Family band to play blues in Saturday performance

Photo Courtesy of the Clayton Miller Band L.D. Miller, the youngest member of the band at 6 years old, jams to the blues during a performance. L.D. has already mastered the harmonica after only four lessons.

Many blues enthusiasts claim that blues music is the building block from which all other forms of modern music evolved. For one local family, blues music is also the tie that binds.

Performing from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday night at Duncan Hall in Lafayette is the Clayton Miller Band, a local band that features three brothers and their father. Clayton, 18, is the lead vocalist and guitarist; Cole, 15, is the drummer and a vocalist; L.D., 6, is also a vocalist; and Larry, their father, plays bass.

L.D., the youngest of the brothers, has taken four harmonica lessons and his instructor believes he has already mastered the instrument. Although he is sick of playing the song "Checkin' On My Baby," it is for that song that he began playing the harmonica. Although L.D. is only 6, he has no problems with being the youngest.

"It's great," he said with a giant-sized grin. "Sometimes I get all the attention."

The band formed three years ago and has since performed a variety of different summer festivals and other venues. The band is already booked for the upcoming summer at events such as the Taste of Tippecanoe, the Lafayette Jazz and Blues Festival, the Iron Horse Festival in Longansport, Ind., and the Round Barn Festival in Rochester, Ind. Tammy Miller, the mother of the three boys and the wife of Larry, said the band is booked for the entire summer.

However, a packed concert schedule does not completely encompass Clayton's summer plans. Although the band can't afford his absence for the entire summer, Clayton will have some other summer opportunities.

After taking advice from one of his musical idols, Susan Tedeschi, he decided to attend the Berkley School of Music summer music program in Boston. There are two programs for him to choose from — a five-week program and a shorter guitar session. Tedeschi, who was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy this year, talks with Clayton at every concert that he attends. She has taken one of the band's demo packages to listen to.

Clayton has postponed going to music school since his graduation from high school last year. Clayton has also delayed choosing a school to attend.

"I'd rather get where we want to go without school first," said Clayton.

As the band moves forward, each of its members plays a different role in the way the music sounds. Cole said his job is to "keep the beat."

"Keeping the music together is the most important job," said Cole. Clayton defines his role as keeping the songs on a basic rhythm. However, since a blues song is really never played the same way twice, Clayton said it is his job to determine what comes next.

Tammy said the band almost always communicates without speech during a concert. By body movements and eye contact, they can communicate what song is next. Clayton said that the band is often supposed to put together a playlist at various events and they rarely do.

"They really do their best work when they are just jamming around," said Tammy.

Despite their lack of playlists, the band is still in tune with what blues fans want to hear.

"In blues music, people like to hear the classics," said Tammy. "Everybody wants to hear the old favorites."

Clayton said all blues music is the same or very similar.

"What we are trying to do is to revise it and make it appeal to younger crowds," said Clayton. "We've been getting really great reactions so far."