The Millers: Davis’ newest indie-rock debut

 ‘A continuously evolving project’: the band discusses their inspirations and the local music scene

By MIRIAM RAMAKRISHNAN — arts@theaggie.org 

Your first-year dorm will inevitably tie you to an assorted group of people on your floor, whether it be through classes, parties or something else. That “something else,” to the five members of newfounded band The Millers, was music.

The group played for the first time on March 6, at Never Enough Sound’s debut house show. Performing a setlist spanning from Beabadoobee to Arctic Monkeys covers, The Millers were able to successfully show off their eclectic taste in music, crisp instrumentation and soft vocals. 

Though the group draws their name from the titular Miller Hall of the Segundo dorms, one of their members is actually from Ryerson Hall. Their drummer Bowen Song, a second-year computer science and cinema and digital media (CDM) double major, joined The Millers post-inception. 

“I’ve always wanted to be in a band since I came to college, and I never really did anything band- or drum-related in my first year,” Song said. “So, when the opportunity was presented, at first I thought it probably wasn’t going to happen. But as time went on, I realized it was actually more serious than I thought, and I was excited about it.”

Vocalist and bassist Tanith Tsang, a first-year economics major, noted how she met Song by coincidence. 

“[Song] came in around the end of fall quarter,” Tsang said. “I had a CDM class with him, and we needed a drummer at that time, so I asked him [to join].” 

Lead guitarist Ryan Chan, a first-year managerial economics major, laid out the simplicity of starting a band in a dorm environment. 

“Well, we were just a couple of friends in Miller Hall, and since we all live in the same building and play different instruments, it was pretty easy,” Chan said. “We kind of just got together and jammed. We never really thought we were going to be a band playing live shows, but we ended up thinking it would be a cool idea.”

Rhythm guitarist Gabriel Escobosa, a first-year political science major, shed light on the early days of the band.

“It originally began as just me and [Chan],” Escobosa said. “We would go downtown and just play music at the [Davis] Farmer’s Market or wherever, just for fun. Then we asked our bassist to come hang out and play, since we knew he played already, and then [Tsang] started singing and it kind of snowballed from there.”

The band’s stylistic inspirations can be seen through both their covers and original music, from Dominic Fike to Amy Winehouse. However, Chan has a clear favorite — one that makes itself known in the band’s setlist. 

“I really like listening to The Strokes, and when I started playing guitar, the second song that I learned was ‘Selfless,’” Chan said. “Now it’s one of the songs that we play a lot together live.”

Bassist Maki Draper, a first-year molecular and medical microbiology major, also composes lyrics for the band’s original songs, influenced by his penchant for folk artists. 

“When it comes to writing lyrics, I tend to take a lot of inspiration from artists like Adrianne Lenker, Ramsey Thornton and Ryan Beatty,” Draper said. “Musically, a really big inspiration is Paul Bender of Hiatus Kaiyote. Listening to his bass lines influenced me to come up with more creative bass lines of my own.”

Song’s tight drumlines stem from his musical history, as well as his personal taste in genres.

“I think my drumming style is a mix of a lot of the stuff I listen to, like rock, metal and post-hardcore,” Song said. “Other than that, I also played in a jazz band in high school and middle school, so I feel like that has a lot of influence on my playing. One of my best friends also introduced me to math rock, so that introduced me to a lot of the more technical skills for playing.”

Tsang and her fellow band members are embracing the novelty of their group and using it to their advantage. With their first performance under their belt, the band isn’t committed to a singular sound just yet.

“I think something that’s unique with our band is that, because it’s so new, we don’t really have an archetype to follow,” Tsang said. “That’s what I like. We have some members who are more classically trained and structured, whereas I was taught more in a freelance way which influences the creative process. Sometimes we follow the rules, and sometimes we just play around creatively.”

Escobosa and Tsang revealed that the band was heavily influenced by the local Davis music scene.

“Local bands like Shmoozi, Incidentals and Love, Georgie were a big inspiration,” Escobosa said. “We saw them perform and thought, ‘We could do that. We could be on that stage.’ That energy really inspired us.”

Tsang also explained the inspiration she found in watching Nineteenth Operator, a Davis band that’s been performing around the city for the past three years. 

“I love how they use instruments and vocals; it’s very cohesive and fresh,” Tsang said. “It’s just inspiring to see people our age create.”

When asked about The Millers’ debut show, every band member affirmed how proud they were to be able to play a 30-minute set live.

“It was a very big event because I had never sung in front of a crowd before, and I feel really glad that I’m in a band with a bunch of talented people because we pulled that off with just four practices, which is pretty crazy,” Tsang said. “Our original song is something I’m very proud of, and I think it showcases our skills and ability. I hope the crowd was able to see and admire us the way I see my bandmates.”

Chan echoed Tsang’s excitement surrounding their first performance.  

“I didn’t expect our live debut to be so soon,” Chan said. “I’m glad we were able to put ourselves out there sooner rather than later, and it felt like we were integrated into the Davis scene."

There’s no need to live in Miller Hall — everyone’s welcome to attend The Millers’ upcoming performances this spring quarter. Recently openers for Alpha Sigma Phi’s Daybreak benefit concert for UC Davis’ Camp Kesem, as well as regulars on Partridge Records’ house show lineup, new fans can learn where to catch the budding band next via their Instagram account: @the.millers.band. 

Written by: Miriam Ramakrishnan — arts@theaggie.org