Jacob Miller is a Portland Oregon based singer/songwriter hailing from Wisconsin. For the last 5 1/2 years, he led a swinging roots music group called, Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners. They frequented traditional jazz festivals around the West Coast including Sun Valley, Seaside, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Southern Oregon Music Festival, and more.
“Sun Valley” he says, “was our introduction to that world, and I am happy to say we played 3 times, and gained incredible traction in the festival circuit.”
They were easily the youngest group playing some of those festivals and their energetic and boisterous performances were a hit, but last summer, he disbanded the group to focus on solo efforts.
Miller will be releasing new music and touring nationwide this fall. Next Spring, he would like to release a full solo album. In an effort to find funding for LP pressing and post-production of the record, he has launched a Kickstarter campaign. You can learn more of Miller’s story, (including a year and a half hitchhiking around the country and working on farms), on the campaign page.
More importantly, you can learn about his reasons for going solo and goals for this new album. The campaign runs until September 12th. Though his solo efforts stray a little from the swing and roots music of his former band he still feels a connection to the festival fans, and the roots community in Portland, that made the Crooners a success.
“Though the new music I’m writing is different,” he said, “it is still deeply rooted in and inspired by old jazz, ragtime, fingerpicking, and blues music.” Here is a sample:
Still young and gifted, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. The quality of his videos are proof he’s someone who knows how to get things done. Here are two more from his Bridge City Crooners days:
Warning: overwhelming cuteness:
You can learn more about Jacob Miller and his solo efforts here:
