The band hails from Lafayette, Indiana and has been jamming around the campfire on family trips for close to three years. The Clayton Miller Blues Band decided to officially break into the music biz last year when they released their first self-titled album. The band has been traveling around the Mid-West delivering their style of blues to growing audiences.
   The sounds of artists’ like Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Eric Clapton ooze from the lead guitar of Clayton and resonate in the vocals of Cole. Hearing L.D. blow into the harmonica brings to mind listening to a 300-pound man with the lung capacity of an ox like that of John Popper. But people are astonished upon realizing that this is an 8-year old little boy looking at his bass guitar playing father for directions.
   Larry serves as the foundation of the band. He has been playing music with his cousin since the age of nine, and has encouraged his children to play music. Larry plays bass guitar and travels with his wife, nephew and three sons as they play the only music they know: the blues.
   Clayton Miler is the heart of the band and has been playing guitar since he was nine. He joined his first alternative band at twelve and lost some of his vocal quality trying to sound like Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. "I lost my mid-range from singing Nirvana all the time," said Clayton. "My dad has always been taking us to blues bands. One day we just thought it would be cool if all of us could get together and play."
   The band has maintained a strong following in Lafayette, where they have frequented Purdue University with their mellow blues sound. The band is currently on its first ever cross-country tour with stops in Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Missouri in order to get their music heard and make a name for themselves.
   There is no telling how much potential the three younger members of the band possess. In little more than two years, the Clayton Miller Blues Band has gone from sitting around campfires jamming for their own pleasure to opening for Kenny Wayne Shepherd. As they continue to play, they will continue to grow as legitimate blues musicians. I’m just glad I got to see them before they’re on Behind the Music.