Miller Time
Bosque Brown's uncertain future is clarified in an exclusive interview.
10.November.2006

If you haven't caught on to the attention and esteem for Denton's Bosque Brown yet, you're possibly running out of chances. The band that was lauded for its promise and unbelievable live shows just a year ago is already showing signs of a shortage of both: the promise, because keyboardist Gina Milligan's pregnancy has put the band's future into question, and the shows, because the full quintet doesn't exactly gig that often any more (see the first part). Brief conversations in the past few months with lead singer Mara Lee Miller weren't confidence boosters, either, as she wasn't even sure what was next for the group.

Fortunately, the group's on the rise this week, as its delayed seven-inch platter, Cerro Verde, finally saw release, and they cap that off by opening for Jolie Holland at Sons of Hermann Hall on Saturday. Seemed like a good time to chat with Mara about the state of the band, and fortunately, she was available for a brief phone interview to talk about Cerro's release, stage anxiety and how the Baptist Generals' Chris Flemmons got tangled up with the next album.


Bosque Brown performs at SXSW'06  (photo: Mary Sledd)

Dd: So the seven-inch is finally being released?

Mara: We have ‘em! It finally came through. It comes with a CD version, too, it’ll be together, if someone wants to get it and they don’t have a record player. Wait, lemme check. Hey, Ryan! [incoherently speaks to her husband, Ryan Miller, a member of the band] Apparently, I have some in the mail. Hopefully they'll make it in time [for the concert].

Dd: I'll cross my fingers. How exactly did you land this Jolie Holland gig, anyway?

Mara: Mike from the AllGood Cafe, he basically asked if we wanted to play. We played there last in May, I think.We’d been in there a coupla times, talked and stuff…he’s just a really nice guy. I guess he just thought it’d be a good fit for when she came through.

Dd: And last I talked to you guys, you were talking about getting to work on a new album?

Mara: Yeah, I kinda only decided a few weeks ago that I was gonna start working on it. For a while, I thought I wasn’t going to do anything again for a long time.

Dd: Why is that?

Mara: Well, I just...I don’t know. My sister having a baby and everything, it’s just weird. Things are just kinda different. So I thought, maybe I’d give music a break for a while. I kinda changed my mind…I don’t think I’m gonna do a whole lot as far as shows and things like that, but I want to start to record and work on an album. I know it’ll take a long time to come out. I’m trying to get it out before I turn 30. [laughs] Trying to figure out who I’m gonna do it with. I don’t have the whole thing written yet, but most of it is written. On the label I’m on, things can take a little bit more time; it’s kind of a boutique label.

Dd: Is it that not having Gina in the group makes or breaks the entire group for you?

Mara: A lot of it, I didn’t want to play shows to begin with a long time ago, because I was too scared to play. Having her was a comfort for me, to have her up there with me. Plus, most of us, myself, Jeremy, my sister and I, we’ve never played in a band or with other people before. We’d arranged these songs with all five of us, so it’d be really bizarre to take her part of out it. In my opinion, her part is one of the main parts that you can hear, it’s a big piece of the live show. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do if she didn’t come back. I think now, I’m just gonna make it try to work. She still wants to do it. I’m gonna try to make that work. If not, I’m just gonna try to see what I can work, maybe play a solo show here or there while we're trying to work it out. [Without Gina], it takes such a big piece out of it...I dunno, it’s weird. We practiced a long time, worked on how we sounded.

Dd: You've certainly mentioned stage anxiety in the past, but I was under the impression that it'd gotten better after playing gigs for a while.

Mara: I don’t...I mean, if I was playing with 20 people, it’d still...it’s not an easy thing for me to do. It takes a lot out of me. It makes, it builds a lot of tension before a show, a lot of nerves. Then when it’s over, you’re relieved, but if you’re not happy with it, you feel that much worse. It doesn’t mix with me, even though it’s what I’m doing. It’s strange.

Dd: I know Ryan wasn't in the band for a few gigs, and then he returned; is he back in the lineup again?

Mara: He’s playing now. Everything pretty much it should be similar to SXSW, that setup. Basically, everybody’s playing again but just a few changes; we don’t have everybody playing on every single song, for example.

Dd: So has the group actually gone into a studio yet, or what's the current state of the next album?

Mara: I’m gonna start working on it as soon as I can. Since I work full time, I can’t just set a date and go to a studio and record for two weeks. I’ll be working on it on the weekends, any spare time I have. I’m kinda hoping...Chris Flemmons and I have been talking a lot, and he’s gonna do some test recordings for us. I’m hoping I can work with him. But nothing’s been decided for sure. I want to do it in Texas--that’d be the best thing to do, as far as time and convenience.

Dd: What can people expect in terms of the songs you've done so far?

Mara: It’s not going to be a record where it sounds totally different. I’m always going to write the same kinds of songs. The subject matter...the previous record, all the songs I’d written from the beginning of my life until I'd recorded that record. Some of it, before I was married, engaged and everything, I had a lot of different thoughts in my mind. After being married for several years, being an adult, working, having real responsibilities...I think that it’s not going to be as much about lost love, things like that. It’s more with...people will probably say it’s darker subject matter, but it’s similar to the old stuff, but not the same. My hope is that it’s more mature, just that I’ve grown a little bit as a songwriter and as a singer. And my voice is going to sound a little bit different than the last one. I’ve been singing more now.


Bosque Brown opens for Jolie Holland at Sons of Hermann Hall on Saturday, November 11.