Interview with Brett Miller of 1-900 by Daniel Ryan
1. How long have you been making music for?
Almost my whole life. I started playing guitar at 10, so now it’s over 30 years later. It’s not going to stop, either!
2. What do you think of LOD Music Network's stance on cancel culture?
It’s refreshing. I find it ironic that many of the Metal bands that used to hang their hat on “rebellion”, “fight the system”, etc. don’t seem to have much to say about all of this push towards censorship in the culture generally, and music in particular. A lot of ‘em even seem to embrace it, whether it’s humiliating and kicking out of a show someone with a shirt they don’t like, or canceling shows in an entire city or area because of some local law they don’t like. It’s pretty pathetic and weak, actually - definitely not Metal. They think they’re counter-culture, but they’re just doing what giant corporations, totalitarian states, brainwashed “academics”, and huge investment firms want them to do, which is to shut up, cave to some kind of mob and destroy and divide the United States into fractious political and racial groups. If you don’t like someone's music, just don’t listen to it. That’s what I’ve always done, anyway. And if someone has paid to support your band in some way, then don’t kick them out because they’ve got a shirt on you don’t like. If it’s super offensive to enough people, let everyone work it out amongst themselves. Common sense. But it ain’t too common these days.
3. What is your favorite instrument to play on?
Really all that I play for real is Guitar and Bass. And on the 1-900 stuff, DD shreds the bass way better than I could. There’s a lot of keyboard parts and stuff like that in the music, which I write and play, but it’s usually either written out in the DAW (like writing on a music staff), or I just play it in chunks. Same with the drums; I write most of the drum parts from scratch, or will use a part or fill from an EZDrummer library and then edit it manually into exactly what I’m looking for.
4. What acts have you played with before if any?
I’ve released a number of solo records, just under my name (Brett Miller). It’s instrumental Metal Guitar stuff. The way I’d describe it is sort of a heavier version of Joe Satriani or Steve Vai (who were both huge influences on me, by the way!) with a bunch of orchestral elements in a lot of it. The last full album was a while ago, called “Oath Of Dagon”, which is a concept-type record, totally based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft. I partnered with an amazing artist in Argentina named Marcelo Orsi Blanco, and we released the record along with an artbook of Lovecraftian paintings that he did, and crowdfunded it on Kickstarter. Right now though, and for the foreseeable future, 1-900 is my main musical project. I’m very happy with the music, and also love working with the other two guys involved with it. There’s a comic book aspect to it as well, but this time an actual comic - a fictionalized steam-punkesque story, set in the ‘80s and involving the band fighting bad guys.
5. If you had to layout all the bands in order you played in as a timeline what would they be?
A handful of bands in my 20’s that never amounted to much. Brett Miller solo stuff, a side project with a bass player, called Men Of Letters, composing video game soundtracks, that sort of counts, a short-lived death metal band called Sacrificial Damned. More Brett Miller stuff: 1-900
6. What is the coolest experience you have had as a musician?
I’ve had a lot of cool experiences in my life that weren’t necessarily related to being a musician, but specifically music related? Honestly, it would be the compounded coolness of helping all of my Guitar students over the years. I’ve taught a lot of people, all across the World, and that’s been a very fulfilling experience. On a more selfish note, one of the experiences that I enjoy the most is taking part in just pure jamming with people, where you just plug in, look at each other, and go. I haven’t found a ton of people over the years who can or are willing to do that, but it’s a lot of fun, and exciting. Also, I really enjoy the experience of listening to a final master of a song or record, after all the time and effort that goes into making it.
7. What inspires you to keep doing what you do?
Not to sound all pretentious, but as an artist, it’s like you simply can’t not do it. It’s non-negotiable, so that’s the first thing. It’s also a combination of wanting to create the type of music that I would enjoy listening to myself, so why not just create it, and also the thrill of the chase at this point - the challenge of taking the music that we’re proud of, and trying to get more and more people to hear it. With the storytelling aspect of 1-900 as well, the comic books and everything, there’s also this added element of wanting to get that story out there. Because, as fun and ‘80s-inspired as the story is, there are definitely some parables lurking in there about the dangers of the types of insanity that we’re going through as a culture nowadays, the phones, the advancing technology, etc., and how to fight back.
8. If you had to name some influences what would they be?
Here’s a list, non-exhaustive, but off the top of my head: AC/DC, Pestilence, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Carcass, Coroner, Dream Theater, Megadeth, Testament, older Meshuggah, Symphony X, Death, Cynic, Thor, older Devin Townsend, Chris Poland, Hammerfall, Pantera, Manowar…I’d better stop there, or it’ll just keep going! And that doesn’t even include composers like Sibelius, Scriabin, etc.
9. What is your favorite venue you been to or played in?
My favorite venue right now, honestly, is the Sosnoff Theater up at Bard College. It’s a world-class concert hall, and they have a great orchestra there, both professional and student. They perform major orchestral works, operas, etc. I’ve never performed there of course, but it’s such a great venue, and it’s not too far from where I live.
10. To sum up this interview where can we find your latest music and any shout outs to anyone for the readers of Asphyxium zine
We want everyone to join the Phone Fighting Force! You can do that over at https://HyperRotComics.com and get access to a lot of cool, behind the scenes stuff as we create the upcoming comic book “Band of Heroes”, as well as the new EP that’s coming out. We just released a new single, ramping up to that, that’s on all the streaming services. It’s called TouchTone Attack, and is pretty representative of what we do, if people want to check it out. For shout outs, I’ll just say thanks Dan, keep spreading the awareness of all these cool bands!
Daniel Ryan, 4/13/23
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