Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Do you love rock and roll? Seriously, I'm not fucking around. Do you love rock and roll? Have you ever been blown away by a guitar solo, a solo that can only be described as "blistering" no matter how much of a cliche that is? Do you believe that pyrotechnics still have a legitimate place in a rock and roll show? Yeah? Then the Millions might be for you.
The Millions are a rock and roll band. Some people might call this power pop but they are wrong, wrong, wrong. Some people call Cheap Trick power pop, so what do they know? Not much. In 1978, Cheap Trick's Heaven Tonight was lumped in to the world of heavy metal, and that's a much better fit. What is heavy metal but loud, ballsy rock and roll? And that's exactly what the Millions play.
These guys aren't joking when they say that their favorite band is KISS, and it shows. There was a time when KISS made great music. And there was even a time when bands who were influenced by KISS made great music. Don't tell me that you don't love the early Motley Crue stuff! And Guns N' Roses has recently become a national fucking treasure, giddily embraced by every man, woman and child in the free world. And rightly so. Appetite for Destruction is one of the best albums of all time.
Million Dollar Rock is no Appetite. It's not really trying to be. At least not that hard. And it's no Heaven Tonight either. But it is something good, something somewhere in between those two. At times, the production gets a little thick. The piles of backing vocals on certain tracks sound like they could have been produced by Mutt Lange. And that's not good. And neither is the all too straightforward cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," which I'm sure is awesome live, but unnecessary here, even as a hidden bonus track. We get what they're going for; they don't need to come right out and shove it down our throats.
But those issues are more than made up for by the quality of the ten originals on Million Dollar Rock, with stand-out tracks like "Today is the Day" and "I Want You." It's all about super tight songwriting, catchy hooks, booming rhythm and crunchy guitars. And lots of flashy solos. It's pure rock and roll and it's good. - http://www.gloriousnoise.com
Bridging the gap between hard rock and power pop, The Millions deliver some high octane tunes on Million Dollar Rock. Mixing a variety of influences and styles based around strong hooks which swing in and out of territory occupied by bands like The Wildhearts and the classic trademarks of Cheap Trick and Enuff Z'Nuff. They have managed to brandish this with the cool nineties alt-rock of The Posies and Redd Kross to great effect on tracks like 'Heather' and 'No Good Without you' and they even try their hand at KISS style big, brash arena rock on the pyro fuelled title track. Even with so many varied comparisons and influences on show you may expect The Millions to lack a little direction, and I initially thought the band were old school rock trying to be modern, but 'Million Dollar Rock' holds together really well with some tight, classy arrangements, sweet harmonies and some real potential hit singles, making for a great debut from a band to watch out for. 7/10
Review by Rob Lane - TrashPit Magazine UK www.trashpit.co.uk - TrashPit Magazine UK - http://www.trashpit.co.uk
Discography
LP - "Million Dollar Rock" (Million Dollar - 2003)
LP - "Million Dollar Rock" Japanese Release (Egging - 2003)
LP - "Million Dollar Rock" European Release (Stealth - 2003)
Single - "Fly High Michelle" from "A Tribute to Enuff Znuff" (CD Smash - 2004)
Single - "You're All I've Got Tonight" from "A Tribute to The Cars" (Not Lame - 2004)
Single - "I Want You" from "Tricked Out: A Tribute to Cheap Trick" (Fastlane - 2004)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It’s hard to believe that The Millions have only been together for just over two years. In that short period of time, these Chicago scene veterans have developed an explosive live show and a healthy collection of great songs. Their love of loud guitars (See Kiss, Lit, Motley Crue, Guns ‘n’ Roses and AC/DC) and big hooks (See The Darkness, Cheap Trick, Good Charlotte, Marvelous 3 and Queen) inspired them to create their own mix of the heavy and catchy.
The popularity of The Millions has only increased with the release of their debut album, “Million Dollar Rock”. Recorded locally, the disc features the writing talents of former guitarists for The Krinkles and Big Hello respectively, Dan “The Fox” Edwards and Johnny Million. The album also features the playing of power drummer, Larry “Crash” Brown (Purrbox, Justin Roberts) and bassist/vocalist Christopher Grey (Swizzlesticks).Early reviews for “Million Dollar Rock” have been glowing. Bruce Brodeen, President of Not Lame Recordings, calls “Million Dollar Rock”, “…a raging slab of rock.” Kings of A&R (www.kingsofar.com) describe it as “…Ultra-catchy, guitar-rock/power-pop/retro fusion…” Webzine Glorious Noise (www.gloriousnoise.com) says, “…It's all about super tight songwriting, catchy hooks, booming rhythm and crunchy guitars. And lots of flashy solos. It's pure rock and roll and it's good…” The songs on the album range from glistening hard pop in the form of “Heather”, to all out ‘balls to the wall’ hard rock via the title cut, “Million Dollar Rock”. Fans of guitar rock will immediately latch onto the dueling Million/Edwards licks throughout the disc.
As part of their approach for the release of “Million Dollar Rock”, the band has been keeping a high profile. In the spring of 2003, The Millions were tapped to film scenes for a ComEd television commercial. They signed a publishing deal with Samovar Groovathon music. And, in an effort to expand their audience globally, The Millions signed a licensing deal with Egging Records (http://www.1977records.com/egging.html) to have “Million Dollar Rock” released (with bonus tracks) in Japan. In July of 2003, the band signed a deal with U.K. label, Stealth Records for distribution throughout Europe. In August of 2003 The Millions participated in the Midwest Grammy Showcase in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a performance for the Harley-Davidson 100th Birthday Bash. Their songs have been featured on several MTV shows including, “The Real World”, “Punk’d” and “Fraternity Life”.
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