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.”