Don't wait say it now..."In The Living Years"

As a somewhat successful songwriter, I am always moved by well written lyrics that touch upon a truth in life... "Say It Loud, say it clear, you can listen as well as you hear, it's too late, we we die" - "In The Living Years" I have just returned from two memorials today. Both of these events have helped me to reflect on spending time with those in our lives that we love, and really being engaged, since tomorrow is never promised... One memorial was for the Father of a dear friend who was very old, and had lived a distinguished life of community service, as a Teacher, Leader and Father, the other one was for a friend who was a Musician, Songwriter, Father of 4 young children and well known Pro Audio Consultant who I knew, and had worked with, but didn't know what he had going through... Martin Joseph Conroy, was the Father of my good friend Bill, whom I met via a Bible study group I was leading. Bill's Dad was the son of Irish immigrants from Castlebar and Claremorris. He received his BA from Loyola University in 1955. Martin earned his administrative credential at USC in 1978. He created a public service program on CBS called "StepsTo Learning" which showcased the excellent teaching in Los Angeles. He served for 37 years as a Teacher and then as a Principal. Martin retired as Principal of Reseda Community Adult School. Then at Pacoima Junior High as Director of the Television, Film and Arts Center, he helped create the groundbreaking program "Newseekers" which aired on PBS.

I only met Martin once when he came with his Son, my friend Bill to our Bible study....What a life he lived, Huh? Martin touched my life profoundly, simply by showing up for his Son. It meant so much to Bill that his Father was there for him, and with him. It was just that simple.... Mr. Conroy passed away August 31, 2013. Troy Dwayne Morris was a Husband, Father of four children and a well known and well liked Pro Audio Consultant who started out by studying at The Full Sail Recording Arts program in Winter Park, FL. Troy moved to LA with his wife, in 1992 where he began working at the legendary Westlake Audio Recording Studios. Troy moved from the Studio group into the Sales group and became a well known fixture in our community. We worked together from 1999 - 2001. At the time of his passing, he was a Pro Audio System Designer at Westlake Pro, which had been bought by West LA Music.

Although I had known and worked with Troy, and I also saw him regularly at our neighborhood grocery store, I could have known him better. I should have known him better. I did not know everything he was going through, nor did I see the pain he dealt with on a daily basis. It wore him down. This struggle took him away from us. I would have liked to have known Troy more deeply and been more aware of his life and struggles... Troy passed away July 21, 2013 Moral of this story, don't wait to ask someone how they are, don't give up on people when they are down, don't just ask "how's it going" and then keep on walking... Take some serious time to invest in peoples lives...it's really worth it. You never know how much it might impact their life.... To donate, and help Troy's family, please go to this link: http://westlakepro.com/troymorrismemorial.html

Well folks, I'm back at it! I have neglected my blogging because of life changes and challenges, but that has never stopped me from moving forward in the past! Keep your eyes open for more frequent Blogs here! The NEW NEWS, is that I have most excellent fans in the Great White North of Canada, who have graciously decided to sponsor a website for me since I never got around to making a gussiemiller.com page!!! YES, FINALLY a gussiemiller.com site with music and my new CD project as the MAIN focus!!! I'm SO excited, since the site looks AMAZING!!! I'm highly flattered by this honor since we are STILL (yes, it's still being recorded) working on "Forever Plan". We'll be posting some new and some old stuff up here, and mostly things that just fall out of my head. Life's STILL a struggle for creative people like me, but with God's help...we carry on! See ya soon! Gussie

YouTube video, new songs, my amazing teen talents...

I am amazed at the success of my YouTube hybrid Video for "What More Can I Say?" which has taken off like a rocket in less than 3 weeks! I am so happy that you have excepted my vision of the story...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJrAzFJEKKA


It was supposed to be just a temporary video while we worked on the full HD live action video being produced by Kellie Yackie and directed by Jonathan Lewis, but it's really taken on a life of it's own...Wow!

I have new songs in the pipeline which are still on the hard drives and a few that we have released rough versions of from a radio interview I did for KBPK Fm a really hip Adult Contemporary station from Fullerton, CA

http://www.kbpk-fm.com/


I have some really cool stuff coming out soon from two very talented young ladies, one of whom is my daughter, Alexandria (Alex) who is doing her summer "Daddy write me a song thing" the other is a discovery of my Son Nate's named "Nikesha" and you will LOVE both of them as they are both seriously talented...

Stay tuned!

GM

What More Can I Say - Single Release Promo

New EPK posted!

Don't miss the new EPK video for "What More Can I Say" from the forthcoming CD "Forever Plan"!

Gussie Miller joins Last FM!

Gussie Miller has recently joined Last FM to help promote the the upcoming release of the single "What More Can I Say"from the forth coming CD "Forever Plan"!

http://www.last.fm/music/Gussie+Miller


The single "What More Can I Say" is now available on Last FM as a "pre-release rough mix" version. Look for the final mix soon which will be created by multiple Grammy winner David Isaac. The single will then be released worldwide on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon, and all major music retailers. A dance mix by DJ Eric Angel will follow.

The single features Gussie's soaring vocals with the help of Drummer Tris Imboden of the group Chicago, Saxophonist Cleto Escobedo of Jimmy Kimmel LIVE fame, Keyboardist and musical director Alex Alessandroni jr. on Keyboards and Legendary Austrian Mega-Producer Peter Wolf on Bass.

What More Can I Say EPK

SAB_EPK_Sneak_Preview

Posted on: http://www.headblade.com/

All Gussied Up.
February 2010

We want to welcome Gussie Miller to the HeadBlade team. Gussie is a singer/songwriter, producer/engineer based in Southern California. He has performed and/or recorded with more people than you. This list includes Gino Vannelli, Laverne Baker, Cher, Marcus Miller, Jessica Celious, Keb Mo, Mindi Abair, and many more. Gussie's high tenor voice has been used in TV shows and movies such as Doogie Howser M. D., Family Matters, Everybody Hates Chris, and I Think I Love My Wife (didn't we all).



After sporting every known hairdo on stage, Gussie soon tired of the hours of preparation. Simply put, "One day I just woke up and shaved my head! I got so many compliments and head turns, I figured I was on to something."

"HeadBlade is a quick and easy solution to a consistently smooth head. I couldn't live without it," states Gussie.

Gussie is excited about his first ever solo Pop/R&B project, "'Forever Plan,' which will be fan-funded . "It is my hope that people will visit my SellaBand.com profile, sign up and become believers in the fan-funding process. The more you invest, the more of the project you own."

50K Music Magazine Interviews Gussie Miller

50K MM: Who are you, where do you come from,...?
Please tell us something about yourself.

Gussie: I was born and raised in Columbus, OH.
I have family in both New York and New Jersey where I spent
much of my formative years around entertainment people.
My Uncle James "Blinky" Miller, was a music professor
who first believed in my talent. My Aunt Juanita, who was
also a music teacher, MADE me sing in her church choir,
where she was the choir director. Years later, after I became an adult, I lived with my Uncle and got to know my second cousin, James Allen, who is
one of the S1W in the legendary rap group, Public Enemy. I desired to sing at the Apollo Theatre, so James escorted me to the Apollo to sing at Amateur Night, because he believed so much in my talent.



My background includes being a child actor, and being on
cable and national television, including WBNS TV and
QUBE TV, which later became the Nickelodeon Network.
Taken under the wing early by owners of several major
recording studios, I learned the art of production for
commercials and TV & Film work. I learned the art of
studio production under the direction of John Kiehl from
the Soundtrack Group while I was singing for him doing
jingles in Boston. While in Boston, million selling artist
Paula Cole was a singer in a band I had in the 80¹s.

http://www.wolfram.com/products/mathematica/portrai
ts/johnkiehl/

I have since been a performer at Universal Studios and
Disneyland ("The Lion King Celebration"). Also, I have
entertained on two major cruise lines. After moving to Los
Angeles from Boston, I performed and/or recorded with
Gino Vannelli, LaVerne Baker, Cher, Seal, Mindi Abair and
Marcus Miller.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4RdVr8TJOM/

While working with Marcus Miller, Marcus used my voice
for Chris Rock¹s CW Television Show, "Everybody Hates
Chris". In addition, I have most recently been composing
music for commercials and film, and my voice can be
heard on Chris Rock¹s feature film, "I Think I Love My
Wife".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody_Hates_Chris


50K MM: How did you discover SellaBand?

Gussie: My cousin in Public Enemy keeps me informed of everything going on with PE. He had reached out to me about the power of Sellaband in funding their current project. I checked it out and "fan funding" sounded like a great idea!

The vision for my first solo effort, "Forever Plan", began
well over 10 years ago. Due to a tough divorce situation
and spending much of my time and finances fighting for
the custodial rights of my children, "Forever Plan" was put
on hold. I also experienced a workplace accident that
pushed back completing "Forever Plan". However many
setbacks I encountered, I never lost sight of where I
wanted to go with this project. The time has come now, to
utilize the power of SAB to finally bring my vision to
fruition!




50K MM: How are you going to convince people to
believe (and invest) in you?

Gussie: Being a performer, product spokesperson, and having been involved in multiple music projects, I have
networked with many people throughout the years. I am reaching out to all of these contacts via social networking sites, such as MySpace, facebook, Twitter, Linkedin,
Modern Vocalist, Digg, and my blog, called "Artis Musicai",

http://artismusicai.blogspot.com/

I am also forging co-marketing and branding agreements
with companies I support, such as HeadBlade,



http://www.headblade.com/

I am in contact with local and national media, including Time Warner Cable (Southern California), who has a program that is considering doing a feature piece on how I am raising capital to fund my record, using Sellaband.

50K MM: You have raised a small percentage of the budget yet. But have you thought about the time after reaching the goal of 50k yet? What are your plans then?

Gussie: I have had a lot of experience in working on major albums with major artists, as a technician, engineer,
producer and vocalist. This has given me a unique perspective on how to put a project together. A wise man once told me, "Most of the time it is not knowing what to
do, but who to call." So, I am calling in favors from songwriters, producers, engineers and artists I have worked with over my long career as a side-man. I chose my
close friend, David Isaac, who is a 4-time Grammy winner from his work with David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Anita Baker, and Eric Clapton, just to name a few, to co-produce and engineer "Forever Plan", because he's got some of the best
ears I have ever heard.

http://www.titanmusicandfilmworks.com/Home.html

I also reached out to my admired friend, Tony Shepperd,
who, along with me, is a Westlake Studios alumnus, to co-
produce and engineer because of his work with my idols,
Kenny Loggins, Sting and Take 6. Tony was one of the first
people to believe in my voice and my vision, and has
offered his services to be a part of my team.

http://www.tonysound.com/

My recent experience teaching at Columbia College of Hollywood has introduced me to some amazing production talent, particularly an up and coming young director, Jonathan Lewis. Jon is slated to direct my music videos and behind the scenes DVD for a future incentive on SAB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFWIKrcmnMY

My band is led by my good friend and all star-musical
director, Alex Alessandroni (Pink, Nelly Furtado, Christina
Aguilera, Babyface, Natalie Cole). My band also includes
my friends who are well known musicians on million
selling CDs, including Herman Matthews (Tower of
Power, Kenny Loggins, Amy Grant, Tom Jones)
drumming in the project.

http://www.hermanmatthews.com/home.php

My SAB plan will be the catalyst in launching my touring
of major US cities; showcasing first in Los Angeles at one
of the well-known clubs. I will eventually tour throughout
Europe, following the lead of Marcus Miller, and
establishing a lucrative international presence.
Due to Google, I have a very strong internet presence. SAB
is integral in pulling all the pieces together by fan funding
the "Forever Plan" project.




50K MM: And last question: How can we support you to
speed up raising your budget?

Gussie: It would be great to be featured on the SAB front
page, just like Hind, Public Enemy and The Jeffersons.
That would really help! Being featured in 50K, I'm sure
will also draw attention to my project. Any exposure to
your part.

http://artismusicai.blogspot.com
www.sellaband.com/projects/gussiemiller

Hey folks, I just joined a blog promo site! Check it out!



Thanks,

Gussie

Gussie Miller is on sellaband.com

Support indie music production! Help fund "Forever Plan"!

L.A. Grapevine Mix Magazine

Aug 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Bud Scoppa

Gussie Miller is one of many home studio owner/operators in SoCal, but possessing high-end recording equipment and knowing how to use it doesn't necessarily pay the bills. Consequently, this 44-year-old single father of two has been “out there doin' it,” seizing every opportunity to make use of his wealth of technical knowledge and “schoolboy tenor” with its four-and-a-half octave range. That's nothing new for the Columbus, Ohio, native, who came to L.A., like so many others, for the myriad opportunities the showbiz Mecca has always dangled so tantalizingly.

Back in Columbus, Miller was a local TV celebrity at age 12, and started singing jingles in a local studio soon thereafter, where he caught the tech bug at the first sight of a Neumann mic. He's been bouncing between these two overlapping realms ever since, getting his music and vocals into several TV series while doing tech support and sales for companies such as Tascam and Westlake Audio. But his momentum was interrupted 12 years ago by a bizarre accident. “I was drumming in a Lion King event at Disneyland,” he recalls, “when I got crushed between a parade float and a fence and nearly died. My back was messed up, and I started my studio with the workers' comp money.”

Along with running his West Valley studio, Ars Musicai — outfitted with a G4 and a Focusrite ISA 110, running Nuendo 3 and Reason 3 — Miller has made use of his expertise to snag gigs like helping bring Mike Post's private studio in Burbank back online, while assisting on projects for Post and Aussie band Sick Puppies, while continuing to serve as Marcus Miller's go-to tech expert at the bassist/producer's Hannibal Studios on the West Side. Since Marcus Miller heard Gussie's glass-shattering voice, he's made use of it for the CW animated series Everybody Hates Chris, the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife and the bassist's upcoming album.

Gussie is working on a solo album with writing and production partner Alex Alessandroni, which will feature contributions from Marcus Miller, David Sanborn and other high-profile players with whom he's crossed paths during the years. Along with a number of “irons in the fire,” as he puts it, Miller has been chosen as a contestant on the NBC karaoke reality series Singing Bee. “The prize is $100,000, and brutha needs funding for his record,” he says with a laugh.

Gussie Miller combines home studio know-how with vocal stylings to make ends meet.

Apple.com Re; Marcus Miller and Gussie Miller

In the Studio: Marcus Miller

Marcus Miller is as versatile as he is virtuosic. Though he’s best known for his otherwordly mastery of the bass, he’s also a stellar bass clarinet player, a sensational saxophonist, a soulful singer, a prolific producer. He has toured the globe, written scores for television and movies, played with the world’s preeminent musicians. And he’s also a maven of Logic Pro — he produced his album “Silver Rain” from start to finish with the application running on a Power Mac G5 and a PowerBook G4.

“I can count the crashes I’ve had last year on one hand. It’s kind of a drag because I used to use the post-crash reboot time to practice my bass. Now I have to find separate practice time.”

“I was on tour when I started the album,” Miller says. “I’d start with some ideas and simply develop them in Logic.” He held impromptu recording sessions in hotel rooms in Europe, laying down the basic tracks on his PowerBook G4 that would eventually end up on “Silver Rain.” The album was later assembled and polished at Miller’s Hannibal Studios in Santa Montica, California, and released in 2005.

Since then, Miller has used Logic Pro for nearly every music project, such as composing music for Chris Rock’s hit TV series, “Everybody Hates Chris,” and for his upcoming album.

Logical Composition

Powerful Platform

“I choose Apple because it’s so cool,” says Miller. “I’m in my hotel in Europe, working on a tune in Logic, sending files through iChat back to a movie director in L.A., checking out possible album cover photos that the photographer sent me in iPhoto, and messaging my daughter about her homework — all at the same time. When I’m done, I pack up my PowerBook and split.”

Miller needed a powerful, portable, and rock-solid, all-in-one system that could handle the rigors of travel and the studio without glitches. “Apple/Logic is very stable,” he says. “Logic uses Core Audio, which is at the center of the Apple system. You no longer feel like you’re working at the periphery of your operating system. I can count the crashes I’ve had last year on one hand. It’s kind of a drag because I used to use the post-crash reboot time to practice my bass. Now I have to find separate practice time.”

His system has allowed Miller the freedom to write, record, and mix music anywhere from London to Paris to Tokyo. The resulting tracks sound great, he says, no matter where they’re recorded: “My music sounds more natural because I don’t have to redo a lot of things in order to improve quality. The quality of the things I record at home or in the hotel are so good that they end up on the record.”

Logical Composition

The path from dabbles to demos to record release is long and fraught with twists and turns. By the time a composer reaches the end, the original tune could get lost along the way. “With Logic, that’ll never happen,” says Miller. “You can keep everything right at your fingertips, switching between versions whenever you want. The self-contained keyboards like the ES1, Clavinet, Rhodes, and the sampler allow you to have every instrument you need. And now, when you record guitar or bass, there are amp simulators so that you don’t have to live with a dry sound.”

When Miller needs backup vocals or recording equipment advice, he turns to singer, producer, and technological whiz Gussie Miller. Gussie Miller worked with Marcus Miller on “Every Body Hates Chris” and many other Hannibal projects. He runs his own recording and production company, Artis Musicai, in Los Angeles.

Logic Pro gives both Millers the freedom they need to stitch together some groundbreaking music. “The new sound processing apps are really revolutionary,” says Marcus Miller. “I remember having to wait to hear the sound in my head until I got to the studio or until I could buy a certain piece of gear. I don’t have to wait anymore. If I have a few hours, I can create pretty much exactly what I imagine. And forget editing. I do things now that I would never imagine doing before. It allows you to be so creative. And you can always undo if you hate what you did. I can’t put into words how important that is.”

“Using logic has really opened up a lot of doors for me creatively just because I don’t have to depend upon external reverbs, external equalizers, anything beyond the program at all,” says Gussie Miller. “I haven’t found anything it can’t do.”

METRIC HALO DIEHARD, GUSSIE MILLER, PREPARES TO RELEASE NEW RECORDING

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Gussie Miller is one of those amazing people who are equally talented on either side of the microphone. With the ears of a musician and the ears of an engineer magically merged, the singer/songwriter/engineer/producer brings a unique sensitivity to his projects. He understands, better than most, how a musical performance will translate through the recording, mixing and mastering stages. On the flip side, he understands, again better than most, that some gear fights against the musicality of a piece, whereas other gear enhances it. It is with these subtleties that Miller often finds himself turning to Metric Halo's ChannelStrip plug-in, of which he says - in a charming lilt that only a professional vocalist can deliver - "it's all about the algorithm!"

Based in Los Angeles, Gussie Miller is the vocal talent that jazz master Marcus Miller frequently turns to, and is the featured vocalist on the Chris Rock movie "I Think I Love My Wife." Over a career that spans decades, he has worked with a rich cross-section of contemporary music's prime movers, including Lavern Baker, Seal, and Cher. He is currently working on a solo release, "Forever Plan," and the music for Jonathan Lewis' forthcoming indie film, "Darkness of the Night."

Miller also runs Artis Musicai, a music production company specializing in pop, jazz and R&B songwriting, artist development, and production. Notable recent projects include the production of dance artist Lance Todd's crossover to pop and the debut effort of Lindsay Douglas.

A self-avowed "native proponent," Miller is good friends with many of the leading engineers at Mark of the Unicorn and Steinberg (Nuendo). He was first introduced to Metric Halo software while working in the sales group at Westlake Audio. "I've always been sensitive to how software sounds," he said. "There are huge differences among the platforms and huge differences among the plug-ins."

But going back even further, Miller cut his teeth behind the massive and unabashedly-analog SSL E-Series, G-Series, and J-Series consoles at The Soundtrack Group Boston. "To me, ChannelStrip embodies the classic SSL sound," he said. "It's musical and smooth, but it uses surprisingly few resources. I can run a tremendous number of instances, even on my older G4. It's all about the quality of the algorithm; the way it does the math. Metric Halo has it right!"

Miller turns to ChannelStrip to sweeten just about anything that needs sweetening, but it's most often inserted on vocals. "Contrary to popular belief and anything you might read on the Internet, my solo album is not completed," he laughed. "ChannelStrip will be used for guitars, bass, and, of course, my own vocals."

In addition to ChannelStrip, Miller frequently turns to Metric Halo's other flagship software, SpectraFoo. SpectraFoo contains every piece of analysis that an engineer could ask for, including level metering, high-speed, high-resolution spectral analysis, correlation metering, triggerable waveform display, power balancing, and a variety of power, envelope and spectral histories and phase analysis on any number of input or output channels. "I'm a visual person," Miller said. "Seeing what's going on is a great help!"

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