theothermarkmiller's blog

New Album Needs You To Release It

2010-11-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

www.theothermarkmiller.com

12 days of Christmas contest!

2009-12-15T08:54:00.001-08:00

Hey friends! I would love for you to post about this contest! Post it, tweet it, facebook it, t61 it, or whatever else you do :) http://theothermarkmiller.com/12days_of_christmas.html

2009-10-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

car wash, studio for a quick mix, home to pack...in that order

2009-10-23T12:52:00.001-07:00

now a member of the KC Clay Guild - you who are pre-ordering "things of this world and things that aren't" get ready! http://ping.fm/hU6xA

2009-10-22T11:02:00.001-07:00

I really want to play some street hockey - Mighty Ducks style - who's with me?

2009-10-22T08:41:00.001-07:00

My girl has only one more day in Dallas (Mary Kay director's training)... Hurry back! :D

2009-10-21T11:43:00.001-07:00

I really want to go play monopoly at McDonald's. Pathetic?

2009-10-17T07:15:00.001-07:00

Hi friends! You are cordially invited to come over to my house tonight at 7:15 - music/tea/good times http://ping.fm/636Gi

2009-10-16T07:24:00.001-07:00

What do you get when you combine live acoustic music, loose leaf tea, and amazing people? http://ping.fm/iu9Zr

2009-06-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

My friend, Laura Morsman, posted this blog today, and you really need to read it. In it, she reveals a lot of wisdom about the depths of real love. So, with her permission, here it is:

"Two things I know in life, that may be the only things that really force my outlook on it to drastically change, or push me forward are this, That loving people, expecting nothing in return, selfless giving everything you have to others, spilling all honesty and rawness into someone without expecting an ounce in return, is one of the most gratifying things I have found. In the homeless, in children, the elderly,.. Its everywhere, love is everywhere, being sought after, being lost, or given up on, being taken advantage of.. It's something everyone is looking for, something that can repel you into bliss, or send you straight to the darkest place you could imagine..
Also, that when professing love to someone, and them professing it back, accepting that as truth is one thing, but seeing it through is another. If one claims it and the other does but denies any action to strengthen that claim, it is pointless, useless, and worth nothing. It's interesting, but through life i have found that the people who I have given nothing materialistically to, the people I have barely known or simply approached in love, have shown me more love, more genuine conversation, more raw human interaction than any romantic love I have encountered.
I am not claiming that love is this way or the other way, I am stating only what I have personally recognized.
When you find the real love in this life, it isn't supposed to keep you guessing if you're worth their time, it should energize you just speaking to them, love shouldn't make you feel used up, but continually filled with expression, emotion, and profound one-ness with that person. Love has been given such a tarnished coating and used so often in our world that when people find lust, or attraction, or even distraction in someones falseness which they disguise as loving the other person, that so many have given up, before they have even found the truest of loves, selfless love, and selfless loving."

And so it begins (finally)

2009-06-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Alright guys, the time has finally come for you to influence the new CD. I have re-listed the steps for you and posted the first 2 songs for you! We start tracking drums this week and then we start building!

P.S. - these two new songs - 56 and January - will be available for download starting now until next Tuesday, June 16 - for free at www.reverbnation.com/theothermarkmiller - just because I like you (and so you can listen for your ideas to flow). You can listen to the new songs as well by clicking the music player to the left on my blog page at www.theothermarkmiller.blogspot.com

Step 1. I will be posting up acoustic versions of the album at www.reverbnation.com/theothermarkmiller

Step 2. You listen to the songs and step into the role of producer - telling ME what to add into each song - maybe you want to hear a cello in the third chorus, maybe you WROTE a cello part for the third chorus, perhaps you want me to play a toy piano, or bang on a bucket with a wrench - comment here, email your ideas to theothermarkmiller@gmail.com, or message me on the reverbnation page

Step 3. I take your suggestion, no matter how crazy it is, and if I can do it, or find someone who can, then I will. If it works, then it will be on the final album! If it doesn't, well, we shall see...

So what do you get out of this? Well, no royalties unfortunately, but you do get honorable mention in the CD cover - and satisfaction...

Also, I will pick three winners for the following awards, and they will all be getting extra special mention and free CDs :)

The Most Creative Award -to the most creative idea of all

The Song Maker Award -to the idea that ends up influencing a single song the most

The Make My Day Award -to the idea that is the most fun to try

So there you have it! Let the games begin!

The Quest for Commodore

2009-06-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I just got a call from a friend of mine who WAS playing a show this Friday night UNTIL he was reminded of a wedding he was supposed to be in the same night... so now its MY show :) Fun times. And perfect timing. And here is why:

During my trip to Ft. Wayne, IN, I stumbled upon a beautiful beaten up guitar hanging in a corner of a music store's dungeon. *Warning - the following couple sentences are intended for guitar players and should not be read by people who would care more about picking their teeth* As I picked it up, I realized that it had a L.R. Baggs duet pickup/eq (retails for $800 on its own). So I plugged it into an amp, ran my fingers up its delicate neck into the cutaway body, and instantly fell in love. Best part? They are only asking $400 for it.

I know what you are thinking... don't you already own 3 guitars? well... four actually... but the problem is that none of them are good, solid stage guitars. They take a lot of EQ, a talented sound guy, and a healthy dose of good luck to get them to sound good - and they don't really play that well and limit me to what I can do.

So this guitar would become my flagship, my commodore, as it were. And its on hold for me for another week while I see if can scratch up $300 more.

So, come listen to music! I plan to break out ANOTHER new song even, so yay. And if you could bring a dollar or two to rescue Commodore from the music store, you would make me and the guitar exceptionally happy.

And how about this? If you donate $5 or more towards the guitar, I'll put your name in the thankyou section for my new CD (that I'm working on now :D) Cool? I think so. Hope to see you Friday at 7!

Details:

Scooter's at 10610 Shawnee Mission Parkway. Its in a bank.

7 PM - but show up at like 6:30 to get some drinks and a seat :)

Josh Hafner is going to be starting us off with his songs at 7! So don't be late!

We have something extra special too - you will just have to come to find out :)

Yes indeed.

2009-05-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Im really excited to finally get to share this... http://topsellingauthors.com/world/top_stories/1383/2523/mark_miller

I'm going barefoot tomorrow

2009-04-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm joining Toms Shoes and going barefoot tomorrow - and here is why :)

I would LOVE to have you join me!

-Mark

THE FACTS

Fact #1: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.
Fact #2: Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Fact #3: Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
Fact #4: In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

JOIN US

On April 16th, go barefoot on the way to the water cooler, walking to the mailbox, in an afternoon meeting or on your lunch break; go barefoot for the entire day or long enough to raise awareness.
Attend a shoeless event in your area. Check this page for updates on times and specific locations.
RSVP and pledge your support on Facebook: click HERE.
Share One Day Without Shoes with all your friends on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Myspace by updating your status, writing a note, or posting a bulletin.
Blog about One Day Without Shoes on April 16th.
Buy TOMS Shoes and join our One for One movement! For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Purchase yours today!
Share the TOMS mission, and how our One for One movement is changing the lives of children in need.

http://www.tomsshoes.com/content.asp?tid=284

Blonds and Bistros

2009-04-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

random blond joke of the day:

Three blonds were walking through the forest when they came upon a set of tracks.

The first blond said, "hey look, deer tracks!"

The second blond said, "no, idiot, those are moose tracks."

The third blond said, "you're both wrong! Those are definitely Elk tracks."

They were still arguing when the train hit them.

Please don't hate me blond headed people. You are beautiful AND smart I am sure.

Stay away from trains though - just in case.

Hey! Manhattan show was fun! Thanks to those who came out and especially to Carolyn, Brenna, and Lindsey for helping with the set list during the show.

Bluestem Bistro is a great place - and you really can't go wrong with whatever you get from the menu. Over the course of the day there I had Mint Vanilla tea, Paris Vanilla tea, Gunpowder Green tea, and some awesome fruit blend. And several cups of each. It was awesome.

Recap: Blonds - please don't hate me. Manhattan show = fun. Engrave your name on a table at Bluestem Bistro in Manhattan and never leave.

hmmm...

2009-04-10T10:31:00.001-07:00

On my drive to Manhattan today, I passed a guy who had his arm and head stuck out his door - brushing his teeth. I'm pretty sure that's not a good idea. But good ideas are seldom so entertaining.

Show tonight in Manhattan is at Bluestem Bistro at 8 PM. Sounds like we won't have the sound board either, so it should be a genuinely unplugged night. Fun times. No really, I like genuinely unplugged. As long as you are here.

William Fitzsimmons and the beginning of randomness

2009-04-09T20:27:00.001-07:00

I've decided to include something random with every post from here on out.

Random quote someone told me today - taken totally out of context - "You look like a 3."

Good luck figuring that one out. Don't hurt yourself.

Onto something of substance: I went to the Bottleneck in Lawrence to watch William Fitzsimmons play his tunes last night. I really, really like him. Its really quite amazing how captivating his songs are when they really have almost no dynamic varience - but they are so so good that way!

How to describe William Fitzsimmons... hmmm...

Ok, here we go. If I was stranded on a desert island, living among ravenous wild beasts and restless natives, and could pick only one person to come along, calm my thoughts, and sing me to sleep every night, it would be William Fitzsimmons. And I'm straight. Lets put that out there since most of you don't know me personallly.

He just has this way of singing that soothes your soul and heals the wounds of past years gone awry. And if he were to take the place of the pied piper playing his guitar - I would probably follow him to the sea.

Oh, and for those of you in Manhattan, see you in less than 24 hours at Bluestem Bistro!

Static Electricity for the Heart

2009-04-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorms outside right now. Watching the hard rain catch the luminance of the lighting while listening to Dashboard Confessional sing "Heaven Here" is probably one of the greatest things in the world - at least at this moment. Its like static electricity for the heart.

"And heaven's not waiting

It's spilling its secrets, its right here between us

And We've no other choice but belief"

___________________

And here are 5 more songs I love right now - and therefore you should check them out - or just outright buy them on itunes and support good music.

"For My Love" - Bethany Dillon

"Wish You Well" - Katie Herzig

"When Did You Fall" - Chris Rice

"Tea and Sympathy" - Jars of Clay

"The Hardest Part" - Blake Aaron Guthrie

So I saw the best concert of my life - Andrew Bird

2009-04-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

The question came from my friend, Brian, a few months ago - "Hey, have you ever heard Andrew Bird?" Well, I never have actually heard him before, I replied truthfully, though I've heard of him from anoth

er friend of mine, Jeff.

Brian can barely hold it in - "Dude, you HAVE to listen to him! I'll lend you a CD." So he did. And I intended to listen to it - I really did. But I never did listen...

Several months pass...

Brian calls - "hey, you want to go to an Andrew Bird concert?"

Me - "Sure, how much is it?"

Brian - "Don't worry about it. I'll take you for your birthday."

Me - "Heck yes!"

The night of the show...

I didn't really know what to expect. I knew he was good. I knew he played violin and whistled and sang and all. But what I heard and saw blew my mind.

He started out the show solo, but within two minutes I could have sworn he had a string quartet, guitar player, and 3 background vocalists standing there with him - such was his mastering of his instruments and multiple loop pedals.

After a couple numbers, he was joined by his multi talented drummer, bassist, and secondary guitarist - and they perfectly accented Birds abilities even through their own obvious mastery of their instruments. Everything from dress and stage presence to musical prowess seemed perfectly synchronized and well thought through. Everyone knew their roles and played them out to perfection.

But it was Andrew Bird's gypsy like music and Captain Jack Sparrow swaggering that drew me to an immediate conclusion - this was the best performer I have ever witnessed or heard of. Layer after layer of pizzicato gyspy scales and classical violin swoons were topped with smooth jazz vocals and accented with flawless whistling doubled by glockenspiel. And I don't even usually like whistling - at least, I didn't before.

People often ask me what concert is the best that I have ever seen. After partaking in Andrew Bird at Liberty Hall on March 16, 2009, I finally have an answer.

how to be a full-time touring musician

2009-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

Often times I'll meet people at a show on the road and they will ask me, how did you get to doing what you do now? Well, I just read this interview by Derek Sivers with Amber Rubarth and thought that it answers that question better than I have in the past - plus, I just plain learned a lot. So here you go, this is for all of my aspiring full-time musician friends out there. Go for it.

-Mark

P.S. Make sure you check out Amber's music - it's well worth your time.

Success Stories : Amber Rubarth (how to be a full-time touring musician)

January 13th, 2009

Amber Rubarth is a 26-year-old singer/songwriter from Reno, who only started playing music five years ago, but is making a full-time living touring, including four tours of Europe, booking it all herself.

She’s also one of the happiest musicians I’ve met.

Most musicians I know feel it’s tough, but Amber seems to glide through it all effortlessly.

How does she do it? What can other musicians learn from her approach? I interviewed her to find out.

Highlights: (full interview below)

building your network by helping others
interning with a booking agent, to understand what’s needed
prove to each venue that you’re going to promote
let your email signature do the hype

FROM PICKING UP A GUITAR TO A PAYING GIG WITHIN A FEW WEEKS

There’s an interesting lesson in how you started. When you decided you wanted to play music, you immersed yourself into the local live scene and started performing publicly within a few weeks of picking up a guitar.

Yeah. I had literally picked up a guitar for the first time just three weeks before going to my first open mic. I had songs I wanted to play. I wanted to see and meet other musicians, and understand what the scene was like.

I was just excited about doing music and wanted to saturate myself, so naturally I thought, “Be around other musicians.” Get in there, see what other people are doing, share what I’m doing, and see what people think of it.

I was extremely shy. I remember the first open mic I did, people were looking at me on stage, and I thought, “Why is everyone looking at me?” And I had to remember, “Oh, right. I’m playing.”

If you immerse yourself anytime you’re getting into something, it’s like learning a language: if you’re surrounded by it, it’s a lot easier.

Especially with the music community because everybody is so nice because they’re doing what they love. You know? The sense of community and being able to talk to people and hear people and get response from people about what you’re doing. Everybody went to the same open mic every week and hung out - it was a nice little group.

Also I just didn’t know any better. I just thought, “Oh, you’re doing music? Me too! So I’ll go hang out with you.”

Then you got your first paying gig right away.

I had only done the open mic for about four weeks. I was still playing C, G, and sometimes F. I really wasn’t experienced at all.

But one day, a couple friends and I just walked into a coffee shop with our guitars and started singing, as a joke - because we were nerdy like that.

The manager of the coffee shop called me the next day and said, “Hey, what would we have to pay you to come back every Sunday?”

We said $20, thinking that was for all three of us to split, but when he gave us $20 each we thought, “Oh my gosh! We’re making money!”

Then you really turned this into a scene, bringing in other artists, right?

Yeah. We played that place for about a year, but we would invite other musicians to come play with us, and started creating a scene. Then people would ask us to do other shows.

I started bringing other artists that I liked into Reno. If somebody was playing in San Francisco or Sacramento I would contact them and say, “Hey, we have a growing music scene here in Reno, and if you want to play here I would be happy to book you.”

So I actually had a lot of people at one point contacting me to be booked, where I had nothing to do with the music part, I was just booking. I did it just to learn about it.

WORKING FOR A BOOKING AGENT

Then you interned for a booking agent, and learned a ton.

There’s a Hilton in Reno that’s a big music venue with national acts. I called the booking agent there and just asked if I could intern for her - basically just kind of follow her around for a day.

I told her I was a musician, just getting started, and wanted to learn about the booking from the booker’s end, because I didn’t know anything about it, and there weren’t many musicians in Reno who knew about booking things other than a coffee shop, you know, like booking real shows.

People like her probably don’t have a lot of people asking for their expertise in something. It’s a show of respect to the people who do know what they’re doing and letting them know that you want to learn - and that you’re willing to help in whatever ways that you can help. Even if it’s just grunt work, you know?

She was really nice and had me go in there every week to help her out with filing or whatever. She would show me press kits to show me what they did book and what they didn’t book. That was really helpful: rather than trying to learn everything from a musician’s point of view, branching out and asking, “What are these people receiving?”

What are the biggest lessons you learned from working with the agent?

As a musician, make sure you’re providing something - not just asking for something. Let the booker know whether you can bring people out, or whether you’re going to do all that you can to get the media involved. Let them know that you’re putting effort into it.

Tell them straightforward, that you’re reaching out to people on MySpace, that you’re going to write a press release up and ask them for a media list. They like that, even if it takes them an extra minute to send out their media list, they like knowing that you’re putting the effort in and that you really want to make it a good show. That you’re not just expecting to go there and have a built audience and have them do all the work. You know?

A booker receives tons of press kits. Certain ones are going to stand out and certain ones aren’t. So what is the difference? What does that?

Following-up. A lot of press kits sat there because nobody called and nobody asked about it.

There’s definitely a point where people can follow-up too much, but I think that if you’re just consistent and looking for an answer, whether it’s a yes or no, and understanding that these people have a lot on their plates and they’re shuffling through everything. Remind them that you really want to play there or that you really think that it would be a good fit.

There were all of these factors that I had never considered yet - and then I kind of got a little taste of that.

Then this agent started helping you, more than you expected.

She started booking me as an opening act for some of their bigger shows. That wasn’t what I went there for. I didn’t even really think that that would happen. I didn’t think that I was ready to play there. I really didn’t expect her to book me.

But when you put yourself out and you’re trying to learn something, and you’re trying to help somebody along the way, I think people want to help. Especially when you’re eager to learn, you know?

People do really want to help. It brings you more of the community feeling - that sense of family - to what you’re doing.

It’s easy to think that the business people are on the other side, but when you actually start meeting them and working with them you understand that everybody is on the same side - getting into music because they love something about it.

ADVICE ON BOOKING TOURS

Booking your first gig outside of Reno - in San Francisco - how were you able to do that?

I just Googled “music in San Francisco”, which is what I do any time I’m going to a new place really. Also finding out who does a similar thing to me, and where they were playing.

I put a press kit together, and sent it to the venue. I had built a website that was simple but had everything, and showed that I was playing a lot of shows in Reno. I just told them, “I haven’t played outside of Reno, but I would really like to play in San Francisco and I’ve heard about your place.” I’d seen a couple other people who’d played there, and they had really liked them.

I was just enthusiastic in wanting to do it and being willing to put the effort into bringing people out. Enthusiasm does a lot. It doesn’t have to be hyper crazy enthusiasm, but I think it’s just good to be really into it, and letting them know that you’re putting your best effort into it. People enjoy seeing that.

Then let’s pretend you you wanted to play somewhere you’ve never played - like Atlanta. How would you approach it?

Maybe we should pick a different city, because when I was at the Folk Alliance conference, I met Eddie from Eddie’s Attic, a top venue in Atlanta. He told me, “Come play Eddie’s Attic any time you’d like. Just come in.” So I would just do that.

Interesting! Good answer. So just by being out and about at Folk Alliance, you meet people that would book you in Atlanta. Let’s pick somewhere else. How about Billings, Montana?

Yeah. Let’s do Billings, Montana. I would start online, searching “Billings Montana concerts” or “music”. It will come up with venues, newspapers, or people’s MySpace pages with listings.

I’d find a venue that’s a good fit and that makes sense first. Then I’d first contact the venue by email, so that I can write a better introduction.

Then it’s important to ask for a specific date! I learned this when I was booking gigs in Reno for others. A lot of people would write and say, “Oh I’d love to play in Reno. When would be good?” But you can’t do that. Instead just pick a day, like, “April 27th or April 28th I’m available.” Because then people can look at their calendar and say, “Oh yeah. I do have that day.” or, “I don’t have that day - but the 29th would work.” That’s a huge thing. You don’t want to leave it open. You want to tell them specifically what day you want to be there.

So a booker says, “OK. I can fit you in on Tuesday March 15th.” Would you take it if they gave you a Tuesday night or would you say, “Hell no, I want Friday!”

It all depends. If you deserve a Friday then you should ask for a Friday and if you deserve a Tuesday then you should take the Tuesday. You know?

Ideally, yeah, everybody wants to play on Thursday through Saturday nights. Especially if you’re new to an area, you shouldn’t be too picky, but you shouldn’t be a pushover either. But if you can do a Tuesday and you think it’ll work then do a Tuesday.

Then how do you bring people to the show?

Usually venues will have a media list that you can use. Especially for a town like Billings, Montana. They probably will respond to a touring artist. More so than New York City, for example, because there’s just so many musicians.

I’ll write up a press release, then email it to the radio stations and the print people. You can write one press release for a whole tour, just changing the little bit of it that has the specific contact information.

Getting some excitement, putting posters out, contacting people, doing media and stuff like that. Let them know that you’re doing a show and then practice for the show to make sure that you’re going to give them something that’s really good that’s worth the excitement that you’re stirring up.

You’ve always found a great advantage in smaller towns, whether Reno or Europe.

Doing smaller towns is really good, especially when you’re starting. I do the same thing in Europe where I’ll go to, say, Eastern France and it’s the best show. It’s even better than doing London or Paris because it’s places like this where people are really responding. The newspapers are really excited about having somebody out there. It’s great to get into the small places. Don’t just do the obvious cities.

LET YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE DO THE TALKING

Your email signature has been really successful for you. (Example printed below.) Can you tell us more about it?

---
thank you for listening, i like you a lot.
http://myspace.com/ambeRrubarth

NEWS FLASH: Featured Artist on NPR’s “All Songs Considered” - Request her at www.NPR.org
“Washing Day” (co-written w/ Adam Levy) chosen as 1st Place Winner (Lyrics) in International Songwriting Competition!

TOURING NOW All Over the Place to Find You (and sleep on your couch!)
10.21 (BRUSSELS, BELGIUM) Sounds Jazz Club
10.26 (YORK, UK) House Concert
10.29 (LONDON, UK) House Concert
10.30 (LONDON, UK) Monkey Chews
10.31 (BO, NORWAY) The Bull Inn
11.1  (ARHUS, DENMARK) Cafe Lobby
11.2  (COPENHAGEN, DENMARK) Drop Inn
11.6  (SOMERVILLE, MA) Somerville Theatre
11.14 (SAN DIEGO, CA) Y1 Studios
11.16 (SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA) The Coachhouse
11.17 (LOS ANGELES, CA) Room 5
11.21 (NEW YORK, NY) The Bowery Ballroom *The Paper Raincoat*
12.6  (LONDONDERRY, NH) Tupelo o/f LOUDON WAINWRIGHT!
12.11 (LOS ANGELES, CA) Hotel Cafe *The Paper Raincoat*
12.13 (SAN FRANCISCO, CA) Palace of Fine Arts *The Paper Raincoat*

Listen, Stalk & More from the comfort of your home. http://myspace.com/ambeRrubarth

Now on Facebook too, oh boy!
---

When you write an email, you don’t want to brag, at all. It comes off bad. But you do want to show them that you’re putting a lot of effort into it, and want them to know a little clue of what you’ve done.

So having it in your email signature is a really good way of doing it. That way, you don’t have to say, “Oh and by the way I won this contest and I just opened for this person.” You don’t want to have to say it, but you want them see it. So the email signature is a great tool for that.

My email signature has all my upcoming shows, contact information, and a couple quotes. Right now I have a quote from NPR and an international songwriting contest.

I’ve had bookers contact me back and say, “Oh wow - I see that you’re opening for Loudon Wainwright,” or “I see that you just got played on NPR,” or “I see you’ll be at South by Southwest.”

I’ve had bookers say that that was the reason that they wrote back, was because they saw that. They’re getting tons of emails and need to just be able to quickly see if they’re interested in checking it out.

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Now that you’ve done over a thousand shows, is there any difference now between that initial apprach you took, and what you’re doing now? Or is it just lots and lots of that?

That’s a good question. It is just continuing doing that. But bookers can can see my history and that I’ve done it for five years. That isn’t really that long, but when people are consistently moving toward something for an extended period of time, it moves more from just excitement for something new, to something where people know that they’re doing it for real.

It’s become more of an identity. I’m not new, I don’t feel new at this anymore. I’ve played at least a thousand shows.

Because I return to many of the same venues I’ve played at before, I don’t need to put a lot of effort or time into booking anymore. New places also contact me to play. If I’m doing opening shows for people, they’ll be asking me or I’ll ask them. It feels more grounded now - more established - like there’s a foundation to it. So it doesn’t take as much effort.

How are you able to make a living doing this? How much do you make for an average gig?

I usually get about $250 to $300 for a smaller solo show where I can bring some people out. Not a particularly crazy night. If I do house concerts or something private, I’ll get between $600 and $1200.

If I’m overseas it’s different because of the exchange rate. I make a little bit more there because the dollar is worth less.

I’ll take $0 if I’m doing an opening spot for somebody I really want to open for. Usually they’ll pay at least $50 to $250. But if there’s something where I’ll be getting great promotion or the opportunity to open for my hero, I would probably pay to do it!

But really, most of the money comes from CD sales. The only way that I’m able to tour is because of CD sales.

How do you turn this from a few gigs into being a full-time touring musician?

If you put enough effort out - and you’re contacting enough people about it - and people like your music - then they’re going to respond. You’ll have some response and it’ll build. If you’re constantly building on what you’ve previously done, it’s going to work.

It’s important to not have a backup plan. If you want to be touring, you should not have a job. Make it work. Any time you have a backup plan, you can always fall back on it.

If you really decide you want to do something, you should do it. People surprise themselves when they have to make something work. Being fearless and creative with how everything’s being done.

At least if you just want to be touring and supporting yourself with it I think you can, I think anybody can do it, really.

MORE ABOUT AMBER RUBARTH:

Lessons from Rocky

2009-01-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Every 2 years or so, I carve out a large block of time to clean a portion of my living space that has long gone neglected. While doing so today, I found this journal entry from when I was in Karuizawa, Japan in 2007.

Currently, I'm staying with my cousins up in the mountains of Japan. Well, with my cousins and Rocky, their energetic pint-sized dog. This morning we went for a walk/run/me pulling as hard as I could to keep him reigned in. But what I really want to remember is what happened when we got back to the cabin.

Rocky ran past me inside somewhere, and I just dropped, fully exhausted, into the closest chair. Soon, I heard this odd slurping sound and went to identify the source.

In the bathroom, I found Rocky licking a pipe under the sink for any kind of moisture he could find to quench his thirst from the run. Never mind that he was leaving more moisture on the pipe than he was taking into his tiny body.

My first thought, accompanied by an amused laugh, was, "all you had to do was come to me, you dumb dog, and I would have filled you with all the water that you needed."

My second thought sobered me. So often in loneliness, I probably look a lot like Rocky after a long run, thirsty and not thinking straight. I turn to other things to fill my desperation for love and they just leave a bad taste in my mouth and suck up what remaining life I had. And the whole time, Jesus has just been waiting for me to come to him and say, "I'm thirsty - will you give me your water?"

So here is my question for us all:

How do we fill our desperation for love?

Get my friend Blake's new CD for free right now!

2008-07-21T14:48:00.001-07:00

Ok...don't miss out on this. There is a new website called www.noisetrade.com, started by Derek Webb where you can download whole albums, and all you have to do is join their email list and tell 3 friends about it! So go get my friends CD - Blake Aaron Guthrie - for free! You will be glad you did. And there is a lot of other amazing music on there as well!

How you can be a part of the new album

2008-07-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's probably been done before somewhere...It's probably been mocked as the loopiest idea since Leif Eriksen named an island of ice Greenland and a luscious land mass Iceland...It's probably going to take 3 times as long to complete... but I don't care. I'm excited about it - and it's going to be fun.

Yes indeed, my second album is going to be fun - and you can join me in it. I will be posting up the songs all through the process to www.reverbnation.com/theothermarkmiller - starting with the acoustic guitar/vocals scratch track. Then I will build the songs with new ideas and YOUR suggestions or even using instruments you send to me or let me borrow for a bit. So if you want to me to record myself sawing on a piece of wood in rhythm or using an African thumb piano - I'll try it - and post up that version. If it works out, it will be on the final album. And I think I'll do an accompanying CD with the versions that didn't quite make it too :)

You can email your suggestions to me at theothermarkmiller@gmail.com or comment here or on my reverbnation page. Sign up on the reverbnation page though, as thats where all the songs and new versions will be posted. This could be a total flop or creative genius - but either way - we're going to have the time of our lives making it!

Oh- and a special shout out to all my amazing new friends I met at the Cornerstone Music Festival! I look forward to seeing you again in the coming months!

a normal guy in Normal, IL, listening to the Normals

2008-04-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

The first of my house shows this week kicks off in Normal, IL, and it is here at the "Coffeehouse" in Normal where I find myself drinking some looseleaf apricot tea and finally updating my blog.

For those of you who don't know, Normal, IL is the home town of an amazing band known as the Normals. Now their generally fearless leader has joined the band Caedmon's Call. But back to topic, the Normals were way, way ahead of their time in talent and musical ideas, and if you don't own any of their albums, you should buy them right now - all three.

Last night, at 1 AM, right as I pulled off of Business 51 into Normal, what song should randomly come on from my 5000 song itunes library but "We are the Beggars" by the Normals - there is a God. And He has realy good taste in music.

Moral of the story, if you are in Normal, IL - Champaign/Urbana, IL, or Indianapolis, IN, send me an email at theothermarkmiller@gmail.com and we can meet up at one of these house shows - tonight through Saturday!!! I'm stoked.

I declare it to be spring.

2008-04-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today I boycotted winter. The snow may fall, but to me it is spring, and I will wear my flip-flops. So there.

On a side note, I went to an improv comedy show by my friends, Rachel and Karen Carbajal - and it was nothing short of hilariously entertaining. And speaking of hilariously entertaining, ask my little bro about his dreams sometime...but only if you want to hear about his experiences as high priest of the temple, banishing black blobs of destruction with his harp, summoning the power of massive swirling storms to decipher the lies of his not so loyal subjects, and then blowing helicopters out of the sky with rocket launchers. oh, and there's more...he pretty much remembers them all.

do you only have myspace for the music?

2008-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

If you are tired of myspace, dating ads, and requests from exploited women, allow me to suggest to you a GREAT alternative - www.reverbnation.com

Create a listener profile and enjoy the amazing benefits of a clean, very well made site for both music creators and music lovers. Some things Reverbnation offers:

-custom playlist that keeps playing the music you que up even when you navigate away from an artist page
-unlimited uploads for the artists
-venue pages, so you can keep tabs on your favorite places to go for shows
-widgets

For musicians:
-great ways to keep up with fans and manage contacts
-they pay you a percentage they make from advertising
-the best free resource for uploading music and building your base that I have seen
-sweet street team options for easily tracking "mission" and even doing rewards
-the shows system is amazing - so easy to add shows and for other bands playing at the same show to join yours
-widgets - just check em out, they are cool
-valuable stats that are far more helpful than just seeing how many profile visits or plays you get

Thats my short little plug...after using it for three months now, I must say that I am a big fan of revernation. You can check out my page at www.reverbnation.com/theothermarkmiller

But don't forget to create your own and start finding new music! (and add me when you do :)) Seriously, its worth it.

2 days in the life of...

2008-03-07T22:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was far more fun than I had presumed it would be. I was over at my Aunt & Uncle's helping with some remodeling, and I had kind of envisioned working with some boring, stuffy contractor... but not only was the contractor cool, my "working buddy" for most of the the day was my little 10 year old cousin, Erica. While I was pulling down sheet rock, she was sharing with me all of the best jokes she could remember, from the blond who jumped out of the plane and turned herself into a penguin, to the flatulent boy who thought he blew up a house, to the ever popular knock - knock. I love that. And she made me crackers with easy cheese and put on some Odyssey tapes. Yup, good day :)

My friend Matt Jensen is making an instrument from a Nintendo controller...old school, 8 bit one...thats pretty sweet, not gonna lie. We were hanging out tonight, and he was doing all the planning on his circuit breadboard and heating up the soldering iron. I can't wait to see/hear the finished project. You can hear some of his electronic music on his myspace. Just search for 0matt0. AND he just released a CD...only $10, so pick it up so he can make two 8 bit controller instruments so I can have one :D Maybe I'll bring it on tour with me.

I've got some new tour dates up by the way! Check it out at www.reverbnation.com/theothermarkmiller If there's not one close to you, give me a shout out and we'll see what we can do to remedy that :)

the indie contingent

2008-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

con·tin·gent - [kuhn-tin-juhnt]
–adjective

1.dependent for existence
2.A representative group forming part of an assemblage.

There are several things I've been learning on my journey as an "independent" artist:
1.There is no such thing as an independent artist
2.Artists can not possibly survive independently
3.and for you math people out there I've come up with this little formula A^1=undefined

What am I saying? Am I throwing in the sweaty towel? Chucking my guitar against the wall and walking away? ummmm... here is another equation - NO x INFINITY = ANSWER :)

What the term independent means in music, is that we are free to follow our heart's passion, free to express that passion in our art as we desire, and free to distribute and use our art to benefit others with out being inhibited. But to accomplish this, we are actually very, very dependent - on people like you. A group of people that goes beyond just a "listener" or a "fan", into what I am calling the Indie Contingent.

These are the people who share a common vision with me, a vision of reaching out to the oppressed, seeking healing and justice for the exploited, and loving them with the Love that has been poured into us. Are you willing to merge your time and abilities with me in this?

Morocco Trip:

Many of you have heard me express my vision for loving the oppressed around the world, but only some of you know how we plan to let this vision manifest in the near future.
I want to take a small team of people to different countries where significant exploitation is happening for 2 to 3 months. Our goal is to hear their stories so that we can present them in forms of media - songs and other art - to raise awareness and funds to bring aid, practical help, and loving people to the sides of the hurting.
We are currently in the planning stages of preparing for the first of these trips - to Morocco, in the summer of 2008. There is a lot that has to fall into place, but we are preparing, brain storming ideas, and planning in full expectation of it happening.
ALL of these positions below aid this, either in actually participating directly in Morocco, or preparing our distribution base back in America and around the world where we hope to share the stories.

These are the talents I am specifically looking for to join the Indie Contingent -

The people we are looking to potentially have come with us to Morocco are listed below...we hope that those numbers can be replaced soon with names :)

1-2 song writers
1 photographer/video documenter
1 translator or translators in country

And maybe you aren't into traveling around the world, or simply can't... Here are several talents that we really need tons of here in America, or abroad
Graphic Design:
-Merchandise (designing t-shirts, wrist bands, and whatever your mind come us with)
-Web Work (design, Flash, and programming)
-Promotional Material (merch layout at shows, promo posters/flyers, CD designs)

Tour Management:
-Venue Scouts (finding interesting, artistic venues to play in and promote our vision)
-Booking Agents (booking shows at venues like art spaces, colleges, churches, bars)
-Local Talent Scouts (finding artists to join the show in their area and bring new people to listen who normally wouldn't be there)
-Promoters (people who spread the word about new music/shows through word of mouth, distributing flyers, writing reviews and notices for newspapers, getting announcements through connections to radio stations, etc)

Visual Art:
-Artists of nearly any medium (I love to have artists performing during the shows to turn the musical and lyrical message into a fresh visual connection)

Are you interested in joining the Indie Contingent, or just wanting more information?
email me at theothermarkmiller@gmail.com
We sure hope you are, as we are truly impotent without you. Your ideas, hearts, and abilities only make our visions more viable, and its potential reach far greater!

Timbre + Harp = AMAZING

2008-01-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a really unique amazing concert - a singer/songwriter, who sings and plays the harp. Freaking out of this world. Go check out her myspace at http://www.myspace.com/timbre

On a side note, my former boss/mentor in Japan is at the onsen right now with my good friend Stephe and Sufjan Stevens. Yes, I'm jealous.

Transition

2008-01-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

I always feel this burden to fill you, my friends, in on what has happened since the last time I made my real world existence known...but the mere thought of it talks me out of even trying (yes, I talk to myself in my thoughts, you do too, you probably just don't realize it, thoughts are tricky like that). Anyways, so here is what's happening now.

For the first time in my life I am trying to survive primarily as a musician. Yes its true. I have officially joined the masses of those doomed to love what we do and suffer the consequences :) Which usually means we don't travel unless its for a gig, spend our days networking with people, and get the social tag of "professional slacker."

But, 'tis not fully true my friends...no, the truth is that we do work hard, its just that our work is what most people enjoy, including me - most of the time. Not going to lie, there are days when I do not want to pick my guitar, but then usually be the next day I can resist no longer.

So here I am, learning, learning, and growing, in what is necessary to maintain this vision in the flesh. One things for sure I could not do it without you. And I wouldn't dream about trying to. You, my friends, make me who I am.

Kansas - I mean Kansai

2007-10-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today I must return to Tokyo...bittersweet for sure. I've had a really good time making a lot of new friends,reconnecting with old ones, and gaining what feels like a new family in Kobe :)

At the same time, I've gotten a taste of how much I will miss my Tokyo friends when I move back to America, so I will definitely drink in every bit of this last month with them that I can!

Here are some pics from this past couple weeks..

More pics and stories to come...

Sober Me

2007-10-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

I can't say I couldn't believe it when I heard, but only because over time I have come to understand the human condition more and more. Still it caught me off guard. Still it sobers me. Still it reminds me of my need for accountability in my relationship with God and others. Still... a senior pastor of a good friend...of a good church? Still...someone I've met? Still...my friends Dad? Still...a teacher and author of how to start and build healthy relationships?

Now... a broken marraige. Now... a broken church... Now...wounded children...shame...guilt...confusion...

Every time I want to ask questions like "how could you?" "Didn't you think about how this would affect your family? your church? your life?" "how could you ignore what you taught and learned and warned against?" but I can't really. I can't because I understand that I am capable of this and more. Beth Moore said it this way, "everyone is capable of doing the thing they swore they would never do," and once again I've seen it proved.

Still we do have to ask, how did this happen? How can we avoid it? It will surely be fatal if we believe it to be inevitable. As I was talking with my friend who was sent on the mission field by this now broken former senior pastor, one big thing came up - accountability - this leader didn't have it. No one was asking the hard questions about life, daily struggles, temptations, and how we are holding up to the general attacks of sin that threaten to destroy us.

This friend and I have been accountability partners since within the first week of my being in Japan, and I value that greatly - especially now. Sure, there are times when its embarrassing, when I have to admit the depravity of my own mind and where I have indulged sin. But it keeps the sin from growing, from blinding our hearts, from calloused scars around our consciences that soon leave us without defense from everything that would seek to destroy us and our life's purpose. It keeps me close to God and growing stronger in who Jesus is in me.

Accountability alone won't protect us, it's not a perfect shield defending us from every poison dart. But it does present the antidote that keeps the poison from spreading to its full intent. So who is holding you accountable? And are you willing to ask your friends the hard, uncomfortable questions? Don't believe the lies, because the people you think would never fall need it the most.

What are your thoughts?

Okayama

2007-09-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

This will be a quick post, because its 2 AM, a busy weekend looms ahead of me, and I need to get to sleep. But, here's what the future posts will consist of so that you can keep me accountable.

1. the importance of honesty and accountability
2. my gig I finished up tonight in Okayama
3. uhhh...

yeah... good day!

ADD? Me?

2007-09-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is me trying to decide what to blog about.

This is Avery. He's here to check out Japan/CAN for a couple weeks. He's an artist and so it's no surprise that he is cool.

I got roadblocked by another bicycle yesterday. It hurt. But his bike got the worst of it. Never a good idea to pull a u-turn without looking behind you...

3 days until I go to the Osaka area! I'm excited!

Sunday was awesome too! God was rocking our world at Jesus Lifehouse, and two of my friends came along for the first time. Good day.

I have a lot of CDs and books that need to get back to America. This is something I realized today.

This post was really random.

How to Play My Songs on Guitar

2007-09-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

I promised my bro I would try to tab out my songs sometime, but discovered that its really hard! ...and it takes a lot of time. So today, I made a few instructional videos for how to play the guitar on a few of my songs...and uploaded them to youtube. So in case you're interested...

By Grace I Move (Jamaica)

The Genie Convention

Brave Enough

Sigur Ros and C.S. Lewis = ?

2007-09-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

This post is all the fault of my good friend, Johnny Loritsch. I received a package from him last week with a note that stated near the edge of the perforated notebook page these words - "mark, I must share with you two of my favorite things." Enclosed was The Great Divorce by CS Lewis and a CD by Sigur Ros called Takk. What has resulted? I have had an amazing week in communion with my God.

Sigure Ros and C.S. Lewis have one thing in common: they both paint a living portrait in my my mind so great that the colors nearly leave me blind. But I don't even care because my heart is getting a glimpse of the very thing it longs for the most. The thing that is sometimes foolishly competed with by pleasures of earth that in comparison are no more pleasurable than a fleeting dream after one is awakened to the sunlight and music of the real world. Heaven. The place where true love, true longing, true desire - all - is truly satisfied in the bridegroom who has called us His own - Jesus.

Just what you didn't care to know

2007-09-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

I found my inner ear...no really. One week ago, I didn't even know it existed, but I was probing around in my ear with a q-tip and angled up a bit and then the q-tip just kept going and going and... well, you get the picture. Indeed, the deep inner ear is the source of wax, and once you find it and take proper care, you will no longer be getting ear wax on your in-ear headphones. Free tip of the day. You can thank me for not posting pictures today.

theothermarkmiller music

2007-09-17T23:04:00.001-07:00

tour

2007-09-17T23:02:00.001-07:00

Tour Nov. 20, 2007 - 2008
Where will it be? It's largely up to you :)
To help out, email me at theothermarkmiller@gmail.com

Tottori High School Festival Concert

2007-09-07T02:02:00.000-07:00

man it's been a long time...sorry guys! Many many times during many days in the past few months I have thought, "wow, that would make a good story - I should blog about it!" But no, I didn't do it. Well, now I'm going to try to do better. So here's some Haiku I wrote after my gig in Tottori at the Japanese high school there. If this doesn't make you stop reading my blog, nothing will :)

This is the story
Of my time in Tottori
Told in Haiku form

Several Haiku
In a rapid succession
With not enough sleep

Twelve hour bus ride
Nap time at a cool venue
Now rehearsal time

Hang out way too late
Sleep a little at hotel
Morning - pouring rain

An amazing hall
Over one thousand people
Now all lights go dark

Hear a single clap
Now it grows pounding harder
Chanting Nishiko

The curtains rising
There I am on a huge stage
Me and my guitar

Jamaica, Sustain
Genie, Brave Enough, CL
Going with Coming

Wow. Haiku is long
When you're telling a story
Look a distraction!

Two girls shout Maku
Hear much clapping and laughter
Hope they read lyrics

Youth Speaker speaks words
Wow that was good poetry
What was that, uso?

Gingham plays and rocks
Everyone comes back on stage
Huge bunch of flowers

Students rush the stage
I'm in a daze, in a daze
So much attention

Hand pushes my back
Run along stage giving fives
Weird but really fun

Learned to play rugby
In the Japanese desert
I have muscle cramps

To after party
Lots of good conversation
Fall asleep on floor

Walk back to hotel
Write Haiku at 3 AM
Well now it is 4

Go home tomorrow
How do I deserve all this
Life with God is good.

We actually ended up staying a couple more days, which was good, but it was definitely good to get back to my friends and church in Tokyo too. Had a lot of fun making new friends/getting to know the guys from Gingham (the other band that played at the school festival). They have a new myspace page, so go help them out and be their friend :) http://www.myspace.com/ginghamplace

By the way, if you haven't heard anything I've written this year, I posted 3 acoustic versions on www.myspace.com/theothermarkmiller
If you're my friend on facebook, you can download them on my profile page :)

FREE CD DOWNLOAD

2007-06-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

No, not mine...but I did sing webground vocals on it, and it's SICK! It was done by my friend Andrew Osenga and you can download it for free http://www.andrewosenga.com/blog/
If you have it in your pocket to donate a few bucks to him, go for it, otherwise just simply enjoy it. The song I sang webground vocals on is the last one, "Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates." Enjoy it!

And the winner is...

2007-06-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

First ... make sure to check out the bottom of this post for some important information - thank you. And without further ado and after much deliberation - the winner of the "make up my life story contest" is ... Tim Garrison! This is my life story according to Tim (don't ask my family if it's true, they will lie to you):

http://www.ilike.com/artist/emerging/theothermarkmiller
Just click on the artist bio to read it.

Someone should make a movie about me...and pay me royalties. Ok, enough of that.

So, while you are at ilike.com, be a friend and add me to your facebook profile under music :) Once you install the ilike profile, it will automatically post your "favorite" music under ilike. 9 of you have already graciously added me as Mark Miller, and rightly so, for it is my name, and I am grateful to you. But my profile is as theothermarkmiller, so if you could add me as that too, that would be sweet! You should be able to add my music soon and hear it online...

And if you want to help me with more shameless self promotion, go to itunes and leave a review of my album, Threshold, there! If you don't own the album, you can buy it there too :) Illinois folks, you can buy a hard copy of Threshold at Berean Bookstores as well.

If you go leave a review on itunes and/or add me to your facebook "favorite" music profile, send me an email at theothermarkmiller@gmail.com, and then I will send you an mp3 of some stuff I am and will be working on soon, and YOU will get to hear it and have it first...don't look at the screen like that.

Also...if you happen to be a graphic designer and want to help me out with some promo stuff :D, like you need something to work on for class or just feel like being nice, let me know :)

Thanks! You guys rock at life!

-Mark

The "Make Up My Life Story" Contest

2007-04-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

I hate writing bios, with a passion - almost as much as chewing on raw horse or stapling my hand to the wall. Yet, I need a bio...

So, what do you think, do you feel creative? How would you like to write my bio? You can make up anything about me, it doesn't have to be real, but if it is imagined, make it so fully awesome that its clearly not true :)

If I pick your bio to use, I will give you my CD for free, or if you already have it, I'll email you some demo stuff I've been working on. Of course, if you feel so inspired to write a real bio and an imaginary one about my undercover ninja monkey protection work for the CIA or whatever - and I use them, I can send you my CD and demo stuff.

-you know what? If your submission entertains me, even if I don't use it, I will still email you a new song :)

What do you think? Are you up for it?

Upcoming concerts in Tokyo

2007-03-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Just letting you know that my friends Jeremy and Cameron are coming to Tokyo in less than a week! Most of you probably don't know who they are, and that's ok, but if you live in Tokyo, and miss out on meeting them and their music...well you are doing yourself a great disfavor. So...please come listen to us play together around Tokyo!

We have two solo shows, one at the Rock Factory, Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 PM!!! Note the time change, because we initially thought it was 8, and if I talked to you before, that's what I told you.

www.rock-factory.net

Second show is at the Kick Back Cafe, Saturday, March 24 at 7:00 PM!

www.kickbackcafe.jp

Both shows are free, so it would be great to see you all there - and go ahead and bring your friends while you are at it. We'll be doing original songs plus a couple Shane & Shane covers.
Any questions, send me a message!

Jeremy's Myspace
Our band page - The James Dickerman Band - and, yes, we know that no one in our band is named James Dickerman

Lead Me On

2007-02-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

My laptop sits perpetually on my desk or table, always within earshot of where I am, tirelessly playing song after song from itunes (interspersed with the occasional Ravi Zacharias talk). So this album from my friend Chris Mason comes on, and I hear it as I walk from my bedroom to my bathroom to shave. Well, to continue on with this incredibly long lead in to my point, my shower in my bathroom has a leak that drips continuously, and I'm not mechanically inclined enough to fix it.

As I walked in, my music/rhythmic oriented mind immediately tuned in to an unusual occurance, my shower was dripping in perfect time on the beat to my afformentioned friends song! Craziness. Two totally unrelated things coming together to make harmony.

Then I realized - I have seen this before. No, not specifically a shower dropping water to the time of itunes, but to a much larger scale. I've seen it in the way that God shapes my path. Following after God, sometimes it seems like a step is disjointed from the rest, going down a different path or maybe taking a side trip...but no...each seemingly random thing has a purpose - an expected end - an incredible story that only God sees and that He Himself has written! My mind is completely blown everytime with how He weaves things right under my nose and I never see it coming. And let me tell you, no one is a better writer than He is! True story... ;)

So much of my life is still a question. I don't even know what I'm doing after this year, shoot, I don't even know what all will happen THIS year, but it's all good. I'm learning to trust more and more, waiting on God in a state of dependency. This is where I want to be. One step at a time, Lord - lead me on.

Dirty Bird

2007-01-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

So...I was on my way to Paul's this morning, happily riding my bike, when I heard this plash (plop and splash mixed together into one). Looking to my left with buildings blurring as I rode by, a gargantious green blob came into focus on my shoulder...I don't know what they feed Japanse birds, but it doesn't digest well apparently. yeah, so that's the story. Anyways, it reminded me of this...

I wonder if Nissan makes bikes...

Wrong Way Down a One　Way Tunnel

2007-01-23T05:43:00.000-08:00

I love Japan...

I love Japan...

I love Japan...

No really...I do...

I even love it when I get on the train going the wrong direction...

I even love it when that directionally challenged hunk of steel happens to be the last train of the night...

Yup...even then...cause now I get to experience the 24 hour internet cafe of Japan with two of my good friends here...which is why I'm typing at 2:42 AM instead of sleeping...good times...

I love Japan :)

Life Soundtrack - Too Many Miracles

2007-01-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is for my friends...

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool..

Opening Credits: “Stupid Kid” Caedmon's Call (hmmmm....)
Waking Up: “Giving it Over” Newsboys
First Day At School: “Clumsy” Chris Rice ("I get so clumsy, I get so foolish, I get so stupid..." I think we are finding a theme here...)
Falling In Love: “One Year” Sidewalk Slam ("Your heartbeat's against mine
Hold close now don't let go.
Your love does things to me
I don't think you'll ever know.

This song does no justice of how i truly feel
Your hand in mine, mine in yours
Don't fear i'm always here.

This year i shared my life with the one girl of my dreams
My God thank you, this blessing has deeply changed my life", sweet, to far it isn't true yet, but I did have it on shuffle...promise)
Fight Song: “Old Enough” Michael W. Smith ("In the passion your heart is abused")
Breaking Up: “Called To Love” theothermarkmiller (hey, that's me!)
Prom: “Your Praise Goes On” Chris Rice
Life's OK: “Because of Who You Are” FFH ("I trust you Lord, cause you hold the world in place")
Mental Breakdown: some random unnamed classical song from the Norton Scores
Driving: “Only You” FFH
Flashback: “Smellin' Coffee” Chris Rice
Getting Back Together: “Watch Me Go” Go Fish ("I've waited all of my life, here I am...")
Wedding: “La Primavera, Le Quattro Stagioni (Spring, from the 4 Seasons)" Antonio Vivaldi
Birth of a Child: “Psalm 13” Shane & Shane ("How Long oh Lord, will you forget me...)
Final Battle: “Walk By Faith” Jeremy Camp
Death Scene: “Piano Concerto in G major, L 453, 2nd Movement” Mozart
Funeral Song: “Symphonie Fantastique, Fourth Movement, March to the Scaffold” Berlioz
(So I guess I encounter death by hanging)
End Credits: “Too Many Miracles" Ben Glover ("Too many miracles to hide, Too many broken brought to life, Too many lives are being changed, Too many are made to cross the lie, Too many hearts have been set free, Too many wanderers retrieved, Too many reasons to believe..." Wow...that's cool)

Well, that was amusing...

And Now My Exit Song: "Goodnight Love Song" Sooner Or Later

Passion and Pain

2007-01-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

Everyone go here quick! Passion is uploading each main session from their conference in Atlanta but is only leaving each session up for 24 hours! Check it out, it's so worth it:)

Passion 07 main session feed

And in case you are the type of person who finds laughter in pain, you can catch these two clips of me trying to learn how to snowboard last week.

http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=5GhG78-jUZ8
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=BuNpd8idTqE

Let the Blitz Begin

2006-11-27T03:58:00.000-08:00

oh...you're all in trouble now...my computer just got set up in my apartment...wi-fi hopefully set up tonight...video feeds and youtube...let the blitz begin.

...can you feel the anticipation?

Soon...very soon...

2006-10-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

What is coming soon? Me. Well, not really me, just the cd I've been working on for the past two years. I just got the mix back from Andrew Osenga today and it sounds great! He does some fantastic work. Now I just need to get it mastered and duplicated. Jon Ringger of Rigg Design finished the artwork for me this week too. Check him out, because he is out-of-control awesome (and my former roommate:)). He makes some great t-shirts as well. That's all of my plugs for now. Check in for a projected release date soon!

Well that was awkward...

2006-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

So...funny story, for all of you anyway. Tuesday night we started recording for the Servant Christian Community Foundation project. I borrowed my friend Jeremy Davis' beautiful Taylor guitar to do some of the recording with and offered to bring it by when we were done. Well I went to the studio and we had a good "get our feet wet session" (first sessions are really highly productive), and finished up around 10:45 or so.

I went from there to pick up my Dad from his office and found the most unusual site. There was a note on the door that said, "Mom picked me up." But that wasn't what was unusual, what was rather amusing is that there were 5 deer just chilling in the parking lot. They would just kind of watch me, decide I was rather impotent and go about there business of filling up parking spaces just feet away from me. That was weird.

But on to the real story. Post leaving my Dad's office, I dropped my Jeremy's house to give him his guitar back. It was about 11:15 by now, and I didn't want to wake up his parents, so I knocked lightly a few times. No answer. I knocked a few more times. Still no answer. I tried the knob to see if I could just set it inside. That didn't work. So I did what any half-way intelligent improvisational American would do - gather the known facts and create a plan of action for returning the guitar.

Looking up and to my left I could see the lights still on in a bedroom. Seeing how I am only 5'11" and the bedroom was on the second floor, all I could see was the baseball wallpaper going around the top of the walls. Aha! My friend Jeremy is probably the biggest baseball fan I know - this was clearly his room. Plus he indicated that he would still be awake. So I resorted to the tried and true method of chucking objects against the window. Unfortunately there were no rocks around, so I fished my wallet out of my pocket and launched it at the lit window. The leather object met the glass with a thud and dropped to the concrete driveway below. As I was retrieving my wallet I heard a voice above me, "Yes?" it questioned. Only the voice was not coming from Jeremy, but from Jeremy's Dad. "ummmm...," I stuttered, "hi, uh sorry about that, I was just trying to drop off Jeremy's guitar..." Then Jeremy came and opened the front door laughing at me. Apparently his room is in the basement. So yeah, that was my Tuesday night. Now it's time to leave for the airport to fly to San Diego:)

Finally...

2006-09-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

The REDEEMED will walk there...

The GIRL who finds that her night with her boyfriend has left her pregnant
The BOYFRIEND and GIRLFRIEND who went one step farther than they should have ... again
The LEADER who lives a double life steeped in pornography thinking no one else knows
The BOY who thinks he can never be free from his past, that he has gone too far
The SATANIST that has sacrificed a child to attain power
The UNWED MOTHER who has sacrificed her child to attain freedom
The STUDENT who has failed his last class and is on academic probation
The MAN who wakes up from the previous night wondering what he did...and why
The ATHLETE who loses his scholarship because of one mistake...and wonders where his life will lead

More than likely every person who reads this can identify with at least one of these things. In Chapter 35 of the book of Isaiah from the Bible, where Isaiah was prophesying about heaven, one phrase jumped out at me, THE REEDEMED WILL WALK THERE. Not the perfect. Not the sinless. Not the ones who walked with God from the womb. No, the PROMISE is to the REEDEEMED. To people on that non-exhaustive list above who God has called out of their sin and forgiven COMPLETELY. Who God now empowers and indwells and infuzes with Jesus to live a life SANCTIFIED to give them a PURPOSE to give them HOPE.

How is this possible? How can God take a life RAVAGED by the worst of sin and make it a life RESTORED with JOY and MEANING.

Because...Jesus became our TRANSGRESSION, our SIN, to bring us our REDEMPTION.
HE did that...the perfect one...the one who never screwed up, who never deserved it...
HE did that...for YOU.
HE did that...to pull you into His story of grace, His story of redemption, so that HE could be glorified and you could finally...finally....finally...be satisfied. Finally...have rest. Finally...have peace.

Finally...Finally...Finally...found what you were made and redeemed for - to worship God.

Response to my fiance's lettter

2006-09-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Jesus, I miss You too! I hate how eratic my time with You has been! You're right, I have had other lovers. I cry now writing this. I know the pain it has caused You. They never satisfied me - they always left me wanting something more. They can never give what I find in You and in the purity of our relationship.

Whenever I spend quality time with You, I see that You are better, I know that You are better! - but my lovers kept returning, they won't let me rest until the wedding - at least then they will be gone forever. Oh the pain that have caused me - and I know now - have caused You! Jesus, chase them away, claim me! Tell them I am Yours. They don't listen to me unless You are here. They tremble and run from me at the sound of Your approach - even the sound of Your name! I want to be presented to You as holy, as pure, and I know that You are the deepest desire of my heart, that every time I feel alone and worthless, You are what I'm missing!

Jesus, I will return, I must return! Where else can I go? There is no one better than You! There is nothing better than You!

Hold me...come, hold me... I need Your reassurance, I long to hear Your gentle voice and feel the caressing of Your love on my heart! I am Yours. Forgive me for my past sins against You, for my former lovers. I will learnk, love, and grow by Your mercy, grace, and by You loving example to me. Thank you for pursuing me! My heart skips while I am with You, and I too, cannot wait until the wedding day that I am forever Yours!

Maybe you can relate to these past two letters. Write your own response to Jesus, as we as the church are collectively His bride!

My fiance's letter

2006-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

I saw you today. You were looking pretty busy. I tried to wave and I called out your name, but you were with your other friends. I guess you didn't hear me. Maybe I was naive, thinking that our relationship would be like it was last semester. I wish it were. At least you made time for me then. That's what an engagement is about.
I wanted to get to know you better, to understand you, to fall deeper in love with you -but I never thought it would be this one-sided. I wanted to share the same activities, to like what you like, to do what you do, but you have made that impossible. You know how much I hate those things! How I remember the seperation from my Dad when He looked at me and saw your activities as if I had done them. But it was worth it. It was the price I had to pay so you could know me, so that I could be with you!
But why do you do those things? Do you think that because I can see what you will do, the pain I receive from your actions is any less? It is worse than the bouquet of thorns that was pressed into my scalp on your behalf. That was nothing compared to the searing anguish in my heart.
But I will bear it. It's worth it to know you.

I know about your other lovers. I see you flirting with them before you yourself have even realized what's going on. I still love you, though my heart breaks every time like a stain-glass window being hit by a wrecking ball.
Please come back to me. I miss you. I want to be with you. I know your dreams. Some of them I will give you, for they are what I want for you. Please listen to me as I give you new dreams, for I want to save you pain, and I want to give you pleasure. Don't settle for less then what I give! Please...
I know you, and I know your potential, and your future...and I know that if you pursue your dreams on your own apart from me that you will regret it.
Never forget my zealous passion for you, how I love you enough that I gave everything for you! I can't wait for our wedding day! But oh, how much sweeter it will be if you will get to know me first. Remember, our engagement is a time for learning, for loving, for forgiving, and for growing, and it is a time that cannot be skipped - and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

revealing

2006-09-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I did not write the following, but I really liked it, and you should read it, because it's so true.

Tim seemed to be a reasonably mature, stable teenager as he prepared to go off for his first year of college. He always looked clean and neat, he was polite, and he did well enough in his high school studies to be accepted by a good university.

It was a real shock to see the contrast between the boy who left in August and the boy who came home for Christmas vacation after the first semester. His once-neat, medium-length hair had become long, dirty, and shapeless. He had gained 25 pounds. He wore a dirty, smelly T-shirt and jeans, both checkered with holes. His tennis shoes were rotting away, and their pungent smell preceded him into a room. Tim's mother was also less than thrilled to discover that he had brought home with him a large laundry bag full of clothes, towels, and sheets for her to wash--none of which gave any evience of having been laundered since he had left the previous summer! Tim's father, on the other hand, contemplated the fact that his son, who had always gotten A's and B's through public shool, had managed at college to achieve one C and three D's, and had avoided an F only by dropping a course before the final exam.

What had happened to Tim? Are these the usual results of a young man going off to college? If so, you might conclude, let's not send our children there. But we had better take a closer look at the facts before we draw a hasty conclusion. in partiular, we need to examine what Tim seemed to be BEFORE leaving for the university.
I mentioned that Tim had seemed to be a reasonably mature 18-year-old, but on closer examination that appearance turned out to be artificial. He always did look neat and clean, but that was because his mother did his laundry and insisted that he wear clean clothes, and his father supervised his haircut and style. The polite manners that he displayed turned out to be the result of a lot of nagging and dire threats from Mom and Dad. His acceptable grades in high school were generated because his parents strictly enforced curfew rules, demanded to see daily work, and promised money and privileges for A's and B's.

In short, what looked like qualities of maturity and character in Tim were in reality a mere facade that was propped up by Mom and Dad. He really had very little character of his own, and that was proven by what happened when Mom and Dad were taken out of the picture: Tim immediately collapsed into a fat blob of immaturity. Without Mom to do his laundry, it didn't get done. Without Dad to make him do his studies, Tim didn't do them. Without anyone telling him when to go to bed, Tim stayed up to all hours, went to late-night fast-food restaurants, and slept through his morning classes. When he came home for Christmas vacation, he exhibited the fruit of four months of undisciplined, unrestrained, immature living.

Did college make him that way? Absolutely not! All going alway to college did was to reveal the lack of character in Tim that was already there by removing his artificial props called parents. In other words, freedom did not make Tim immature; it revealed the immaturity in him that already existed.

[...]

The ultimate practical proof that the law is useless to prduce Christ's life--the fruit of the Spirit--can be seen when it is abruptly removed from the teaching of Christ living in and through you. You'll sometimes see Chrsitians reacting to their newfound "freedom" much like Tim did when he finally escaped from Mom and Dad: They go wild. Then the accusation comes, "See what happes when you don't keep people under the law? They go out and live like the devil. That's what the teaching on freedom produces!"

No! That's what keeping people under the law produces--a total lack of Christian maturity. Taking them out from under the law merely reveals the lack of character in them that already existed. The teaching of God's grace does not make people spiritually immature any more than going away to college made Tim immature.

Bob George, Growing in Grace (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1991), 161-163, 165-166.

Crikey!

2006-09-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

there are no words to express the sadness...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060904/wl_asia_afp/australiapeopleirwinwildlife_060904071925

We will miss you, Steve.

Free Derek Webb!

2006-09-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hey go to www.freederekwebb.com to download his new cd Mockingbird for absolutely free! I'm downloading it right now...63% done. Thanks, Derek!

3 Questions

2006-07-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to Kim's post of the following. "Tell me 3 things about you that most people dont know. Ready....Go."

1. I once almost got arrested when a police officer thought I was a vampire.

2. My brother hit me in the head with a golf club when I was 12. I got to go the hospital in an ambulance..then I got 12 stitches.

3. I once got asked to perform on television in Japan.

On a side note, I just went to see Empathy in concert last night. They were phenomenal! You owe it to yourself to check them out at www.theempathy.com and www.myspace.com/ryanandsean

Do it now. Well...after you tell me 3 things about you that most people don't know. :)

wow. just wow.

2006-07-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

So, funny thing happened at church today.
It's a good thing I don't get embarrased easily or it would have been really awkward.

After the service, I go up front to talk to Mike about Belarus and stuff, then I see this middle aged woman from the corner of my eye making a bee-line for me. She introduced herself and asked how old I was.
"22", I replied (with what was I'm sure a quizical look on my face).
"Great," she said, "my daughter is 22, are you attached?"

whoah, wasn't prepared for that one "uh, I guess not ...technically."

She continued, "my daughter is 22, a nursing student and she'll be moving back next week."

I'm thinking how to get out of this and still be polite as she tells me more about her daughter. I was telling her I'm not really interested, but she wasn't really catching that. Apparently she was at church one of the Sunday's I led worship and decided I was perfect for her daughter. - But I had my trump card... "Well...you probably won't want me to marry your daughter - I'm planning on moving to Japan" Check and Mate.
"Oh," she resigned,

"well, you know...if God wanted her to go to Japan I'm ok with that."

DOH! That usually works. Best just to be direct now, "I honestly don't think I'll pursue that, sorry. But I like friends, so I wouldn't mind meeting her." She gave up then and we left on good terms I think. She really was a nice lady. I feel kind of bad for her daughter though. I'm sure she'll find a great guy some day.

Love for me: One thing that God and cell phones disagree on

2006-07-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Things I am feeling:
Sadness at friends left in Belarus
Gratefulness to God for His work there
Excitement at what the near future holds
Something in my stomach I have yet to identify

If you were wondering why cell phones hate me, it's because my 4th phone in 6 months just met an untimely end in a fountain in Minsk. I think it's a conspiracy. How did it happen? I fell into a fountain. Not pushed or anything just fell in. I'm weird, I know. Well, it was a rounded edge, and I did have a heavy back pack on, and just maybe I was pretending to push someone into the fountain, but that's just hypothetical of course.

Penguin + 2 cymbals + especially small brain for the species = lunch for the coca cola bear

2006-06-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. I think I just burnt 1000 calories laughing.

Out of all the penguins, Freddy wasn't the brightest of the bunch...

Nashville went great! Thanks so much for your prayers! We finished the cd and should have it mixed, mastered, and produced by some time in August. So then you can buy it to support this poor missionary and help him pay off his student loans. Thanks:)

Day 1

2006-06-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Andy and Matthew's show last night rocked. Awesomeness. It was good to see a lot of people I hadn't seen for a while. Today was a great day though, we made some good progress with Andrew "sweet action jackson" Osenga at the helm, and Dean "I don't have to say how amazing I am because it's self evident" Baylor sitting shotgun. Vocals are finished for My Prayer, Sustain, and By Grace I move. Plus, all the bass is done and Samuel threw down a sweet violin part for By Grace. Thanks for your prayers, and keep em comin!

Thanks to Dean and Landon for a place to stay last night!

Music City

2006-06-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, in the morning I leave for the sprawling city of Nashville to try and finish my cd. Please pray for me with travels, vocals, songs, inspiration, and for Andrew Osenga, Samuel Griggs, and Paul Eckberg, along with anyone else working on this. I need to go pack and get some sleep. I just wanted you to pray. Thanks.

Christian mulch

2006-06-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

BFMRT - yes it's a word. Or at least it was at Paragon Landscaping where I used to work in Indiana. It stood for their core values - Best of the Best, Fair, Mentoring atmosphere, Respect, and Trust.

The other day I had the privelege of doing some landscaping and cleaning work alongside some wonderful missions minded people from my church. As we walked up to the foundation where we were to be working, I couldn't help but notice a pile of refuse on the drive. There were leaves, and sticks, and molding wood all piled together in a mass resembling a pile of rotting squirrels in an aging forest. Upon meeting with a person in charge, I discovered that the compost dump of a pile in the front was actually mulch, and that we were going to use it to cover all of their landscape beds. My friend and I started working to spread the "chopped up forest heap of dead furry animals" across the beds and around and under bushes. I look over to see him thinking and he says, "hey I know what this stuff is, it's Christian Mulch!" I stared at him incredulously waiting for an explanation, he continued "it's the good enough to get the job done mulch, the take what you can get mulch." It only improved slightly as he continued, "the be thankful for what you've got mulch." - I just shook my head...

That's been the attitude of so many members of the church for so long. People make Christian music, Christian movies, or Christian books, and the next question regarding it is, "is it any good?" Some is good , to which they usually find themselves pleasantly surprised. Other stuff is not, and we find ourselves supporting it just because it's "Christian".

God is a not a shoddy God, or an ok God, or even a pretty good God. God is an excellent God, a creative God who created creativity, a God who expects much, and gives much more.

The Message expounds on Collosian 3:23 the best I think,

3:22-25 Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

I'm tired of hearing of "Christian" as some subpar genre of anything, under which excellence is the exception. This needs to change, not be cause the word Christian labels and reflects on us, but because it reflects on Christ. We are labeled as followers of Christ, as someone Christ works through. Jesus Christ is someone who did and does all things well and it is Him we are claiming to follow and model after when we call ourselves Christians.

Let it never be said of us that grace and forgiveness is an excuse for us to do poorly, to be lazy or greedy, just simply expecting little to be good enough. I want to do my best. To take time and effort to do every job the best I can, so that people will be able to look at me and say, "He will do his best. He will be trustworthy. He has my respect. He mentors and helps others to grow, and he is always fair, because he is a Christian, and I've learned that's what Christians do" And through we can tell them and they will see first hand, that we are like this because it is who Christ is, and it is HE that is doing this through us!

Maybe then people can look at beautiful golden mulch, or a masterpiece painting, or an awe-inspiring skyscraper - and then to the cross and say that's Christian, and in it, I see Christ.

2006-05-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Andy (you can click on his link for his blog, AO, to your right) is releasing his new solo album. He's out of control good so you should buy it, but for now, go download his free MP3 of the album by clicking the picture below. Also, I posted a soundtrack project I did in MIDI Composition 2 Class on my myspace. www.myspace.com/theothermarkmiller

New Myspace, Prayer, and Ben

2006-04-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I just got a new myspace account so I could upload songs. It is www.myspace.com/theothermarkmiller
I put up a few songs, rough but up, and you can download them if you wish. Then you can add me as a friend. That'd be sweet.

Also: Friday morning from 2-4 AM, my worship band will be leading for a city wide 24 hour Harp and Bowl (Prayer and Worship). Please come join us in prayer! It will be at the Salvation Army in Olathe, KS, right off Sante Fe (135th St.) about 2 miles West of I-35. If you need directions, contact me.

And if you would pray for my brother, Ben, who's active duty in the Marines, that would make me happy. Thanks!

Thats all for now. Good night:)

I stole the first half of this from my bro

2006-04-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

1. I will respond with something random about you
2. I'll challenge you to try something
3. I'll pick a color that associates with you
4. I'll tell you something I like about you
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of
7. I'll ask you something I've always wanted to ask you
8. If I do this for you, you have to post this on your blog.

If you want me to to do it, say, "The curtains" and comment too! I always enjoy comments

PS, in response to certain persons queries, MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Basically I can write music and the computer plays it back for me as strings, synth, oboe, drums, whatever. I hope that makes sense. I'll post my first project up somewhere so you can hear some MIDI.

PSS PRAY for Micah Bradley's family, especially Caleb Bradley, his brother, and Micah's wife. I was just told that Micah died in a car accident last night. Micah is a believer, now more than ever as He is interacting with Jesus face to face. Ironic how some of the greatest joys can come out of the deepest sorrows. Only in Jesus. Thank you Jesus, for rescuing us from a brief meaningless life, and letting us be a part of your eternal story!

I love accomplishing things

2006-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

MIDI Music Composition 2 project - Done
International Relations Midterm complete with five 1-2 page essays - Done and sent
The currently last production of The Pastor in Wichita - Done and awesome!
The Cross and the Switchblade complete with writing a song for it - Done and incredible!
Speaking at FCA last night - Done and God moved

And to top it all off, it's like 70 degrees and sunny out.

The MIDI comp project turned out sweet, and it was more fun than listening to Brian Huther tell jokes about forest fires, web-footed ducks, and large pachyderms. I had the oppurtunity to ask about 40 people what they believed about God and Jesus, capture about 20 different languages responding to those questions, and meet a lot of people in the process. I may post my project online in the near future.

So, next on the to do list:
-Complete Biblical Beliefs form for my Japan application
-Write songs for the Servant Christian Community Foundation Project (and others)
-Sleep
-Learn how to swing dance
-Finish the "never ending cd project"
-Work on my last project for MIDI comp
-read your comments;)

...and if you don't have facebook, go get it and add me as a friend...or if you do have facebook add me as a friend...k...that's it.

"Wake up and feel the coffee" or "Why you should always bring lids for your coffee mug"

2006-02-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

I was really tired today. After finally hitting the wall at 2PM, I broke down and paid to fill my mug with coffee. Promptly thereafter I went and sat outside the MIDI music lab where I was waiting to work on my project, put on my headphones, reclined in the chair, and cupping my mug with both hands, proceded to fall asleep. Do you know how your body involuntarily twitches sometimes when you start to fall asleep? Yeah, well mine decided this would be a good time to do that. Now I have a 12" coffee circle encompassing my jeans and shirt, so if you see me today, that's what happened. But I'm awake now, so I suppose the coffee did what it was meant to do:). Happy Singles Awareness Day btw.

My sister left me note this morning that reminded me of that, but said, "don't worry, you won't be single forever." I have nothing to add to that, other than God's really awesome. Actually, I saw some girl at college today crying because her man neglected to tell her Happy Valentine's Day, so I gave her a sucker with a note on it from FCA that had a cool Valentine note about God's love. And God is all sufficient, never forget that my fellow singles, or you married folks for that matter. time to go write some music. Have a blessed day in Christ!

In Christ who is our strength,
Mark

Japan Update

2006-02-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

If you were all wondering what's up with me and Japan, you can thank Hannah for spurring this post:).

I actually just had my 1 hour 15 min telephone interview with TEAM yesterday. That's one of the last initial steps for me. I will have JCCC send my transcript in to TEAM today, then just wait for the rest of my references to finish up. At that point they finish looking over everything and, Lord willing, ask me to come up to Wheaton, IL to talk with them there. So it is coming along well, I think. Your prayers are defiantely needed and appreciated!

On another note, I went to Ned Kellenberger's orchestra concert last night, which was sweet! They played some great pieces, and ended with the theme from Pirates of the Carribean. Good stuff. Ned is amazing too, that kid's a freshman, but an amazing violinist/section leader of his high school orchestra and like 2nd chair of Kansas City Youth Symphony. I'm trying to recruit him for music school in Japan:).

Oh, and Applebees has 1/2 price appetizers after 9PM, which is only beat when you think you're paying and a friend picks up the tab instead. So, that was yesterday. Today should be awesome.

Interview Questions

2006-01-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

Dan and Kelbs, I usually never do these, but since you guys sent it to me, I decided to. You should feel special:)
>
> 1. What time is it? 11:12 AM
>
> 2. Name? Mark Alan Miller
>
> 3. Piercings? None...
>
> 4. What is the most recent movie you've seen in the
> theater? End of the Spear
>
> 5. Eye color: Green
>
> 6. Place of Birth: Olathe, KS
>
> 7. Favorite NEW food? hmm...the last new food I tried was popcorn dipped in peanut butter, though I highly doubt it will ever be considered one of my favorites.
>
> 8. Ever been to Africa? No, someday...
>
> 9. Ever been toilet papering (rolling)? I plead the 3rd, and the 7th, and the 22nd...wait... Kelbs help me out;) jk
>
> 10. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yup, often, I think god puts more tears in male musicians than other guys, but don't tell anyone
>
> 11. Been in a car accident? twice, in fact my perfect driving record just disentegrated last week in the wal-mart parking lot.
>
> 12. Croutons or bacon bits? Both, but bacon bits are the BEST!
>
> 13. Favorite day of the week? Today (whichever the
> current one is) (is it ok to steal answers?)
>
> 14. Favorite restaurants? hmmm....Jack Stack, McDonalds and Taco Bell for value menu's, MJ's Pizza, does Starbuck's count as a restaurant?
>
> 15. Favorite Flower? Water Lily
>
> 16. Favorite sport to watch? College Football, KANSAS STATE WILDCATS, YEAH!!!!!
>
> 17. Favorite Drink? Venti Caramel Frappachino
>
> 18. Favorite ice cream? Starbucks ice cream, good stuff
>
> 19. Disney or Warner Brothers? Disney + 4 words
The Emperor's New Groove

Enough said.
>
> 20. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald's $1
> double cheese burger, but recently the 1/2 $1 burritos at Taco Bell have been rockin my world
>
> 21. What color is your bedroom carpet? tanish, with assorted carefully placed dark brown spots, located strategically by my study desk. (are we allowed to lie on this test, or is this blinking button on my computer some type of lie detector?)
>
> 22. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
> ...doh! You would ask. The first time, no problem, but when I moved to Indiana and had to switch my license...yeah, I failed. That was humbling.
>
> 23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last
> e-mail? I don't remember, the only two I have so far today are from Dan and Kelbs, though I did get one from my Chinese friend Tren in my other account.
>
> 24. Which store would you choose to Max out your
> credit card? Evil question, it's making me covet. Probably Sweet Water Music Technology so I could get an amazing new recording studio, wait...do I have to pay off this credit card?

> 25. What do you do most often when you are bored? You don't want to know, no really.
>
> 26. Bedtime? Probably average around Midnight.
>
> 27. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest?
> Kristi
>
> 28. Who is the person you sent this to that is least
> likely to respond? Dan and Kelbs since they already did this
>
> 29. Who are you the most curious about their
> responses to this? Kami, cause it's bound to hilarious
>
> 30. Favorite TV shows? Sue Thomas F.B.eye, college football, but I really don't watch much tv at all.
>
> 31. Last person you went to dinner with? myself and God, if it wasn't for Him I would have a really lonely life.
>
> 32. Ford or Chevy? Toyota!
>
> 33. What are you listening to right now? Hawk Nelson, Shane and Shane on the way here
>
> 34. What is your favorite color? Green
>
> 35. How many tattoos do you have? I had a couple fake tattoos I got from a Pop-Tart box once.
>
> 36. How many animals? 0
>
> 38. How many people are you sending this e-mail to?
> Kelbs, I want to know if I got a whole number or if I counted as the .2375
>
> 39. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where
> would it be? Wow, everywhere, I love traveling. I would really love to go to Europe, see all the music history there and go to a bunch of different Symphonys.
>

Inadequate

2006-01-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

I wanted to write about the Passion 06 conference. I still do, but I just had a hard time condensing it into words.

Coming out of it I had this thought,
I'm convinced that God left our language inadequate to describe Him and His works, so that we would be forced to be quiet and listen to Him. Sometimes, maybe the best worship is silence.

I'm really excited for this year. It's going to be INCREDIBLE to watch God work, and oh the joy at being a small part of that!

Desires

2005-12-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

I have a Myspace account that I almost never use. Basically I got it because some friends of mine have it. Anyway, the other day I wrote an intro to myself, but I want to share it here. I want to share it, because I don't think I'm the only one who struggles with constantly burning for Jesus, when living for Him is my chief aim and pleasure. So, without further adieu...

Do you ever have a desire to desire something? But the thing you desire to desire conflicts with your flesh creating a constant state of war everyday? That's my life. But it's a good life, because I desire to desire God. I want His presence, His joy, His leading! I want His correction, His compassion, and His mastery over me. Why is it so hard? Why do I let these desires be competed with? Why do I let selfishness, pride, and lust even become blips on the radar screen do infiltrate my longing for Jesus? This is my war, eveyday I wake up in the middle of a new battle field. Everyday needs to start with prayer, and reading the letters from my Master in Command or I will fall. Each day I let my general lead I see incredible victories as He fights on the front lines ahead of me. My heart is thrilled to see Him work His wonders and supposed impossibilities in my life - what a glorious Savior! Jesus has led me into full time missions work, and I why He chose me I still haven't figured out and it humbles me beyond anything else. Much of what I do involves writing music, playing music, and descipling people, but without a doubt the greatest ministry I have is simply in building relationships and helping them see Jesus. Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus How I've proved Him o're and o're Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus O for grace to trust Him more (nope, I didn't write that one) Who am I? I am a man harldy worthy of being called such, but made at peace with God, filled with joy, and empowered by Christ to do His marvelous will and be a part of His grand story, the greatest story there will ever be.

2005-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

Death by Caffeine

How much of your favorite caffeinated drink would it take to kill you? Take this quick test and find out:

After 23.89 cups of Starbucks Grande Coffee, you'd be pushing up daisies

LOL, I couldn't resist taking this test. There's all kinds of great beverages to choose from. You can take your own personalized test at www.energyfiend.com

On another note. Please keep me in your prayers as I have started the application process for full time missions in Japan:)

Wheelchair Olympics meet Nascar

2005-11-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

Often times on Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the gym at Johnson County Community College (hereafter refered to as JCCC) to play some basketball. Everytime on the court next to me, there is a special needs group getting exercise while honing their skills of cordination. I think it's great, don't get me wrong, but this time it was all I could do to keep from laughing. Zooming by me at every bit of 3 m.p.h. taking the inside lane of the running track was a young wheelchair bound racer, doing his morning laps. "What's so funny about that?", you may ask, and be entirely right to do so. Well, my response - nothing, if you are actually expending effort by spinning the rubber wheels of the chair. You see, this particular would be racer, was operating an automatic wheelchair, therefore the only energy requirements were that of his thumb and index finger to move the joystick of his wheelchair. Seriously, that was the funniest thing I'd seen all week long.

I guess it's like NASCAR really.

The End of the Spear

2005-11-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

I recently had the oppurtunity to see a private screening of a new movie with some local pastors/community leaders. It was absolutely AMAZING! The movie, "End of the Spear", tells the stories of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, etc., who were missionaries martyred while trying to reach the Waodoni tribe in Ecuador. End of the Spear is a very powerful, true story that shows the Gospel in a very clear, emotional, non-offensive way. I will freely confess that I cried. The actual release of the movie in theatres is January 20. Go see it! And take your friends, believers and non. While $20 million was spent on the production of the film. Every Tribe Productions and Bearing Fruit Ministries did not have the $100 million most movies spend on publicity, therefore they are spreading the word through advance screenings and thereby churches and organizations. This movie has great potential to open up conversations about Christ and Christianity, and I think it will raise up a new generation of missionaries as well, maybe even you. You can see more about the End of the Spear at www.endofthespear.com

I want to be a dog

2005-11-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Today I was over at Randy & Karen Kellenberger's helping plant some trees. They have two dogs named Annie and Einstein, rather mischievious critters, I must say. Einstein was constantly over by us picking up tools, pulling sticks out of the ground - anything to be at where his master is, taking part in the action. And he did this when he could have been burying bones, or rolling around. So, I had this thought.

Wouldn't it be great if Christians were like Einstein (the dog)? What if we would put aside our preoccupations, such as accumulating treasure to bury in the ground, or rolling in the mud of sin, and instead FIND OUR JOY, CONTENTMENT, AND DESIRE in being with God where He is working? Willing to do anything to be with God in His prescence and be used by Him? Imagine what would happen. Realize this could happen. Wow. Imagine the revolution, the revival that would take place. Remember, this has happened before. Through Christ, we can make it happen again. I want to be like Einstein.

What book of the Bible are You?

2005-10-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

You are Psalms.

Which book of the Bible are you?
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Wow. Right on.

Intimidated

2005-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Wow. There was so much to write about after everyday and so little computer time that I resorted to writing nothing at all. Gomen Nasai. The trip was absolutely fantastic!

On the Sunday before I came back to the U.S. I had a new first time experience. Church had just wrapped up and we were hanging around talking when the walls started shaking. We kind of all just looked at eachother, and confirmed what we were thinking...earthquake. Don't get to excited, it only lasted maybe 30 seconds, and I don't think it was above a 3.0 . I guess at the epicenter it was a 7.2, so pretty strong, but miles from us. But the ground wasn't the only thing God shook in those two weeks.

God is shaking the Japan with the news of the Gospel in new ways with new hearts dedicated to serving Him. It was INCREDIBLE to be at the conference's main events and watch 100 + young Japanese worshipping God, lifting their hands in praise, praying for eachother in small groups, and encouraging eachother! Even more exciting yet, was that all of these believers are leaders in their church and community, and most of them use music and arts in their leadership position. These last two weeks have just blown me away. In fact, my very future as been shaken once again and my concept and awe of God is ever increasing. I'm very heavily praying about and considering moving to Japan to work full time with the Christian Artist Network...possibly as soon as March. Yup. So pray for me, tell me what you think, hey, maybe someday you'll end up there!:) Walk with God my siblings.

Mark

Countdown to the conference

2005-10-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I had a whole cool post lined up to go for the last few days, but I keep leaving the reference sheet I need at my room. So, sorry, maybe Ill post it later. Anyway...
Things have been incredible here! I have a sweet room, cool people to work and hang with (one of which is giving me about 4 hours of Japanese tutoring a day), and, of course, the 100\ store. Yes, the 100 yen store - where countless incredible things can be purchased for less than a dollar. Food, pens, brushes, wallets, boxers, shirts, but the sweetest of all is ties. And they have some SWEET ties (did I mention theyre only a dollar?) So yeah, Ive pretty much made it my tradition to buy a new tie every time I go in a 100\ store. I already have 5:). If I get my camera situation figured out, I may even be able to post a tie of the day pic. boo yeah! So, in summary, I like Japan.

Day of Departure

2005-10-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

My flight leaves in less than 7 hours. Please pray for my time in Japan.
Will update:)

Mark

2005-09-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Called To LoveYeah, I'm definately tech happy. Gotta try out what all I can do on this blog. This is my attempt to link to an MP3 of my song "Called to Love". Listen at your own risk. My vocals are old and not that great. So try to hear through them to get the words:). Oh, yeah, I plan on redoing vocals before the cd is released, but everything else is pretty much done on this song.

02 Track 2.wma
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2005-09-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in the Gospel House with Minoru's daughter

Called To Love

2005-09-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, that was a substantial first post to this blog. Still, Mr. Incredible, not bad, had some issues, but hey, it could have been worse. I could have ended up as Violet, or Syndrome, or worse...Incrediboy...shudder. Anyway, I need to get to sleep, but before I do, I shall put up a post with slightly more meaning. Because I'm lazy, this is an old post from my xanga blog www.xanga.com/guitarguy317

Oh and this song is almost done, so if you want to hear it, just comment, give me your email, and I will email you the mp3.

I started writing the inspiration for my songs. I was going to put it in the cd book, but I fear that I am far too long winded, so...instead I think I'll have to put these notes on my site. But here's what I just finished for now. May it reach your heart.

In the months leading up to the events of “Called to Love”, my personal activity in witnessing for Christ had been pathetic. My burden for the lost had fallen from my shoulders and I had replaced it with a backpack full of college textbooks and timecards. This particular morning I purposed in my heart that this would change. I shelved my pride and selfishness and laid my petition before God, pleading to be led by His Spirit again with one sole purpose – furthering the Kingdom of Christ. Armed with a pack full of bibles and feeling somewhat vulnerable, I began “prayer walking” though downtown, anxious to see what God had prepared for me to do. God quickly opened my eyes to the huge percentage of homeless souls walking the streets, many just looking for someone to acknowledge them. Engaging in conversation I discovered most of them hadn’t eaten for hours on end, most having been without food for one or more days! As I began to take them one by one to eat, I was startled by the response of the different fast food restaurants. Disapproving looks from the employees enforced their words; “You’re not welcome here.” “What’s HE doing here?” At best, they would let us buy food as long as we promised to leave. Only one restaurant we visited would so much as give these people a disposable cup of water. Despite all these rejections, the knife in my heart cut the deepest that night. I was walking back and saw a man huddled on a stone bench, shivering as he slept. I couldn’t help but think “Isn’t there ANYONE who will take this man in?” How in the world can this be happening?!?! Yet I myself am responsible for the countless times I walked by those same men without so much as a glance. Why? I’m ashamed to say. I walked by because I didn’t care. I cared more for myself, for my plans, for my pleasure, for my money, for my safety, for my COMFORT, then I did about there needs, and the greatest need they had for Christ! How could I have been so calloused?!?! How could I have passed Jesus by, knowing full well that whosoever gives a cup of water in the name of Jesus does it unto him! It’s no wonder the church of Christ is so cold and stagnant. What is the church if not the members? In Acts they gave freely to all that had need, and people were added to the church daily!! Not only that but they did it in the face of persecution! I’m so thankful that God opened my eyes that day and allowed me to bear reproach with my brothers. It was so much better than any pleasure on earth, for there is NO GREATER PLEASURE THAN SERVING AND KNOWING OUR GOD! Brothers and sisters, we (myself included) are rich. We are spiritually fat and out of shape, resting in the light. We need to wake up and remember the greatest commandment; that we are called to love.

God’s lights shine tonight
On his shadows form
Arms are pulled in tight
In an effort to keep warm
Cold stone
On which he lies
Recaptures each day
As thousands walk right by

How can this be happening
In a city where so many claim God’s love
Have we really come this far?
How can this be happening
When we’ve been shown so much of God’s love

God’s light shines tonight
On this shadows form
And His Spirit speaks
Comfort to the worn
Someone will come
Show to you my love
I’m still calling them
One day one will come

How can this be happening
In a city where so many claim God’s love
Have we really come this far?
How can this be happening
When we’ve been shown so much of God’s love
We’ve been called to love

How can this be happening
In a city where so many claim God’s love
Have we really come this far?
How can this be happening
When we’ve been shown so much of God’s love
We’ve been called to love
We are called to love

Jesus, wake me up to my calling! Lord, stop my feet from walking away from Your work! Take my steps, words, and desires over! Make me completely selfless so that I am more concerned about the each person on earth, especially the ones the world despises, than I am concerned about my own well being! I need You! Make me transparent, so that there is nothing left in me but You! I repent of the times I’ve held back Your love, Jesus, let Your love flow through me uninhibited!

2005-09-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Which Incredibles Character Are You?
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