Don Miggs :: Miggs

Q: The first thing that came to my mind when I heard your Late Nights… EP is that you guys sound a lot like Train. How do you feel about comparisons to other bands and comparisons to Train in particular?

A: Well, I understand that people need a reference and you can’t argue with their success, right? We’ve played with Train. Not to be disrespectful, but I don’t walk away from a Train show or CD feeling energized or engaged. I think the band is great. [I] love the guitar player [Jimmy Stafford] actually, and [Pat Monahan] has one of the best voices in pop and can absolutely deliver it live but it’s safe and I’m hoping we color a bit more out of the lines than bands like that do.

However, Late Nights and Early Mornings was a definite acoustic album and it caught me in between my life at that time and now, so it was a bit mellow! Mostly, that album is a solo thing. I’m proud of it, but I like being in a band. I bore myself… [laughs]

Q: How did the idea come about to put several songs that you guys have already released on Unraveled?

A: We were approached by Pama/Universal [Records] in Scandinavia to release songs from the first three albums, sort of a “best of you’ve never heard” set! The guys [Michael Lombardo and Brian Totten] weren’t on the other albums and thought it would be fun to redo these songs the way the three of us play them. Who knew Rock Ridge was going to sign us here in the States and want to put it out?!

Q: If you could change one thing about the music business, what would it be?

A: Career development. I would like to see labels and tastemakers reinvest in the artist like the old days. If U2 came out in 2008 and their album did what their first album did back when it was released, they would have been dropped. Consider that! Develop a few new stars or in 20 years we’re going to be pretty embarrassed by what we call “our generation” of music.

Q: What is your favorite song to play or that you’ve written?

A: As far as song to play, it changes with the night for me. If it’s a crowd that loves to jump around, “Suddenly Wonderful” is fun; “I Believe” is anthemic and “Maybe” is great when people really want to listen.

I haven’t written my favorite song yet!

Q: How did each of you get your start in music?

A: I grew up in a musical household [with my] dad and uncles always playing and if you wanted to hang out, you learned an instrument or a harmony. I couldn’t not do music. It wasn’t even a choice. Still isn’t.

Q: Who do you credit as your musical influences, and how have you incorporated other music into your own?

A: With my family, I was schooled on pop music from the mid-fifties through the 80s and then I started seeking my own favorites. All those styles are in me, so I don’t ever feel stuck for inspiration and as I get more confident I’m not afraid to let a fifties flavor seep into my writing. A good song is a good song. Took me awhile to stop trying to be cool. And I’m addicted to new music. I buy 20 CDs a month and I devour the sounds. Give me Tupac, Muse, Hall & Oates – doesn’t matter. And it all gets stored for future mining.

Q: How have you evolved from Miggs and Anyway in 2001 to Miggs and Unraveled in 2008?

A: The more things change, the more they stay the same in some cases. Both feel like debut albums for me. On Anyway, we had 50 hours of studio time and $2000 and made a CD fast and it sold over 11,000 copies from the backs of our cars. We weren’t quite a band yet and were feeling our way. It’s full of little mistakes but holds a bit of charm too. We didn’t have a permanent lead guitar player and struggled with that spot throughout our existence as a band. I was not sure of my writing or performance then either.

For Unraveled, I came in with the experience of the albums before it. And the three of us were a solid band with a direction [we were] going in .There still isn’t a lead guitar player but we’ve decided we don’t need one and I’m hacking my way through it [laughs]. We recorded these songs for almost nothing at my house and didn’t have the deal with Rock Ridge so there wasn’t any pressure of a label with expectations. We would just wake up, say hello to each other and hit record. It was easy.

Q: What are your favorite and least favorite parts about touring?

A: The shows are the best part by far. Waiting around for the shows is the worst part.

Q: What is your favorite venue or city to play?

A:  If people are into it, that’s my favorite city! It changes. We have a bit of a love affair with San Francisco, New York, Phoenix, and even Las Cruces, New Mexico, where the bands and fans treat you like royalty.

Q: Briefly explain what Brian (drums) and Michael (bass) mean to the future of the band.

A: If they weren’t here, Miggs wouldn’t be here. That’s it. Michael was my lifeline after the old members left and while we were swimming around trying to decide what Miggs was and if anyone cared anymore. Then the MySpace gods brought Brian to us and we found ourselves. If not for them, I might be playing a lot of open mic nights! [laughs]

Q: How did the cancer scare with Michael affect the band?

A:  It gave us some good jokes after he was pronounced healed, that’s for sure. He hasn’t shut up about it since! It’s like he invented electricity or something! How many YouTube videos has he done about it!? [laughs]

Look, it’s a serious thing for a young guy and it made our resolve as a band and friends stronger. My philosophy is that you live like this is your last moment on Earthy and Michael’s scare underlined the importance of that.

Q: I see groups like Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, and others as influences for you guys. So you were into the grunge sound growing up?

A: Grunge was the last true musical revolution. Pearl Jam and Nirvana are the [Rolling] Stones and Beatles of the modern age, no? I mean, U2 and REM defined the 80s and I’m the biggest U2 fan, but the explosion wasn’t there. It happened in Seattle. I never really got STP like Michael does. Brian is more of a [Red Hot] Chili Pepper fan but I heard Elton John in Nirvana, [Led] Zeppelin in Pearl Jam – just real songwriting and structure with a different icing. And I didn’t feel like they were posing. I love some of this new indie stuff, but it’s all so calculated in a “we don’t give a fuck” sort of way. I don’t buy it. And they hype hasn’t matched a band in a long time. Remember The Strokes!? Good band; maybe even great. But they didn’t change music, did they?

Q: Ever been disappointed by how something sounds after it is produced and released?

A: [I’m] almost always a little disappointed. It’s like taking a picture. It’s a version but not the version you had in your head, so it has to pale in comparison somewhat. And I hear the same song several different ways so the recording cements things where I’d not necessarily like permanence! There are very rare exceptions to a song I’ve written that I actually play and think, “Nailed it!” And I’m not saying which.

Q: Why do you play music?

A: It’s who I am and what I hope to leave behind after the plane crashes…

Q: And last, but not least, what are your goals for 2008 and beyond?

A: Specifically? To become your favorite band…release Unraveled on June 17th…have people find us in a way that isn’t shoved down their throats…making fans [and] friends for life…get on a major tour with an artist or two we really respect and play the world all year…have a top twenty song at radio…make the usual late night TV show rounds…record a new song a month and release it…become a better band and make people feel like they’re in church when they see us live…how’s that?