Five Minutes, Five Questions

Ben Miller

Ben Miller Band of Joplin, Mo., will play at the Peacemaker Music and Arts Festival this weekend. Earlier in the week, Miller answered five questions for What’s Up!

Q. What do you enjoy about playing at festivals that you don’t get from club shows?

A. Festivals are fun to play because it’s one of the few chances I get to see other bands play. With our busy touring and recording schedule, it is next to impossible to just go out and watch live music, and when we get to play festivals I always try and get out to see what bands are up to. Also, ... it’s a chance to perform for people who haven’t heard of us, or who are too young to get into bars.

Q. I see your name in our area all the time! What is it (besides proximity) that keeps you coming back to NWA?

A. Northwest Arkansas is one of the first areas [where] we got a foothold playing live music, so it is special to us in that way. We got a whole lot of love for the culture and the beauty of the Ozarks.

Q. You just returned from touring in Europe, and you’re heading back in September. Is touring in Europe any different than touring in the states?

A. We have had a lot of success in Europe and couldn’t be happier about how our music is received there. Touring Europe is an experience all its own. The history is amazing. We have been lucky ... to play some amazing places from castles to ancient Roman coliseums, it’s really mind blowing. But what hits me the most is the different cultures that we see day to day — different foods, different languages, different attitudes of the people. There is a richness that traveling brings to life that I really love. The audiences are about the same, more or less. I think if anything we are seen as an exotic thing over there whereas back home it feels like people see us as a more familiar part of the musical culture of America. Q. What’s next for the band? A. In the next week or so, we are going to lock ourselves in a room and start hammering out a new album. We have a lot of songs written and a lot of ideas, so the next step is get together and start playing them and develop them into whatever they are going to

become. Every chance we have, we jam and work on songs, and the results have been amazing from the few stolen moments we have had. Now we just need to spend a little concentrated time creating.

Q. What do you want to say to the fans coming to see you in Fort Smith?

A. We can’t wait to play for you!

COURTESY PHOTO Ben Miller enjoys playing festivals to see what other musicians are up to. His band takes the stage Saturday at the Peacemaker Festival in Fort Smith.