It could be a statement about the peacemaking that comes with courage.вЂќДigging deep with music and art is nothing new to Bill Miller. That could lead to a deeply powerful spiritual change in the U.S. вЂњAll we need is to be allowed to speak, to mourn, to express anger, then be allowed to forgive our oppressors. вЂњI donвЂ™t want anyone to carry around this guilt,вЂќ says Bill.

Perhaps the albumвЂ™s most touching track is вЂњPrayers For The Truth,вЂќ which restates all that the Native American community hold sacred, while offering forgiveness to those that nearly annihilated an entire people. Instrumentals like вЂњApproaching Thunder,вЂќ вЂњSun Dog,вЂќ and вЂњRed Sky HeartвЂќ showcase BillвЂ™s mastery of the Native American flute, while вЂњ1st DreamвЂќ is a thrilling chant-and-drum song performed by members of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Tracks like вЂњI BelieveвЂќ and вЂњLove SustainedвЂќ make bold statements about living out oneвЂ™s personal credo, while songs like вЂњLittle Brother (Spirit Rain)вЂќ and вЂњUnderneath The Blue SkyвЂќ ingeniously adapt traditional Native American musical conventions to the folk/rock idiom. ItвЂ™s about the pieces of my life.вЂќ That sentiment rings true in songs like вЂњFace The Blues,вЂќ a hot-blooded blues tune about being knocked down and getting back up again. Says Bill, вЂњThis album is about attaining a measure of wisdom through suffering. That spirit comes through on songs like the prayerful вЂњYou Are The Rain,вЂќ the acoustic-flavored вЂњRain Down Your Love,вЂќ вЂњThe Promise,вЂќ and вЂњNever Too Far,вЂќ which celebrate the divine glory of sky, prairie, mountain and rain. I could have pushed it technically, but I felt closer to the spirit doing it this way.вЂќ The recording was low-tech too: 16-tracks, no digital. My buddies and I would go fishing on the Mississippi River. вЂњIt was very different from being in a media center like L.A. It was recorded at Actual Sound Studios in La Crosse, WI, not far from the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation he called home. On Spirit Rain, he walks the path of reconciliation in a set of fourteen heartfelt songs and evocative instrumentals.Д¬o-produced by Bill and Michael von Muchow, and written or co-written entirely by Bill, Spirit Rain took the singer back to his roots. As an award-winning recording artist, performer, songwriter, activist, and painter, heвЂ™s been a voice for the voiceless, a link between two great and clashing civilizations. This instrumental CD contains nine beautiful songs which, as the subtitle suggests, are perfect examples of вЂњMusical Portraits on the Native American flute.вЂќ The JourneyДЄ Mohican Indian from northern Wisconsin, Bill Miller has long been one of the most admired figures in the Native American music arena and beyond. Cedar Dream Songs brought Bill great recognition by winning this 2005вЂ™s Grammy Award for Best Native American Recording. These are works of a man who knows first-hand lifeвЂ™s keenest joys and sorrows, a man who distills experience into a potent musical style. Released in 2004, Spirit Rain and Cedar Dream Songs, exemplify MillerвЂ™s artistry by blending the Native American and western folk/blues traditions in something wholly new. Thirty-three photos taken by David Joseph Marcou of вЂњThe Last StandвЂќ world debut are in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Called a вЂњsymphony of hopeвЂќ, it deals with that battle and the reconciliation which Bill Miller, a man dedicated to his Native and Christian roots, feels must still occur. Co-composed with Joshua Yudkin and Kristin Wilkinson, the symphony grew out of an inspiration Bill had after visiting the Battle of the Little Bighorn site when he was nine years old.

Performed by the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra with Mills conducting, the sold-out world premiere featured Bill Miller along with Native American musicians and dancers. Led by Music Director Amy Mills, Bill MillerвЂ™s The Last Stand commemorated the Battle of Little Bighorn of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and premiered April 2008. Overcoming the hardships felt by the global community in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021 finds the living legend living life - stronger with a renewed focus on healing through song, art, and speaking - as he prepares to release a fresh EP. Over the entirety, Miller has produced over a dozen albums, received three GRAMMYВ® Awards, numerous Native American Music Awards & Association (NAMA) awards (including a вЂњLifetime AchievementвЂќ Award) and led WisconsinвЂ™s La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. Bill Miller is an award-winning Native American recording artist, performer, songwriter, activist, painter, and world-class native flute player.

Bill miller