Miller Lowlifes
A lot of my stories about finding new bands have one thing in common. It's usually a sentence that goes something like, "I discovered this band at Fest."
Miller Lowlifes are one of those discoveries and I've had Pinch Hitters playing on repeat this year. I figured I should make take the concept full circle, so I contacted the band to talk about what Fest means to them and, now that their debut full-length is out, what comes next.
Scene Point Blank: What's the first thing you think of when I say the word "Fest"?
Matt: Family Reunion
Richie: Friends
Joe: Party time!
Scene Point Blank: What was your favorite or most memorable experience at FEST 22?
Matt: Honestly, it was my first real time getting to hang out after my daughter was born, so it was just getting to see a bunch of old friends. Also our set was really fun.
Mario: We covered a Fay Wray song and Jeff came up and sang it with us.
Richie: Yeah, covering the Fay Wray song “Bi” with Jeff on vocals was a highlight for me. I discovered Fay Wray long after they had broken up and never in a million years would I get to see them live. Turns out we have a mutual friend who is friends with Jeff, who sang for them. I was relieved when Jeff agreed to sing it -- that song is so hard to sing for me.
Scene Point Blank: How many Fests have you played now? Have you attended more than that?
Matt: I've played 11 Fests so far. FEST 6 with two bands, then a regular run from 12 to now, with an off year for FEST 19. I've been to every single Fest except #10 and most of #1.
Mario: Been going since FEST 3 and either playing, shooting video, or sometimes both. I took a break from 15-19. I’ve played 4-5 with Madison Bloodbath, 3 with Big Sad, and 2 with Lowlifes.
Richie: This will be my sixth Fest I’ve played. This will be the Lowlifes' third time playing and my other band, Articles, sixth time playing.
I have been attending since FEST 4. I think I missed FEST 12 because of a family reunion. Whatever year that Twelve Hour Turn reunited for is the one I missed. That is one of my favorite bands, and I remember going to St. Augustine to see their first warm-up show because I wasn't going to be able to see them during Fest.
Scene Point Blank: The Fest has a global lineup but, in my experience, I've discovered a ton of bands from Florida directly through Fest. How do you think The Fest has shaped the narrative around the southeastern US for people from other parts of the world?
Richie: I lived in Gainesville for about 8 years collectively and I think people that aren't from Florida/Gainesville have this idea that Gainesville is like Fest all year round. Gainesville has a vibrant music scene that is incredible, but not every single show is like a Fest show.
Gainesville has a real small town vibe. You can be in an active band in town and not really have to tour outside of hitting up Tampa and Orlando. To me, that is what is charming about Gainesville. You get the perks of a mid-sized city, but you go just outside of the city and are surrounded by vibrant nature.
I think Fest has given many bands a chance that wouldn't normally be invited to play a major music festival. Lots of bands that play are putting out their own music on their own labels, booking their own shows, and making their own merch. One of my favorite things to do at Fest is just wander into random venues and check out bands I’ve never heard of.
Scene Point Blank: How long were you working on Pinch Hitters before it released this year?
Matt: this was basically our first batch of songs, with a few thrown out, since summer 2022.
Richie: Yeah, when I joined the band they had two songs written without any vocals. Matt and I got together and hammered out some song ideas. Everything came together fairly quickly, although I say that we had a practice space burn down in the middle of all of that. RIP Dudes Room.
Scene Point Blank: The songs are mostly about "the daily grind," to oversimplify it. But you have the baseball themed name and album art. How does that tie in? Are you big baseball fans?
Mario: Matt likes soccer, but the rest of us like baseball. The record was based more on the theme of being “Pinch Hitters.” Our first few shows were all booked because someone canceled. I wasn’t in the band yet, but even the first Lowlifes show at Fest was filling a slot for Matt and Joe’s previous band.
Matt: I like baseball! Just not as much as I used to.
Richie: As Mario said, a lot of our first shows were booked because other bands dropped. The phrase “Pinch Hitters” sounded unique to me so I went down the rabbit hole of the history of baseball in the Tampa Bay area. I learned about the Tampa Smokers, a local team that started in the early 1900s which was made up of cigar factory workers. That is the picture on the cover of the record. At the time I was reading the book How the Other Half Lives, by Jacob Riis which details the lives of the poor working class in New York at the turn of the 20th century. I basically combined the two ideas for the album art and for some of the lyrics on the record.
Scene Point Blank: I think it's your bandcamp page or maybe ADD Records that calls the band "blue collar punk played by people with white collar jobs." That definitely fits with the domestic beer nod too -- is all of this an intentional theme, or just a natural reflection of who you are and how you write? That's a long way of asking: Did you form Miller Lowlifes with a specific goal or did it "just happen"?
Matt: It just happened. Joe and I ended our last band, which has evolved into a great band called New Aesthetics. Our original bass player asked Richie, who was newish to Tampa, if he wanted to work with us. It's been an incredibly easy and fun experience so far.
Richie: I had lived in Tampa for a little over a year when I went to a show and ran into Matt and the original bass player of Lowlifes. I was (still am) commuting to play in my other band Articles out of Gainesville, but was looking for something a little more local. I had seen their previous band Secret World a few times and had no idea that they were ending. At that show I was asked to learn the song “Heaven” by Jack Palane Band. I went home, learned it, and we’ve pretty much been doing the band since.
Scene Point Blank: Most of these songs are right in the two-to-three minute timeframe. What is the longest song you've ever written?
Matt: I think we have a 4 minute opus coming up on the next recording!
Richie: I think the longest one is around the 5 minute mark. That was in my high school band. Songs I write keep getting shorter and shorter. Have you heard the new Dark Thoughts record? 11 songs in 16 minutes, that's the perfect length.
Scene Point Blank: What are you working on now that the LP is out?
Matt: We're recording our half of a split LP in September-October.
Mario: I hear we’re taking new promo pics. Super excited about that. I love it when a band drops a sick new promo pic. It’s what music is all about.
Richie: This is all news to me. We have new songs but now I know when we're recording, ha!
Scene Point Blank: Can you share any special plans you have for FEST 23 as a band this year?
Matt: I dunno, probably some balloons? I’m always amazed and thankful that Tony has us.
Mario: I would like to go swim in a spring and eat at Bingo Deli. The rest of the band is invited if they wanna come.
Richie: I’m bringing my bike again this year so I’ll probably bike the Hawthorne trail one morning. It's one of my favorite things to do in Gainesville. A spring trip is always welcomed too.
I just reread the question. Probably a shot before we play. We will take any other shots anyone wants to buy us too!
Scene Point Blank: What bands/artists are you excited to see at FEST 23?
Matt: I heard Wolf-Face was doing a Bad Religion cover set. Beyond that and the answers below, it's seeing D4, Tiltwheel, Virginity, Tiny Stills, Dollar Signs for the last time, and seeing all of the old friends that you see once a year.
Mario: Chimes, Partial Traces, Toys That Kill…it’s a long list this year. We’re playing at the same time as Dead Bars, so I was sure to get them on our Thursday night Pre-Fest show at The Atlantic so I can see them.
Richie: Reversal of Man, Houseghost, Leg Biters, Carnivorous Flower, Saw Paw, Tiltwheel.
Scene Point Blank: Who is one "under-the-radar" artist people should check out?
Matt: Is Debt Neglector under the radar? They're amazing. I'm going to also say Big Sad, Too Many Daves, and Articles for no reason whatsoever.
Mario: Chimes and Partial Traces.
Richie: Errth
Scene Point Blank: What's your favorite non Fest-sponsored thing to do in Gainesville (food/destination/etc)?
Matt: La Tienda, The Atlantic’s barcade, and a six hour post up at Boca Fiesta (now that High Dive is gone).
Mario: The Cade Museum is cool if you have kids. Bingo Deli and Grand Scheme Brewing are always spots I stop by when passing through town. It’s also worth it to drive to nearby springs and take a dip.
Richie: Biking the Hawthorne trail and grabbing some food at Public & General.
