Zach Miller plays with JoJo Green, a band that will always leave me rocking. Zach is releasing a solo album (Solemn Days) that is more grooving. It’s introspective and moody and bright all at different moments. I think it’s the album that’s going to help you focus on the winter sunshine and not the cold on a Sunday afternoon.
I know your work as saxophonist from JoJo Green (love the band), Can you tell us how you got into music?
My mom signed me up for piano lessons starting in kindergarten, and when I wanted to quit in 4th grade I got a pretty firm “no,” from her (if you’re reading this mom, thank you!). When it came time to select an instrument for band, I actually wanted to play the xylophone, because it looked just like a piano but you only had to play two notes at a time. I wasn’t sure what it was called and I said “saxophone.” When I showed up to my first day of lessons, my dad opened the back of his truck and he had bought me a saxophone, so I just took it in and started taking lessons… It was the best mistake I’ve ever made! I ended up studying classical music at the U of M- Twin Cities and have since spent my time figuring out my own saxophone identity, while also working on my songwriting chops.
What spurred you to do a solo album?
Following the events or long-standing feelings that spur a lot of my songs, I often journal through my piano at home. Through this journaling process I end up with dozens of sporadic ideas that I often never do anything with, I mostly just want to capture what I am thinking/feeling with sound. This particular group of songs for this album started as those small ideas, and I found they highlight the self-healing journey I’ve been on for the past year and a half. About halfway through the process, I had a friend ask me “why don’t you have other people on your songs?” This sparked me bringing my friends into the music.
Can you talk about the arc of the album’s mood. The first few songs (My Own, The Eclipse of Me, Inside Out) are somber and moody, then Lighter bursts in like sunshine.
The arc of this album follows where I’ve been at, mentally through my healing process. “My Own,” “The Eclipse of Me” and “Inside Out” were from times when I was not dealing with the stress of life very well. I was not doing a good job of listening to myself, and was often feeling uneasy, which reflects in my songs. At some point I started going to the bar on my Saturday’s. I’d order a beer and the lunch special and I’d read self-help/mind-set books. One of those books was called “Lighter.” That book really started to change my internal attitude around, and I think “Lighter” reflects the hopefulness that I was starting to feel. Mario Stokes wrote an awesome verse for this song, talking about growing up as a kid and the pressure we sometimes feel. He remarked that after tackling our fears is when we start to feel lighter. I loved the story he told, it really hit home for this song.
Please tell us about Solemn Days. It’s a song about solitude, but with a chorus of singers. I love the juxtaposition of the opposites like that.
Solemn Days was a poem I wrote after moving in by myself. At first, being alone with myself was pretty uncomfortable; I had just left a relationship and was really on “My Own” (the first song on the album) for the first time in a while. After a couple months had passed, I was sitting on the couch with the windows open and noticed the “ray of sunshine, bright through the window pane,” and the clouds “drifting in and out on a blue day.” It was the first day of living alone that I felt solemnity, and that birthed “Solemn Days” in poem form. Since then, I’ve realized that you’re never really alone: we can always pick up the phone and talk to someone. In a way, recording one on one with all of these artists was my way of picking up the phone, and not being alone on my music writing journey. The beauty and creativity my friends brought to every track transformed this music into something I could never have imagined on my own.
Do you have any shows coming? Or where is the best place for listeners to find you IRL or online?
JoJo Green will be playing at the Hook and Ladder on Nov 22nd with Clay Fulton and Trent Romens, which should be a super fun night! I am often performing with various artists around the cities and do my best to post them on my personal instagram: zachonsax. My music for this album will be released on all streaming platforms on Nov 18th. There will also be some music videos on my youtube channel here:
Mostly Minnesota 