Press Reviews A Cranston Idol Pairs up with an American Idol  [+ Show] The Cranston Herald (Wed, Jun 20 07) -  Contributed by KENNEDY, MERI R... (Wed, Jun 20 07) -  Contributed by KENNEDY, MERI R. By MERI R. KENNEDY Dan Mills, who grew up in Cranston, has certainly been busy these past few months. In addition to graduating from Ithaca College earlier this month with a major in television/radio and a concentration in audio production, this past weekend he opened in New York for none other then Taylor Hicks of “American Idol” fame."The audience really got into our show and they were crazy about Taylor Hicks," said Mills. "He was really down-to-earth and gave me a lot of great feedback about my music."At the age of 21, Mills also recently released his first full-length album, entitled, "Different Colored Walls."A 2003 graduate of Cranston High School West, Mills has been a songwriter and lyricist for several years and started writing and performing at the age of 16.His love of music began while in high school as he performed with the Ball Pit Kings as a trumpet player and backup vocalist. Mills was a Rhode Island all-state trumpet player and was a member of the Cranston High School West Marching Band as well as the Cranston West Choir."West's music department was always extremely supportive of high school bands," said Mills. "I started singing in the West Choir with a bunch of my friends during our junior year. The conductor, Phillip Faraone, got me pretty excited about singing. I always loved playing guitar and trumpet, but he was truly the first person to get me enthusiastic about bettering my voice."Throughout high school, Mills was very involved in a small community of teenage bands under the names of Monty are I, Pickle Spill Aisle 6, The Ballpit Kings and Riley.Mills' music is best described as coming from a wide range of different influences from Frank Sinatra to Jay-Z, from Paul Simon to Martin Sexton.His just released debut album provides a collection of songs that allows listeners to see the range of his talent.In 2002, Mills began writing songs for acoustic guitar and went on to perform with "Brewers Droop," an acoustic act duo, with Cranston resident and West alumnus Kurt Matarese. In 2003, Matarese and Mills released a popular underground record titled "The Way it Rained.""The response we got was amazing. Although a follow-up album was recorded, it never came together as Kurt and I went our separate ways because of college," said Mills.For those familiar with the local band scene, Mills' album has some old Brewers Droop tunes, along with many new songs. The album was recorded, produced and mastered by Alex Perialas at Pyramid Sound located in Ithaca, N.Y.Throughout college, Mills continued to write songs and play solo shows. He won a song-writing contest at Ithaca College. In 2006, he began playing weekly at a popular Ithaca nightspot called Kilpatricks. Mills will be returning home to Rhode Island for two special performances this summer. On June 29 he will perform at the Wheel House Tavern in Narragansett and on Aug. 15 he will perform at the Brooklyn Coffee & Tea House, located at 209 Douglas Ave. in Providence.His CD, "Different Colored Walls," can be purchased online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/danmills. His music will also soon be available on iTunes. Artist Interview: Dan Mills  [+ Show] WERS 88.9 FM [www.wers.org (written by Nick Stefanovich)] August 10, 2007 Singer-songwriters are a dime a... August 10, 2007 Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen in the music industry. The hardest part about being one of them is reaching your listeners and making them care about the messages of your songs, but also bringing something new to the table.  Rhode Island native Dan Mills, has been writing and performing music since the age of 16, and in that time he has found a way to make his music intriguing to listeners while keeping a dynamic presence and performing with only an acoustic guitar. In-studio Mills performed songs off his debut record, Different Colored Walls.  He performed along with his friend and band mate Matt Scholl (who plays a mean Cajon), with Mills' acoustic guitar work and outstanding vocal delivery shining through.  On tracks “Sad and Sorry Song” and “Just as Scared,” Mills creates thought provoking songs through a minimalist approach. For a singer-songwriter to truly be doing his job, the music he plays has to be sharing something with his listeners.  Dan Mills does just that and for those who know of his work, we have the desire to share him with others. http://www.myspace.com/danmillsmusic -Nick Stefanovich The 2007 Jimmies: Besot of the local music scene  [+ Show] The Ithaca Journal It's finally time for me to announce the winners o... It's finally time for me to announce the winners of my annual Soundoff awards, nicknamed the “Jimmies.” I started doing these awards in 1994 to recognize my favorite acts of the Ithaca music scene, which still is full of immensely talented people. There were nearly three dozen CDs released in 2007, and while I didn't get to hear of all them, I did listen to the ones that made it to my mailbox at the Journal through late December. As always, these award choices are entirely subjective and the categories are completely arbitrary. The winners (I try not to repeat them from the previous year) receive absolutely nothing except a handshake and a “Way to Go” next time I see them around town. The envelopes, please: * Best CD (all styles): J-San and the Analogue Sons, “Sound Resistance” - Soulful singing, in-the-pocket grooves and conscious lyrics add up to another excellent album from one of Ithaca's best bands. The rest of the Top 10: 2) Rising Son, “Gunpoet” 3) Juge Greenspun aka Me and Juge, “Stretching Stones” 4) The TalkToMes, “The TalkToMes” 5) Sim Redmond Band, “Live at GrassRoots” 6) Chicken Chokers, “07” 7) Malang Jobate and Nate Silas Richardson, “Badema” 7) Aceto, Lieberman Shew, “Live at the Carriage House Cafe” 9) Rozatones, “Tastes So Good” 10) Johnny Russo and Doug Robinson, “I Have Dreamed” Here's the breakdown of the best in various categories: * Roots-Rock CD: Juge Greenspun aka Me and Juge, “Stretching Stones”- Rarely active local musician finally makes it into the studio and cuts a great album, showcasing great singing, playing and songwriting. Honorable mention- The TalktoMes, “The TalkToMes”; Sim Redmond Band, “Live at GrassRoots.” * Acoustic CD: Chicken Chokers, “07” - Chad Crumm and friend return to the studio for the first time since the 1980s and come out with this raucous collection of old-time tunes. * Soul-Rock CD: J-San and the Analogue Sons, “Sound Resistance” - Finally managed to capture much of the energy of their live show in the studio. * Pop-Rock CD: Dan Mills, “Different Colored Walls” - Ex-Ithaca College student now living in Brooklyn came up with a cool collection of catchy, acoustic-based songs. Honorable mention: Inverse Room, “American Recluse”; Endive, “Retox, Benders, and Other Short Stories.” * Country rock: Urban Horse Thieves, “When The Rubber Meets the Road” - Dustin Stuhr pens some fine new songs, while the rest of the Thieves come through with top-notch playing. * Funk Rock CD: Rozatones, “Tastes So Good” - Propulsive dance grooves from Ithaca College's hottest band. * Modern Rock CD: Ten Man Push, “Ten Man Push” - The Dryden-Cortland band led by Lonnie Park and John West has come with hard-edged, melodic tracks that compare to anything you hear on modern-rock radio these days. * Metal: Armageddon Monks, “Armageddon Monks” - Local headbangers leaven their 80s metal influences with some contemporary touches. Honorable Mention: Check Engine, “Chapters I-IV” * World: Malang Jobate and Nate Silas Richardson, “Badema” - Kora player from Senegal teams with Richardson (Sim Redmond Band, ex-John Brown's Body) for an infectious album of original songs. * Hiphop CD: Rising Son, “Gunpoet” - Dan Lisbe teams with J-San on this streetwise, hard-hitting album. * Rock CD: The Fuzz Brothers, “The Fuzz Brothers” - Intense mix of classic and contemporary influences. Honorable Mention: the Splendors and Jimkata, both with self-titled albums. * Jazz CD: (tie) Aceto, Lieberman and Shew, “Live at the Carriage House” and Johnny Russo & Doug Robinson, “I Have Dreamed” - Veterans Harry and Eric Aceto, Chad Lieberman and Charlie Shew captured some of their best gigs from a months-long residency, while Russo and Robinson reunited for another great collection of jazz and pop standards. Honorable Mention: Ageless Jazz Band. * Live CD: SRB, “Live at GrassRoots” - The next best thing to being at GrassRoots, as one of Ithaca's most popular acts cuts definite versions of some of its best songs. * Solo CD: Jeb Puryear, “Hopes and Dreams” - Donna the Buffalo front man steps out with a stripped-down collection of songs. Honorable mention: Lizzy Picciallo, ‘Drawing Triangles.” * Female Singer: Lizzy Picciallo, for her jazzy, edgy vocals on “Drawing Triangles.” Honorable mention: Jessica Flood, for her turn from metal to blues and folk. * Male Singer: Juge Greenspun, for his soulful work on “Me and Juge”; local rock svengali Park Doing has compared him to the Band's Rick Danko. Honorable mention: Gregor Sayet-Bone of the TalktoMes, Sam Harris of the Fuzz Brothers, Dan Mills. * Best Producer: J-San, for his stellar work producing and playing on Rising Son's “Gunpoet.” Honorable Mention: David K. Sale for his work on Linda Stout's “Extended Play”; Nate Richardson for Malang Jobateh's “Badema.” As you can see, it was another great year for local releases. And there's no doubt that 2008 will bring us another outpouring of CDs from the Ithaca music scene. Contact: jimcat@aol.com 'Fiction' for free is this West grad's dream come true  [+ Show] the Warwick Beacon Mills, a 2003 graduate of Cranston West, recently ... Mills, a 2003 graduate of Cranston West, recently released his second album, “Fiction in Photographs,” though you won’t find it in stores. You couldn’t even buy it if you wanted to. Instead, Mills’ “Fiction” is only available online and all it costs is an e-mail address. Rather than charge fans to buy his album, Mills has found a different niche in the hyper-competitive world of music. By logging on to DanMills.net, supplying your e-mail address and one of a friend who might be interested in downloading the album, “Fiction in Photographs” is available to you free of charge. It’s an innovative marketing strategy for an up-and-coming singer/songwriter and one that hadn’t been tested yet. But for Mills, it seems to be working out just fine. “From the beginning I had the idea that I wanted to give this album away for free,” Mills said. “Radiohead did the same kind of thing a while back, where they just asked you to pay whatever you wanted to pay and you could download it online. That got me thinking but, without the same kind of fan base, I knew that wouldn’t work for me because it would just fizzle out eventually. By getting e-mail addresses and having people recommend it to their friends, this is something that can keep growing exponentially.” Mills’ Web site went up less than a month ago and got more than 3,000 hits on its first day. Since then, the site has amassed more than 3,500 unique e-mail addresses and, while Mills can’t track the exact number of album downloads, he knows he’s reaching more people than ever before. “It used to be that I would go to a show with a box full of CDs, sell one or two and then take all the rest home again,” Mills said. “It’s tough when you say that you have a CD available in the back and the guy looks in his wallet and has to assess how much more he wants to drink. You don’t sell a lot of CDs that way. But now I can say that my album is free, I worked hard on it and I want them to have it. Then all they have to do is go to my site.” At a time when the Internet is all about social networking, Mills is capitalizing on every aspect of it. Danmills.net features links to Mills’ Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter pages, and provides access to Mills’ blog, upcoming concert dates and other multimedia. And the fact that Mills gravitates toward modern technology is no surprise; “Fiction” never would have been possible without it. With studio space both limited and expensive, Mills recorded the album while relying on help – and charity – from friends in the music business. “My first album was a studio album but it was very expensive and time-consuming,” Mills said. “It took about five months and, now that I was producing this one on my own, I had to decide if I wanted to throw money into the wind like that again. And I didn’t. So I got together with some friends and decided that we’d try to make this album in a week.” Armed with a small group of friends and free recording space above a piano store in Ithaca, N.Y., where he graduated from Ithaca College, Mills got to work on “Fiction.” It took more than week. After their time in Ithaca ran out, the group disbanded with the intent of reconvening to work on the album whenever and wherever possible. So over the next few months Mills and company rebuilt their recording studio in Coventry, R.I., Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, N.Y. And more than five months later, “Fiction” was still an unfinished product. “I’m a really big perfectionist, I was producing this album and, unfortunately for everyone that was helping me out, I didn’t know what I was doing,” Mills said. “We started in Ithaca in April and by August there was still a lot of work to be done. That’s when I realized that we’d done a lot together, but I needed to finish this on my own.” Mills returned to his apartment in Brooklyn and, once again, fate seemed to smile on his project. He met pianist Adam Podd when Podd responded to a job posting on Craigslist and the two quickly became friends. Their collaboration extended beyond the “Mommy and Me” rock-and-roll class they were both teaching on the side and took them back to the studio, where Podd had an influential role in shaping “Fiction.” “When I was recording in upstate New York the album was really organic,” Mills said. “It was a lot of piano and guitar but not much else. Once Adam and I started hacking away at it, we embellished on a lot of the arrangements and the whole thing really came together.” From there, Mills met a friend with access to a studio where “Fiction” was eventually mixed. He utilized the space for six weeks, mostly between the undesirable hours of 1 and 9 a.m., but came out with a finished product. “A lot of things aligned for this album to happen,” Mills said. “For a year I was at the mercy of whoever could help me. Whenever someone called and said they could help, I just dropped what I was doing. There were some pretty amazing circumstances but this record got done because of everyone who helped along the way.” The entire process seems a bit amateurish and, in a way, it was. It was Mills’ first time producing a record and many of the people who lent their specific talents to “Fiction” were, or currently are, still trying to find their footing in the music business. But that’s not to say the album isn’t professional – just the opposite. Considering the organic composition, varied recording techniques and original album release, it would be more apt to call it groundbreaking. “We’re at a point with technology that anyone can call themselves a band and record something,” Mills said. “But not with the same quality that we did. All the guys that worked on this are up-and-coming in the industry. This gave us all the opportunity to work together toward one thing and to have fun doing it. When you look at the site, it showcases me. But this was a whole group effort that we pulled off and we’re very proud of it.” Now, with the album finally released, Mills is turning his attention back to playing shows and continuing to build the groundswell for “Fiction.” He is currently making a swing through New York and Vermont but will return to Rhode Island next week, playing in Watch Hill on July 23 and at The Wheelhouse Tavern in Galilee on July 24. And it’s all to promote something that he’s giving away for free. “Music is so available right now that you almost get offended when someone tries to sell you something,” Mills said. “So now instead of going to shows and trying to sell a disc, I’m trying to use it as an advertisement for my Web site. I want people to warm up to the idea and decide that they want to be a part of it. And so far the response has been great. I’m living the dream.” link to article: http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article--Fiction-+for+free+is+this+West+grad-s+dream+come+true%20&id=2962065 Musician Dan Mills pushes against main stream  [+ Show] The Good Five Cent Cigar The music industry, as we know it, is in a state o... The music industry, as we know it, is in a state of decay. Talented musicians who, 30 years ago, would have had an incredible career are shoved to the wayside; replaced by camera friendly faces, auto-tuning and those who create music with the singular goal of becoming rich and recognizable. That fact, in addition to the unscrupulous fashion in which music gets played on the radio, has left one of the most primitive forms of communication crippled and weak. Fewer and fewer artists, who have something to say, are getting signed and even fewer are making it. Yet there is a glimmer of hope for music lovers and those sick to death of what has become mainstream music. That hope lies within subway stations, dimly lit cafes and beer soaked bars. The purveyors of this hope are the musicians who have nothing to lose; who aren’t blinded by money’s allure or driven solely be the dream of becoming popular. If the music industry is to be saved, these are the people who will do it. Enter Dan Mills, an acoustic musician with a story to tell. Growing up in Cranston, Rhode Island, Mills’ love of music started with the trumpet and moved to guitar shortly there after. His newest album, Fiction in Photographs, is one of several albums he has released on his own, though, this one is different. This time he decided that, in an effort to tell his particular story to more people, the album would be available on his website at no cost to the listener. All he asks for is your email address and the email address of a friend. I met up with Dan at Union Square Park in Manhattan to talk with him about himself and his music. Nat Tingley: So Dan why don’t you just say your name, age, occupation, where you live, where you grew up, your school and your favourite kitchen appliance. Dan Mills: OK, my name is Dan Mills, I’m 24 years old, I’m a musician, my residence now is in New York City but I grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, I went to school at Ithaca College in upstate New York, and my favourite kitchen appliance is the dishwasher because I haven’t had one in forever… I want one so bad. NT: OK, so here are a few standard questions just to make the interview gods happy. What or who are your influences? DM: Lets see. Musical influences would be Paul Simon, I got really into him. Bob Dylan, The Dead are some others. More current influences would be John Mayer, Martin Sexton and The Wood Brothers. Also Dave Matthews because I learned how to play guitar in high school by learning most of his songs. NT: So that’s the “who” part of the question, how about the “what” part? For instance do you draw inspiration from you environment, in your case the city, or you home or what? DM: Oh I gotcha. My main influence for song writing is definitely my personal experiences. Where I’m living, what I’m going through… what’s happening around me. It  can be really big, dramatic life changing things or just little things the affect me weird. Weirdly? (laughs) Certain days something happens and I get this funny feeling that I’ve come to know as “I gotta go write a song”. NT: So if you HAD to choose a category for your music, where would it fit? DM: (laughs) That’s always hard. I guess its kind of poppy and acoustic … sort of that bluesy, singer songwriter style. It can go to different extremes, but it’s always… always coming from me. NT: So this is a really hard time for musicians. How have you been affected by it? DM: Ha! That’s a great question. I think that… wow I could go on about this forever and ever. First off with the way that technology is, in terms of recording and the Internet, it is kind of a double-edged sword. It’s created a lot more recording artists, which makes it harder  for listeners to sift through, and harder for bands to get noticed. On the other hand, it has given me amazing opportunities to record on my own or do things on my own that, back 20 years ago, you weren’t able to do. One of the big things is that people aren’t buying music as much anymore and it’s hard to get people to want to buy a CD. Thats why I’m giving mine away for free. NT: So kind of in the same vein, how, if at all, has technology helped or hurt your work? DM: Well I think it’s helped a lot because I get to hear a lot more music. If I write a song I’ve got the ability to immediately go record it and mess with it. I wouldn’t call myself a full on producer but I do produce my own work and technology has given me the ability to learn how to, not only write the songs but also record them. As far as promotion, I don’t think that I would be anywhere if it weren’t for, like, fans I’ve met on the Internet. Like I said the though hard part is trying to come out on top. NT: What’s your method for writing a given piece? DM: Its definitely always changing. When I first started writing music I wasn’t as hard on myself. There were already songs inside me that wanted to come out, so, they would just come out really quickly and often. More recently, I’ve gotten into the practice of trying to make time to write consistently and taking notes of what I see. So I’ll be on the subway or anywhere and I carry around a little book and I write something about what I see. When I write the songs now I take the time to edit them and try to make them represent both the idea and me an artist, but at the same time be attainable to the listener. Sometimes I write stuff and I’m like ‘why would people want to hear this?’ so the big thing is finding a balance. NT: You and I talked about this briefly when we saw each other at Foo Fest in Providence a month or so back and I asked you if you wanted to get signed. So, are you? DM: It’s a good question to bring up now because I think its important for any musician to decide where they want to be in order to get to their goal. There is a part of me that sees getting signed as a great tool to reach more ears much faster, but I also don’t like getting caught up in the whole game of trying to get signed. And then there is another part of me that sees that the mold is broken and that record labels aren’t really doing it entirely right. There are a lot of things that you can do to get your music out there, and make money which isn’t the primary goal but a goal never the less. At this point in time I’m not looking to get signed. I’d like to see what I could do with the amazing team I work with now who are passionate about what I do. I’d like to try  to make waves on my own. NT: So being a little like you in that I’m from Rhode Island and have moved to NYC in search of more opportunities, I’ve been recently living by the credo RI bred, NY fed. So how has living in New York yet being from Rhode Island affected your music? DM: Rhode Island and New York City are both amazing, amazing places. They also both have outrageous idiosyncrasies about them (laughs). I don’t think I would notice the things that I write about each place if not for the other. The songs I write about New York come from the perspective of guy who grew up in Rhode Island, and the songs about Rhode Island come from a guy who moved away and misses the good life (laughs).  Mills, although living in NYC, frequently plays shows at local venues that include AS220 in Providence and The Wheel House in Point Judith. For more information on Dan, go to www.danmills.net. There, you can download his newest album for free. "Dan Mills: Fiction in Photographs"  [+ Show] Lauren Sutter @ jambands.com Dan Mills Fiction in Photographs is an ode from a ... Dan Mills Fiction in Photographs is an ode from a New York newcomer in many ways. He croons about love, loss, loneliness and how change is imminent in life. “Drive Away” which opens up the album is a short snippet where he sings about driving away, pushing yourself towards a new purpose. The third song, “Ballad,” with its lyrics, “Manhattan ain’t got nothing on a good friend,” describes how life can be crazy in a big city, yet the challenges one can face are worth the effort. The guitar playing is delicate and airy, complementing its subject matter.Each song on Fiction in Photographs is driven by Jason Mraz and John Mayer-like guitar serenading, with simple drumbeats and easy listening bass. One of my favorites is “Not Calm,” which is a little depressing, but it hits you in your throat as its lyrics remind you of the end of our lives and how we are remembered by a cold stone. The piano, violins and cello are haunting and even though the song is sad in nature, it is uplifting because at its core is love. Overall, Dan Mill’s Fiction in Photographs is a staple album for any young optimist who knows that the challenges in our lives are what make us and that being on our own completing overhauling our lives in a new city isn’t as scary as it seems.