“Life. Love. Regret”. I think 10 out of 10 people involved in hardcore music are familiar with these three words. You can count on these three words from 1994 to this day. “Life. Love. Regret.” The second album from San Diego based Straight Edge Hardcore flagship ‘Unbroken’ is history. And as we all know: History repeats. And so does the music scene. But some things will always stay and so we all got these three words in our minds and hearts as well as the people that created that massive words and sound. One of them is guitar player Steven Andrew Miller…
Hey Steven, first the standard: Your ex bands and your up to date projects?
Bands I've been in are UNBROKEN, KILL HOLIDAY, JULIA GEHENNA and THE LOCUST. The band I'm doing now is called CRUSHED ON YOU.
Ok the first band we focus on is UNBROKEN. Tell me in 3 words what comes to your mind when you think of this band.
Too many things.
You guys left an impressive mark in the hardcore scene. Influenced tons of bands and and and. Tell me your feelings about that hype. When was the first time you realized that there is something going on that tops the average stuff.
The hype can be flattering, I suppose. I didn't know there was one though until people still kept talking about it years and years later.
You guys where over here in Europe. Tell me about the difference of Europe and USA that you felt back then. And is there a difference between the impression UNBROKEN left in Europe and USA?
I can't really answer the difference we may have left in either Europe or the USA. It's not really my call. There were differences we noticed in the way people did things but I'm pretty sure it's about even now. Some better, some worse.
I don’t know if this one goes too far…. but a tragic reason why UNBROKEN was later always entitled as a true heart driven and authentic band was the fact, that Eric committed suicide. What do you think about that fact? And what comes to your mind when you thinking of your reunion show for Eric in November 1998?
I don't agree with that at all. In fact, I find it somewhat offensive. Death is not glamorous and no one person or band should be martyred over personal issues and how they chose to resolve them. That show was painful and a huge part of me did not want to play it even though it was the right thing to do.
A fan always puts his mind into a situation where everything is OK and it is always hard for a fan to accept the truth.. like for example: In 5 years Karl from Earth Crisis tells everybody “Oh that Straight Edge thing was outta control. It was just….music and havin fun..” So what do you think of everything around UNBROKEN. The status, the message, the sound, the people in the band, the Straight Edge background….after all this years.
People are constantly changing. The only difference is that when you document a time period those changes become more visible and leave you open for judgement. If Karl, or whomever else wants to downplay what was going on in the past and bring it into the present that's his choice. It really doesn't matter to me at all. I know what I was thinking then and I know what I'm thinking now and a some of it is the same and a lot of it is totally different.
Next: KILL HOLIDAY. A giant step from the UNBROKEN sound to this deep emotional rocking tunes. What I liked was the fact, that KILL HOLIDAY moved on. The difference between the first 7” and the second 7” and the album was enormous. Tell me why. Plan or just happened?
It was just something that happened.
Especially the KILL HOLIDAY album ‘Somewhere Between the Wrong is Right’ shows that you are very much into MORRISSEY . Tell me about your “love” to Morrissey and your favorite Morrissey album.
I wouldn't say it was so much as a love for Morrissey but more like introducing my other influences into the song writing. Bands like Ride and the Stone Roses had a lot to do with the change. But my favorite Morrissey record is "Your Arsenal." Though I must say "Viva Hate" is the classic.
In an older mail conversation we had I asked you why KILL HOLIDAY broke up and your answer was: “The lyrics on “Somewhere Between the Wrong is Right” are way too personal and I don't think I'll ever open up like that again. The songs mean a lot to me but it was really hard to sing them every night on a tour with the same emotion put into it. I was relieved when Kill Holiday ended so I could stop singing those songs.” To me, this was one of the greatest and most honest answers I ever recieved. Tell me how much this reason for the split influenced your song writing.
It's made my lyric writing a lot more difficult these days. I've always written from the gut and I'm trying not to do that as much anymore. Songs are emotions but emotions can and will change. What means so much at one moment might not mean anything later. I basically became tired of documenting every incident in my life to song.
Tell me some about writing you lyrics. Do you need a special mood like pressure, or sadness or does is just happen?
I wish I could answer that because then it would make the process that much easier.
What happened to your band called MARCH OF THE DAMNED?
Two of the members were in Bleeding Through at the time and they had just released and album and went out touring in support of it. That pretty much left us no time to do anything and it just died.
Your new home is a band called CRUSHED ON YOU with ex members of BLEEDING THROUGH, THROWDOWN and EIGHTENN VISIONS. The Myspace demo songs sound like a mix of some JAWBREAKER, ALKALINE TRIO along with a later KILL HOLIDAY sound a bit of the MORRISSEY. Tell the people more about that band, the sound, the lyrics and the direction you want to see CRUSHED ON YOU going.
It's actually just people from Throwdown and Atreyu. No 18V or Bleeding Through. I think you pretty much nailed the sound with your description. It's just a band to have fun in. I'm taking it seriously without really trying to take it seriously because I don't have much in the way of expectations anymore. If something happens that's cool. But if not, it doesn't really change anything.
After all you have seen a lot coming up and going down. What in your eyes changed in all those years in the hardcore scene? What changed for you as fan, person, and musician and maybe as business man?
Everything has changed. And as a fan I have changed. The classics will always remain favorites to me but I had to open up to some of what's going on today. As a musician I don't really know. I was already playing music before I was into hardcore so I don't think it's really had any affect on me. Maybe it's even made me worse! haha. No, really I don't know. I don't try and concern myself with the business side of things.
What was the biggest mistake you did as musician? What was the best thing you that happened to you in all those years?
My biggest mistake may have been taking so many years off from doing bands. It's possible I may have wasted time. The best things could just be all the friends and people I've made and met through out the years.
As mentioned above: You where in Europe. Tell me some things that happened over there which are still in your mind.
I don't even know anymore. It's been so long!
Steven Andrew Miller. What's your typical day like?
I wake up, ride my bike to work, ride my bike home, maybe have practice or spend time with my girlfriend depending on the days.
How important is the Edge after all these years?
Depends on who you ask. It really has nothing to do with my life anymore.
Tell me how you see yourself in the next 5 years. Your plans with music and with life.
I wish I knew.
There are too many similar questions in interviews today. So I try to find out more about the people behind the bands. The band is the reason number one why you are here. But your music and your lyrics are just one part.....
Now- your turn:
last time you did an interview
-A month ago maybe.
last time you felt misunderstood
-Daily.
last time you felt ripped off
-Daily
last time you ripped someone off
-I hope I haven't.
last book you read
-Not sure. It has been a while since I've made time. Shame.
last movie you saw at the cinema
-The Dark Knight
last movie you bought
-The Saw boxset of the first three movies.
last song you listened to
-Whatever I fell asleep to last night.
last album you bought
-I have no idea.
last piece of clothes you bought
-Shoes.
last meal you had
-Cereal.
last time you thought about leaving everything behind you
-All the time.
last time you felt pure hate
-That happens quite a bit.
last good advice your heard
-Not sure because whatever it was it probably didn't work.
last time you felt like a rockstar
-Still waiting for that moment! haha
last dream you had
-I dreamed someone stole my bike and I was really upset about it. I'm very serious about cycling so losing my bike would be devastating to me.
last time you had a fight
-I wish I could say it's been a while but that would be untrue.
last time you felt comfortable
-Daily.
last time you where in jail
-Never
last time you felt completely happy
-Recently up until yesterday. It will change again though. I'm work in progress.
last time you felt guilty
-I don't know. I try not to do anything that would put me in that type of situation.
That’s it.
Thank you for everything....
Thanks and sorry I took so long!
Interview by Michael ECHOMAKER
August 6th 2008
