Ben Miller Band

Ben Miller Band Biography

Ben Miller Band is an American band formed in 2005 in Joplin, Missouri. The band's lineup currently consists of Ben Miller (lead vocalist and guitarist), Scott Leeper (bassist playing a homemade one-string washtub bass, drummer, and back-up vocalist), Rachel Ammons (lead/back-up vocalist, violinist/cellist, guitarist, and electric-cactus player) and Bob Lewis (guitarist/bassist/percussionist). They combines elements of folk, blues, bluegrass, and country into their music. The band combines the frenetic energy of bluegrass, the soul of the delta blues and the haunted spirit of Appalachian mountain music. Band members Ben Miller, Scott Leeper, and Doug Dicharry create a unique and modern sound while continuing the tradition of blending together many different musical styles, which has long been a trait of their native Ozarks. Poet and songwriter since childhood, Ben Miller started playing guitar at age 16. He soon left his home in Curlew, Washington and began his musical career on the streets of Northern Europe, playing his distinctive delta-blues slide guitar and honing his one-man-band performance style which now includes guitar, banjo, harmonica, and foot percussion. Armed with a plethora of earthy songs about prostitutes, meth, scriptures, and the meaning of life, he met Scott and Doug in Joplin, Missouri and formed the Ben Miller Band in 2004. Washtub bass player, Scott Leeper started playing drums at age 7 and by age 10 he was wowing audiences in his family’s band, The Leeper’s. Throughout his career Scott has played in a duo with his brother, performed as a one-man country act, and played drums for various blues artists. Finally, in 2004, Scott began playing the one-stringed washtub bass and singing backup vocals with pitch-perfect harmony for The Ben Miller Band. Comprised of a weed eater string attached to a wooden pole, this is not your ordinary bass. "Playing that thing may sound simple but it is deceptively difficult," says Ben of his musical comrade. “You have to adjust the tension to change the note. It is incredible to watch him do it. We always have a few bass players right up on him in complete disbelief.” Drummer and percussionist Doug Dicharry started playing trombone in the 6th grade and continued to study music throughout his college years. As an Air Force brat growing up, Doug moved across the globe every two years. During this time he assimilated an array of musical styles, from punk to ska, to progressive noise and school marching bands. In high school, he began playing trombone in various bands while teaching himself to play the drums. In 2004 he picked up the washboard, and with a bit of homemade ingenuity, made it electric. During that time, he met Ben at an open mic night in Joplin, Missouri and “followed him until he had to hire him.” Now Doug plays drums, trombone, trumpet, mandolin, percussion, electric washboard, and electric spoons for the Ben Miller Band. "I basically have musical A.D.D," says Dicharry. "Playing all these instruments isn’t hard, it’s just loading them in and out that’s hard. I feel sorry for whoever becomes my tech." Despite the eccentric and out-of-the-box appearance of The Ben Miller Band, "we're not some kind of gimmick band," says Ben Miller. "Just because we use junk to make music doesn't mean we aren't serious about it. We are legitimately making real music, and when you hear us play I think you get that." Together for the past eight years, and playing over two hundred shows every year, The Ben Miller Band has crafted a tight, dynamic, and amazingly original sound that captivates and embraces people of all generations. Discography: 2010 - 1 Ton 2010 - 2 Ton 2012 - Heavy Load 2014 - Any Way, Shape or Form