Miles Apart

...Miles Apart took the stage just before 4 p.m. Unlike years past, there was still an anxious audience awaiting some of the group’s polished and somewhat perky tunes. Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Philip Hamrick and his girlfriend, vocalist Rachel Smith, hail from Raleigh, N.C. while drummer Jason Brewer and bassist Bobby McCullough go to school at RU with the group’s other songwriter and keyboardist, Luke Denton, which is where they get the name Miles Apart.

Hamrick and Denton are both incredible songwriters with an obvious youth and hunger in both their writing and performing. Denton’s “Girth and Greed” features heavy Hornsby-like keyboard work while Hamrick’s “Best Things in Life Are Free” stands as tall as anything by Sister Hazel or Pete Yorn. The diligent and groove oriented rhythm sections of Brewer and McCullough were incredulously smooth, especially when backing the three-part harmonies of Denton, Hamrick and Smith.

In all their precision, this band is still a fun group of guys. “I’ll embarrass myself for you,” Denton said after returning to the stage from a spontaneous dance fit shared with the only guy motivated enough to dance, 9th Dark’s Matt Adkins. That isn’t to say that no one was appreciating Miles Apart. Perhaps they were too busy basking in some refreshing rock-oriented pop that has no pretension, no expectations and a whole lot of melody. This time the hooks stuck. Miles Apart has a gig at the Brambleton Deli in Roanoke this Saturday, April 23 and they’re online at myspace.com/milesapart.

--Adam Harris, The Tartan - Radford University Tartan

Miles Apart is a band that is truthfully miles apart. Not to sound cliche but the group has members that go to Radford University and two that hail from North Carolina. This interview was a great experience as I interview not only the three members person to person but also their other two members as well. The interview is done differently this time around as each member had input in the questions as you will see throughout the time. The members include Luke(lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and keys), Phil (lead vocals, lead guitar), Rachel (guitar, lead and backup vocals), Bobby (Bass), and Jason (Percussionist). This is a truly unique band with three lead vocalists.They truly have a different sound. Enjoy the interview

Joseph Curulla: How long have you been in the music business?

Jason: Phil and I met back in 1996 at Governor's school in North Carolina. As it turns out, he and I lived near each other our entire lives and just randomly walked into each other 200 miles from our home (the Governor's School campus). He and I always talked about being in a band together, but I didn't really take it seriously since our preferred "styles" of music were so different. Plus, we both went to college and didn't see each other for several years. While in college at Appalachain State, Phil recorded two albums: one solo and one he played with a band called the Mighty Handful. Within the Mighty Handful was a backup vocalist Phil met in school by the name of Rachel Smith (the MA Rachel). After interning in New York in the summer of 2003, Phil called me the same day I was moving to Radford to inquire about starting a band. Rachel and I (with other musicians of course) agreed to record a songwriting demo with him that October, and afterward we decided to pursue the project as Miles Apart. As a graduate student in the music department here at RU, I met Luke and Bobby, who I introduced to Phil and Rachel in May 2004. We played a few shows over the summer before Luke went to Scotland for a semester, and now that he's back, we're finally starting to gig on a regular basis with our full lineup.



Joseph Curulla: How would you desribe your music?

Phil The music type really depends on who is listening. It is folk rock or 50's and 60's rock. It is rock mixed with different influences and genres. It is a collected mix.
Luke: The music takes parts of jazz and folk combined for a new sound.
Bobby: The band has a weird sound. You're taking two different styles and songwriters and placing them together. It's like putting together a Venn Diagram. On one side you have Phil and his folk side and on the other you have Luke and his Jazz side. Right in the middle is where Miles Apart is. Those two mixed together make the sound so unique.


Joseph Curulla: Who are the artists that have influenced your career?

Rachel: Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, Black Crows.
Luke: Bruce Hornsby, Tori Amos, Jazz music.
Phil: Ben Folds, Beatles, Black Crows.
Bobby: Jazz, Bruce Hornsby and his relationship with his bass player.
Jason: More modern, drum-intensive, progressive rock.


Joseph Curulla: Do you want to go mainstream with your music or is it just something you want to have as a hobby?

Jason: Well we are a regional band. Hopefully we will be playing Quadfest this April. We are also playing at the Green Dolphin and Brambleton Deli. We want to go mainstream. That's what we've worked so hard for.

Bobby: This is it we are going mainstream


Joseph Curulla: What are some successes that you've had from your career?

Phil: Rachel and I were were in a band regional songwriting competition. I produced an EP. I have played coffee shops and clubs. I had an internship for a publishing company. It is fun being called up and requested.

Jason: Musically a lot in high school. I received a degree from Fl. It is nice to be in a group where they enjoy each other and are going places.

Rachel: Staying with it as long as I have

Luke: I have known I have wanted to perform since I was 10. Now I am getting a small tast of what I wanted. Seeing it is believing it.



Bobby: We are playing Thursday through Sunday performing up to 5 times a week. My dreams are coming true. Driving back from a gig at 2am is an indescribable feeling.


Joseph Curulla: What has been the most challenging experience for you as an artist?

Bobby: Finding the right settings to play our music. We would love to have a storytelling show so we could set a different pace.

Jason: Staying persistent and keeping your head up. Making phone calls and not getting a call back.

Luke: Repetition. We have to get people to recognize how we play 3-4 times before they finally start noticing us.

Phil: Trying to get things started when you are 3 1/2 hours away from the rest of the band.

Joseph Curulla: 20 years from now, how do you want people to remember your music?

Luke: We want to be seen as an origin rather than a genre. It would be amazing to hear one of songs being covered or played 20 years from now and having people remember where it came from.

Phil: To be remembered as a different, new sound. To be thought of as starting something new.


Joseph Curulla: Do you have any advice for anyone that might be preparing to enter the music business?

Phil: Play for anyone who will listen and play anywhere. Don't give up. Do it as a team

Luke: Don't take anything personal. Don't take the business side. Creativity has taken a backseat to vanity.

Jason: Forget that people don't care. Climb the hurdles and end the assumptions.


-Joseph Curulla - Radford Whim Internet Magazine

I stumbled upon Miles Apart by accident while having dinner at the Brambleton Deli. What I thought to be five unassuming indie rockers getting ready to take the stage turned out to be one of the best bands I've heard in a long time.
When Philip Hamrick (vocals/guitar), Rachael Smith (vocals/acoustic guitar), Luke Denton (keys/rhythm guitar/vocals), Robert McCullough (bass), and Jason Brewer (drums) began their first song-a midtempo, alt-country rock thing-I was immediately struck by the vocal harmonies of Hamrick and Smith. It was as if Emmylou Harris had resurrected dear-departed Gram Parsons and they'd rendomly booked a gig in Roanoke.
Miles Apart fromed in June 2004 and took their band name from the fact that three live in Radford (finishing up music degrees), while Hamrick and Smith live in Charlotte, N.C.
For his day job, Hamrick teaches elementary music while Smith works as a fifth-grade teacher. Her students think she has a pretty voice and should be on "American Idol."

Q: The vocal interplay among the three singers is really impressive. Are the harmonies something you have to work hard at or do they come naturally?
Luke: For Phil and Rachael it seems really natural. Having a formal music background has helped me. It's a lot more than just building triads.
Rachel: Personally, I think it's effortless, though there definitely was a process. The "genius" lives in being creative with them. It's a lot different than singing lead, but Phil and I have been singing together for so long, nearly six years, that it's almost unconscious.
Q: What do you guys write about?
Phil: I draw from my personal experiences, people I've met, crazy relationships I've been in. People I used to watch in Washington Square Park. It's weird [laughs] because sometimes I'll look over at Rachel and we'll be singing a song and she'll know the whole story behind it. [The two finally gave in and realized they were in love, and began dating only recently.]
Luke: I wrote a song recently about the situation in Haiti-I spent two weeks there-Just the poverty and human injustice was crazy. I'm not overly politically based, but if I'm in the position to get some attention, why not try to say something important?
Q: Though the group is somewhat a victim of geography, you make it work. Is it worth the logistical hassles?
Rob: All I know is that when I was presented with Phil's demo, I was like, "I'm a fan of this!" So, yea, it's definitely worth it. - The Roanoke Times and World News; Jason Wilson