Derek Miller: Song Lyrics

Someone Call An Angel Down

I was Reaching to the sky
Trying to pluck a star
I was hopeful for a while
But they're just a little too far

Round and round I go
Where I I stop well I don't know
May I should fly
Gently say good-bye

Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground
Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground

I was dreaming so regally
Lonesome on my trail
I was breathing in my life so deeply
And all the air was stale

Round and round we go
Where we stop I don't know
Maybe we should fly
Gently say good-bye

Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground
Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground

Maybe we should hold together
My dear crestfallen eyes
Tired as the hazy sun
Reachin' for disguise

Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground
Someone call an angel down
It's getting too dark here on the ground

The gentleness of this song is reminiscent of a lullaby and the lyrics are somewhat sad and open ended. Does the angel ever arrive? Is he always left alone? Makes me think: it's interesting that this is a slow song and that the angel is slow to arrive, if it ever does...



This gem is my favorite overall performance of Derek Miller, the song is "Stormy Eyes"



He employs all of his abilities so well within this piece, audience, song writing, guitar, performance and voice. Amazing.


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Derek Miller: Music and Performance

This first post is an experiment of sorts. I'm not quite sure how well I do at articulating my reactions to music, or describing it in ways that are useful to the reader, but I'm going to try.



So who is Derek Miller? He's a guitarist, singer and songwriter born in Mohawk Territory in the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario. His music, is, in my opinion, a bluesy-rock type genre where he mixes the two together.



I haven't seen Derek Miller live, which I'm positive would be a dynamic show, but I've watched some fan posted videos found over on YouTube through a search and am impressed by his ability to engage the audience.

What really struck me about the YouTube videos, regarding audience interaction with Derek Miller, was the "comfort level." It seems to me, as a current outsider (having never attended a show), that fan interaction at Derek Miller's concerts (or ones that he's a performer at) is quite high. In fact, at one concert (embedded above) a fan yells out the songs that they want to hear and Derek plays them. Such interactions are few I would assume, having never seen anything like that at a concert myself. For me, it's pretty amazing to be able to have a hand in the show I go to see, so it must feel good for his audience to know that he cares about what they want to hear him play...and that he'll actually do it (at least in this one instance!)

Another thing about Derek Miller that strikes a chord with me (haha bad joke) is his guitar playing abilities. There are few people (Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix are the ones who come to mind) that really amaze me when they play guitar and he is one of them.

Finally, Derek's personality is one that's encouraging for anyone interested in his music.



It's interesting to see how accessible he seems and how humble. For me, someone just getting started in exploring native music, it's encouraging.
He explains in the interview around the 5:00 mark about helping become a role model for children and "not a false idol."
He also is willing to admit to hardships he's encountered in his life like drug and alcohol addiction and overcoming it: "I wanted to be the best that I can be and my people and ancestors are stronger than any drugs or alcohol."

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What is Native music?

These survival songs
put us back together

Qwo-Li Driskill

What exactly is native music?


"Since the early 1960s, Native American music has been bringing a unique fusion of
the written word and oral traditions while also syncretically blending
traditional instrumentation with modern electronic technologies.
While the forms and styles of contemporary Native American music
are always changing, the medium of song still serves, as it has for
millennia, to transmit and process information important to Native
communities: histories, philosophies, political concerns, social values,
and stories. Likewise, they may be sung as expressions of joy,
sadness, victory, defeat, love, or anger—any emotional or spiritual
feeling can be addressed in song." (Kimberli Lee from "Heartspeak from the Spirit")

Dr. Kim Lee makes an critical point: Native music does something. It serves a purpose. Music helps us to survive: it's a survival tactic. It encourages us to move forward and makes us remember our past. It tells stories and draws pictures in our minds. Music nourishes our spirits and helps us to live.

Native music is not all flutes and wind. Native music is found within all genres--it's not a specific genre.


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Listening

Hello!

I am new to this kind of blogging, but I am excited about this blog because I think it can become a place for learning how to listen to the stories told by native peoples in their songs.

I also think it can serve as a place for people who love music and want to engage in songs as what Kimberli Lee calls "active sites." For me, songs (re) make history and create reality, they speak to our bodies and our minds. Peter LaFarge wrote a song called "Drums" and in it, he sings:

And There Are Drums Beyond The Mountain Indian Drums That You Can't Hear

There Are Drums Beyond The Mountain And They're Getting Mighty Near

I'm still figuring out what it means to be able to hear those drums--the responsibility that is encoded and embedded in our bodies as they respond, knowingly, to them. What I think I'm beginning to see is that those drums evoke embodied memories that have cultural significance. They mean something unique to the communities--to the bodies--that understand and respond to them. These drums have the power to (re)unite people, restore community, and heal broken and wounded bodies.

Thanks for reading,

Gabi

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