Young harmonica player pleases audience

Stephanie Young/Senior Photographer PRODIGY: Eight-year-old L.D. Miller plays the harmonica while his brother Clayton strums the guitar Sunday night at the Clayton Miller Blues Band concert.

Phenomenon.

This word is how many fans are describing the prodigal 8-year-old harmonica player that is one of the four corners of the Clayton Miller Blues Band.

"I like the idea of a family band. They're kind of young, too," said Fritz Muehlhausen, a Purdue alumnus who was there to see L.D. Miller, the harmonica player. "L.D. is pretty cool; impressive." Impressive is an understatement.

The band performed a charity benefit the New Community School, Sunday night at Reihle Brothers Tavern, 2270 Concord Rd., Lafayette.

The school is an alternative education to the Lafayette School Corporation, and applied to Ball State University to become the first recognized alternative school in Tippecanoe County.

L.D. started attending New Community School when tour dates conflicted with his education in the Lafayette School Corporation.

Brian Emch, a volunteer at New Community School, described L.D. as "a young Michael Jackson." His talents were evident to most even before his band's set began. L.D. accompanied Michael Kelsey with his John Popper-esque rhythm and style.

The Scott Greeson Band got the night off to a good start with a solid country-blues style mix of songs including what appeared to be his fans' favorite — "Hoosier Surf."

Next in the evenings lineup was Michael Kelsey. Using his skills as a former recording engineer, his acoustic guitar, a recorder and sounds from around the stage, he made music that can only be described as an acoustical rainbow.

Kelsey's songs had kick, and his lyrics were definitely memorable: "London bridges have fallen down/ And life is but a dream." Vocalist Tevi Tarler came in to help Kelsey sing a country rendition of REM's "The End Of The World As We Know It," during which the whole crowd began to sing along.

As the nights headliners, the Clayton Miller Blues Band came commanded the stage and the audience. The four members of the band, all related, grooved in harmony to the listeners' delight.

They performed songs from their new album, which they have scheduled to release in March.

Their new songs have a tighter sound and a more radio-friendly feel than some of their previous works. Some of the new material, such as "Verdict" and "Gotta Have Love," as well as old favorites like, "I've got tattoos where the sun don't shine/If you show yours, I'll show mine," perked the ears of willful listeners.

Onstage, it appeared as though the four have played together for decades, even though some members that old.

Greeson, Kelsey, and the Miller family showed their love for the music that they created in the performance they gave Sunday.

"We 'll go wherever the music takes us — wherever our 15-passenger van can go," said Larry Miller, guitarist for the Clayton Miller Blues Band, and father of the other band members, L.D., Clayton and Cole Miller.