Project Grand Slam Returns (Times Square Chronicles)

PROJECT GRAND SLAM RETURNS — After a cataclysmic 16-month break that no one wanted, things seem to be getting back to normalcy … somewhat. For musician Robert Miller, who leads the exemplary jazz/fusion/Latin band Project Grand Slam, it meant an abrupt end to live gigs and a temporary end to recording together.

In just 5 years Miller and his band have released 10 albums including a Billboard #1 (Trippin’ in 2018); had over 4 million video views; over 1 million Spotify streams; more than 50,000 Facebook fans; performed at festivals and concerts around the world, and opened for Edgar Winter, Blues Traveler, Boney James and Mindi Abair, and an after-show for YES.

Miller however, didn’t let any grass grow, as he began to work on his first-ever solo album, Summer Of Love 2020, and his second, Miller Rocks which was released last month. Both records were warmly received and featured Miller’s first-ever vocals.

This Sunday at the SteelStacks stage in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Project Grand Slam re-unites. Says Miller of the forthcoming show: “It was uplifting and thrilling to be playing together again after 16 months (to the day!) from our last gig at My Father’s Place. By the second rehearsal we sounded as tight as ever. Some of the songs we had never played together before, as they were recorded remotely during the pandemic. So, we worked out arrangements for playing them live. Totally psyched for our first post-Covid concert this Sunday at SteelStacks (https://www.steelstacks.org/event/10677/project-grand-slam/) in Bethlehem, PA!”

Go get ‘em boys … and, welcome back!

Robert Miller's Follow Your Dream Podcast Debut

G.H. HARDING

Robert Miller, leader of his rock/jazz/latin ensemble Project Grand Slam, came up with a brilliant idea: He started a podcast that begins and ends with a track from one of PGS’s 7 albums – including tracks from their #1 Billboard jazz album Trippin’.

While the podcast concept has certainly been replicated last year numerous times, no one else could program music that they created. Starting the series (Follow Your Dream) with radio-personality Bruce Morrow as Miller’s first guest, its gained instant notoriety for Miller’s variety of guests and for his intimate knowledge of music.

Musicians follow it, consumers too. We spoke with Miller online to investigate the behind the scenes details of the broadcast; and, we also touch on his first solo album Summer of Love 2020 (released last year) and his forthcoming solo-album #2: Miller Rocks.

Q: Tell us the reason behind the start-up of Follow Your Dream

A: “There were three reasons why I started the podcast. First, I realized that I had a totally unique music story in that I finally followed my youthful dream and became a Rock Star in my 60’s – an age when most Baby Boomers are planning their retirement – and I succeeded in an industry that is focused on youth.  I’m living proof that you’re never too old, and it’s never too late, to follow your dream. Second, I felt that my story could inspire and motivate others to pursue and succeed at their dream. Everyone has a dream, but most people never wind up following their dream because life tends to get in the way. Third, I wanted another platform, with greater fan engagement, to introduce my music – which is the manifestation of my dream.”

Q: Your first guest was Bruce Morrow – Cousin Brucie- and it was a great interview. Tell us how you both first met?

A: “I first met Bruce years ago when I co-owned a record label called 32 Records. We had just bought the music rights to Tom Jones’ television show and wanted to promote it. So, I came up with the idea of doing a Tom Jones Impersonation Contest, and I hired Bruce to MC it. Bruce was great, and the guy who won the contest was so good and looked and sounded so much like Tom Jones that he just might have been the real Tom Jones! “

“Bruce’s podcast interview was just wonderful. He was the Superstar of AM radio in NYC in the 1960’s. I mean, he introduced The Beatles at Shea Stadium! And he talked about this, about being at the center of Beatlemania, about his 50-year career in radio from AM to FM to Sirius/XM and now back to AM. And along the way I asked him about that famous theme song of his recorded by The Four Seasons – and just for fun I played the song underneath his explanation. Just a great, entertaining guest!”

Q: And, your follow-up guests have been?

A: “They include Mindi Abair, two time GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, who spoke about her being “discovered” by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith when she was backing a vocalist on American Idol and then going on tour with Aerosmith; Michael “Eppy” Epstein, Founder of My Father’s Place, the legendary Long Island rock club that launched the careers of Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Billy Joel, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin and Billy Crystal to name just a few; and George Schweitzer, who was CBS Head Of Marketing for 30 years and intimately involved in the transition of television from over-the-air to the Internet.”

Q: In the middle of this pandemic, you released your first solo album, Summer of Love 2020, which we loved. Tell us how you recorded it with so much being shut down?

A: “When the pandemic struck musicians were among the hardest hit. All of a sudden, we couldn’t play live anymore. Our last live gig was February 11, 2020. Luckily, we had just finished our last PGS album, East Side Sessions, which we intended to promote with live gigs. But without that ability I decided that the next best thing was to release some videos of songs from that album. So, we did four videos – the first two were Zoom type videos with everyone stuck in their little box in the frame and us all lip syncing and lip playing to the song. The next one we got more creative and made an animated video of my re-imagined version of The Beatles’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’. The last one was even more daring, as we set this Country Jazz song I wrote called ‘The Pardners’ to a 1968 Spaghetti Western movie that fit. All in all, these four videos were very successful and had about 1 million views.”

“But I kept writing songs, without any way to play them with the band. Finally, I decided to begin recording them remotely, at first using my iPhone (are you listening Apple?)! Slowly we began assembling the songs instrument by instrument. When it came to singing them, though, I decided that the songs were all so personal that I just had to sing them. This was a big decision for me because up until them I had only sung harmony and background. But the two themes of the songs were the effect of the pandemic on me and the world, and also the idea that love was the emotion that would get us through the pandemic. I’m pleased to say that the critics all loved the album.”

Q: And, I’ve heard you’re working on another solo recording?

A: “Yes, I wrote 10 new songs over the last several months, and like the last album, began recording them remotely. This time I found that the songs were moving more towards my rock side. I had started out as a composer in contemporary instrumental jazz. I then began incorporating more and more vocal songs into my repertoire, for two reasons. First, because my wife convinced me that people love vocals, and second, because I had a wonderful singer in the band. And I added in the variety that I love in my music, which includes rock, jazz, Latin, ballads, wordless vocals, etc.”

“The new album is finished and ready to greet the world. I named it ‘Miller Rocks’. 10 songs that continue the variety that I love and am known for. I even threw in one song for my grand-kids, called ‘To The Zoo!’, kind of an update to Paul Simon’s great song, ‘At The Zoo”. I’m very excited about this album and I’m planning to roll it out in a totally different way via my podcast – one song each week as part of the intro to my podcast. Telling people a bit about the song, letting them hear about 30 seconds of it, and directing them to my podcast and music sites to hear the entire song.”

Q: I love how you start and end the podcast with one of your recordings. That’s a terrific idea. And, the listeners can go to your site and buy the record, right?

A: “As I said earlier, my music is the manifestation of my dream. So, I felt that it was perfectly appropriate to work my music into the podcast. And I decided to do this by choosing a different one of my songs for each episode based on the guest for that episode, playing a bit under the introduction, and then the whole song at the end. It’s like two bookends to each episode. And yes, people can go listen to the song or buy it if they like.”

Q: Your representative told me Project Grand Slam is booked for a jazz festival in June? Tell us about that.

A: “Our first post-Covid gig! We’ve been asked to perform again at MusikFest in Bethlehem, PA on June 27th. This is a really neat festival that takes place against the backdrop of an old abandoned steel mill, with stacks going 100 feet into the air. It’s quite spectacular! We played MusikFest in 2019 and were scheduled to play it in 2020. I’m also hoping that Europe clears up as there are several festivals and a tour that we were supposed to do in 2020 that could reemerge in 2021.”

Q: This pandemic has devastated the industry; what are your thoughts on going forward? Obviously, things will get back to normal … but, it will take some time.

A: “Music is one of the keys to life. It will never go away. Everyone is itching to get back in the saddle again so to speak. The virus will let us know when that’s possible.”

Q: If you could get three guests of your choosing for the podcast, who would they be?

A: “Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and my father. The first two are obvious. I grew up on the British Invasion bands so McCartney would be at the top of my list and, as you know, Clapton is God (or so they said in London!). My dad was a musician and got me into music. He passed away over 30 years ago. I think he would be quite proud of what I’ve done.” 

Robert Miller "Summer Of Love" Reveals Hot Truth

NYNJ.Media

By Carol Ruth Weber -January 11, 202162

Robert Miller is set to release his debut solo album, “Summer of Love (2020),” January 2021 (Cakewalk Records). The leader of the rock-jazz-Latin fusion group Project Grand Slam’s unaccompanied endeavor was birthed out of the pandemic reality of confinement.

Miller Turns Pandemic into New Creation

The acclaimed bassist and composer found himself sidelined by the pandemic soon after the release of the Project Grand Slam album “East Side Sessions.” With the groups’ concert and music festival schedule on hold, Miller changed course to craft and release videos highlighting four of the album’s songs. The new-found success inspired the musician to conceive in a fresh imaginative method.

Having no home studio would not deter Miller from creating new music. He began recording new songs using just his iPhone. Although his engineer and fellow musicians were separated by a pandemic Miller found a way for them to work together to create.

“I would record a guide track for each song on the phone and then email it to my engineer, who miraculously would bring up the sound quality. Although I later re-recorded the parts properly, this was literally how I started the project! We next added drums and then I asked each of my other musicians to record their part and email it back. We slowly assembled each song like a Frankenstein and edited all the ingredients together. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.”

Miller Newest Effort Labor of Love

The newly minted solo artist not only sings lead for the first time but the harmony parts as well. Miller notes that the effort is one that he had always wanted to pursue while waiting for just the right moment to do so.

“The songs on ‘Summer Of Love’ are all very personal, so I felt that I had to sing them.”

Miller notes how his sense that love is what is needed to get through the pandemic inspired the love theme running through the album’s 10 tracks and the “Summer Of Love (2020)” moniker. Response ahead of the album’s release has been positive.

Hot songs from the album are being praised by critics and fans. “Now and Always” is a true ballad of love harking back to simpler times of raw music. “The Night Was A Mystery” reminds one of fun island music times – making one long to dance on a beach with a margarita in hand. Cool rock poetry comes to mind when listening to “Another One Like You.”

Other highly received singles from the album have been the Creedence Clearwater-inspired rock “Aches And Pains,” and the cool soothing melodic “Heaven.” As noted by FAME Magazine:

“Strutting about in the background like a thief in the night, there’s a bass part that seems to weave its low-toned melody into the fabric of the central harmony of ‘Heaven’ as though the two elements were always meant to be joined together in this song. ‘Heaven’ is definitely one of the finer points in the track list of bassist and all-around musical mastermind Robert Miller’s new album Summer of Love.”

Interview with Miller

Carol Ruth Weber: “Summer Of Love” is so truly unique in its variety of song styling – how would you personally describe this album?

Robert Miller: I named the album “Summer Of Love (2020)” not only because I wrote and recorded it during the past summer, but I felt that music and love were among the most important things that would get us through the pandemic. So, yes it was a terrible time in many respects, but I felt that love was the light at the end of this dark tunnel. The songs on the album are all about my reaction to the pandemic, or about love – or both.

I pride myself on the variety and diversity of my music. I always admired groups like The Beatles that were able to pull off diversity in their music so majestically. So many artists find a certain sound that works for them, and it seems like they stick within that box. For me, though, that would be totally stifling creatively.

I decided to make “Summer Of Love” into a solo album because the songs are all so personal, so I felt that I had to sing them. Project Grand Slam [PGS] has always had wonderful female lead singers, like Marilyn Castillo our current vocalist. I sang harmony on several of the tracks on our last group album, “East Side Sessions” (which luckily we finished a few weeks before the world shut down), so I felt like it was an opportune moment with the new album to step out and do all the vocals. And I’m so pleased that the reviewers were kind about my singing!

CRW: How did this album help your personal journey through the on-going pandemic?

RM: When the pandemic struck, musicians were among the hardest-hit group. PGS had festivals and a European tour in the works for the summer, and of course, everything was canceled. So, I had to figure out what to do.

The first thing we did was to make and release four videos of songs on “East Side Sessions.” The first two, “It Is A Miracle To Me” and “I’m Falling Off Of The World”, were recorded remotely with all the band members’ lip and play syncing along with the track.

Then we got a bit more creative. The third video was “The Pardners,” my crazy little Cowboy Jazz song complete with horse hooves, gunshots, and even a whinny. It tells the story of two criminal partners in the Old West where one cheats the other and the cheated one comes back and gets revenge. My video guy was somehow able to find a 1968 Spaghetti Western that had just the right storyline – and had a female star to match our female singer. So, the video came out just great.

The last video was even cooler. It was of our Beatles cover of “I Wanna Be Your Man” (that Ringo sang in “A Hard Days Night”) which I retitled “I Wanna Be Your Girl.” This one we did as an animated video – sort of our version of “Yellow Submarine.” Everyone loved it.

In total, the four videos had close to a million views on YouTube so they were a success in my book.

Between the videos and “Summer Of Love” I did all that I could to get through the pandemic creatively.

CRW: What else are you doing to help yourself and others through this difficult time in history?

RM: Now in 2021 I’ve just finished writing a bunch of new songs which I’m in the process of recording for a follow-up album to “Summer Of Love.” Maybe I’ll name it “The Winter Of Our Discontent.”

CRW: Many do not realize that you used to be a prominent attorney – how does your legal know-how meld with your musician side?

RM: I haven’t practiced law for over 30 years – a lifetime ago! However, I do some informal pro bono work for my various musician friends.

When I was much younger I dreamed of becoming a Rock Star, but like for so many life got in the way. While I always played music, it still took me decades before I was able to dedicate myself to music full time.

I reorganized Project Grand Slam in 2015, adding in a group of young, super talented musicians – mainly from other countries. I jokingly refer to them as my International Cartel. I started writing and recording my music at a furious pace.

Here we are five years down the road and we’ve got nine celebrated albums – including a Billboard #1 (“Trippin’”), over 4 million video views, a million Spotify streams, over 50,000 Facebook fans, festivals and concerts around the world, and even openers for Edgar Winter, Blues Traveler and Boney James, and an after-show for YES. I think it’s worked out pretty well so far.

CRW: What is next once the pandemic comes to an end?

RM: God willing, when the pandemic finally is over, PGS will be out playing festivals and concerts again and recording more music. I can’t wait!

Miller is on a quest to spread love and bring the masses together with his music endeavors. In addition to his musical journey, this talented musician uses his legal prowess as an attorney to help fellow musicians in need by donating legal aid. “Summer of Love (2020)” (Cakewalk Records) has elevated Miller to well-deserved solo recognition in the music world and beyond.

Robert Miller Will Release Debut Album 'Summer Of Love (2020)'

Robert Miller Will Release Debut Album 'Summer of Love (2020)'

The album is out January 29, 2021 (Cakewalk Records).

by TV News Desk Jan. 4, 2021

Acclaimed bassist/composer and leader of the rock/jazz/Latin fusion ensemble Project Grand Slam, Robert Miller will release his debut solo album, SUMMER OF LOVE (2020), on January 29, 2021 (Cakewalk Records).

Buoyed by over a dozen terrifically positive advance reviews, Miller says, "The new album grew out of the lockdown and the frustration of the pandemic. With festivals and tours having been cancelled, I had the time to compose new music. The overarching theme of the new songs is love - I felt it was love that would get us through the pandemic. That's why I named the album as I did."

"We had recently completed the latest PGS album East Side Sessions just before the world closed down. When we could not play live in support of the album, I decided to make and release videos of four of the songs, which we did to great success."

"I then turned my attention to the new songs. But I had no home studio, so I actually began recording the songs on my iPhone! I would record a guide track for each song on the phone and then email it to my engineer, who miraculously would bring up the sound quality. Although I later re-recorded the parts properly, this was literally how I started the project! We next added drums and then I asked each of my other musicians to record their part and email it back. We slowly assembled each song like a Frankenstein and edited all the ingredients together. I'm very pleased with how it turned out."

Miller also sings lead and all the harmony parts on the new album for the first time, with great results. "It's something I always wanted to tackle, but wanted to wait for the right moment. The songs on Summer Of Love are all very personal, so I felt that I had to sing them."

Of the album's 10-tracks, with the first single being the swampy, Creedence Clearwater-inspired "Aches And Pains," the lush-toned track "Heaven" has thus far created the most response. FAME Magazine said of that track: "Strutting about in the background like a thief in the night, there's a bass part that seems to weave its low-toned melody into the fabric of the central harmony of 'Heaven' as though the two elements were always meant to be joined together in this song. 'Heaven' is definitely one of the finer points in the track list of bassist and all-around musical mastermind Robert Miller's new album Summer of Love."

Also drawing praise is the ballad "Now and Always", the upbeat Island-y "The Night Was A Mystery", and the swaggering "Another One Like You."

Robert Miller's Summer Of Love (2020)

ROBERT MILLER’S SUMMER OF LOVE 2020

by Skope • December 23, 2020

Acclaimed bassist/composer and leader of the rock/jazz/Latin fusion ensemble Project Grand Slam, Robert Miller will release his debut solo album, SUMMER OF LOVE (2020), on January 29, 2021 (Cakewalk Records).

Buoyed by over a dozen terrifically positive advance reviews, Miller says, “The new album grew out of the lockdown and the frustration of the pandemic. With festivals and tours having been cancelled, I had the time to compose new music. The overarching theme of the new songs is love – I felt it was love that would get us through the pandemic. That’s why I named the album as I did.”

“We had recently completed the latest PGS album East Side Sessions just before the world closed down. When we could not play live in support of the album, I decided to make and release videos of four of the songs, which we did to great success.”

“I then turned my attention to the new songs. But I had no home studio, so I actually began recording the songs on my iPhone! I would record a guide track for each song on the phone and then email it to my engineer, who miraculously would bring up the sound quality. Although I later re-recorded the parts properly, this was literally how I started the project! We next added drums and then I asked each of my other musicians to record their part and email it back. We slowly assembled each song like a Frankenstein and edited all the ingredients together. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.”

Miller also sings lead and all the harmony parts on the new album for the first time, with great results. “It’s something I always wanted to tackle, but wanted to wait for the right moment. The songs on Summer Of Love are all very personal, so I felt that I had to sing them.”

Of the album’s 10-tracks, with the first single being the swampy, Creedence Clearwater-inspired “Aches And Pains,” the lush-toned track “Heaven” has thus far created the most response. FAME Magazine said of that track: “Strutting about in the background like a thief in the night, there’s a bass part that seems to weave its low-toned melody into the fabric of the central harmony of ‘Heaven’ as though the two elements were always meant to be joined together in this song. ‘Heaven’ is definitely one of the finer points in the track list of bassist and all-around musical mastermind Robert Miller’s new album Summer of Love.”

Also drawing praise is the ballad “Now and Always”, the upbeat Island-y “The Night Was A Mystery”, and the swaggering “Another One Like You.”

Robert Miller And The Summer Of Love

Robert Miller And The Summer Of Love 2020

G.H. HARDING

Erstwhile leader and superb-bassist of Project Grand Slam, Robert Miller will issue his first-ever solo album in January entitled Summer Of Love 2020. Recorded during the pandemic, we exclusively spoke to Robert via ZOOM about the new work:

Q: Tell us about Summer Of Love (2020) the new album; your first solo album, correct?

A: Summer Of Love (2020) started out to be a new Project Grand Slam album. I began writing songs last spring in the midst of the pandemic. But I quickly realized that the songs were very personal, and I felt that I needed to sing them. So, the album morphed into a Robert Miller album and it happens to be my debut solo album although I utilized most of my PGS band mates.

Summer was recorded completely differently: track by track and remotely due to the pandemic. Of course, it was impossible to all go into the studio together, and anyway my musicians were scattered around the country. But recording like this was very old school.

I began recording the songs on my iPhone! I had no home recording studio. So, I would record a guide track for each song on the phone and then email it to my engineer, who miraculously would bring the sound up to release quality. We next added drums and then I asked each of my other musicians to record their part and email it back. We slowly assembled each song like a Frankenstein! We then edited all the ingredients together.

Q: “Aches And Pains”, the first single, has a great hook reminiscent of early Creedence Clearwater Revival, right?

A: You bet! It’s got that swampy, Creedence kind of feel to it that I just love, mainly courtesy of my terrific guitarist, Tristan Clark, who somehow channeled his inner John Fogarty.

By the way, the song has a double meaning. It’s about the aches and pains we all have. But it’s also about the aches and pains of the pandemic. I released it as an advance single from the album and it’s getting a great response from listeners.

Q: While in lockdown, what else were you up to?

A: Luckily, we recorded and finished the most recent PGS album, East Side Sessions, just before the world closed down. And it received great reviews. We’re fortunate to have a group of professional music reviewers who have followed PGS through all of our albums. They know my music almost better than I do by now. And they’ve consistently boosted me and the band.

After the pandemic hit, like all musicians, all of our upcoming performances were canceled. These included festivals and a European tour. So, we couldn’t play live. But the one thing we could do was to make videos of songs from the new album, and we did four.

The first, “It Is A Miracle To Me”, is an upbeat, joyous song that I felt was a kind of a musical antidote to the virus. The second, “I’m Falling Off Of The World”, is an upbeat but lyrically darker song about how all the troubles in the world affect us. Both videos were remote performance videos. Both did well. “Falling” has over 350,000 YouTube views as of recently.

The next video, “The Pardners”, is my Cowboy jazz song. I grew up watching Westerns on TV and this song has that western vibe and all the sound effects: gun shots, horses, whips. The song is about two outlaw partners, one cheats the other, and then the cheated partner exacts revenge. For the video we somehow located a 1968 Italian spaghetti western movie that shockingly fit perfectly with the song.

Last, we did an animated video for “I Wanna Be Your Girl”, my version of an early Beatles song, “I Wanna Be Your Man” (sung by Ringo). Every album I take an iconic ‘60s song and re imagine it in the PGS style. I’ve done that with Hendrix, Cream, The Who and The Kinks. For the video we threw in a bunch of “Yellow Submarine” references. People loved it.

Q: Project Grand Slam was always working; here and in Europe … do you think that will all resume in time?

A: At some point we will perform live again. I’m hoping by next summer. Fingers crossed.

Q: I came down to see a performance at The Groove in NYC and the band just had a great groove (!!!) playing that night. You must feel that onstage there?

A: The band is tight as can be. We have a great lineup including a wonderful female singer named Marilyn Castillo. Plus guitar, bass, drums, perc, and two keys. I love performing with the band. They’re all great musicians and we constantly reach new heights. It’s magical.

The Groove in Greenwich Village is kind of like our home court. It’s small, intimate, has a great sound, and the crowd there loves us. I look forward to playing there again. I also look forward to performing at festivals and major venues again – both in the U.S. and abroad.

Q: Of all the acts you’ve opened for, who was the most interesting … and, why?

A: When we started out we opened for a number of artists: Edgar Winter, Blues Traveler, Boney James, Scott Weiland and Mindi Abair. We also did an after-show for YES.

Being an opening act is very challenging. The audience is there to see the headliner. They have no idea who or what the opening act is. You’re basically borrowing the headliner’s audience for about 30 minutes, and you have to try and win them over. I’m pleased to say that in every instance we got a standing ovation from the audience, and they even came out to meet and greet us and buy our CDs in the lobby between shows.

All the artists we opened for are great. I could never choose one over the others!

Q: Which was your favorite festival?

A: We’ve played a number of festivals in the U.S., including in Alabama, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Michigan, and also abroad.

They were all great, but my favorite so far is the Nisville Jazz Festival in Serbia which we played in 2018. Picture a medieval castle setting, and 10,000+ screaming fans who barely spoke English. And we got a standing ovation. It just doesn’t get any better. Plus, we got an excellent live recording too from them which we turned into our album Greetings From Serbia. Nisville was one of the festivals that we were scheduled to play in 2020 but of course it was canceled.

Q: I’ve got to say, the title of the album is so positive … especially in this horrendous year! Care to comment?

A: The pandemic defined Summer Of Love (2020). All the songs I wrote either speak to the pain and confusion of the pandemic, or are about love. It’s my belief that love (and a vaccine) are what will get us through this terrible time.

I called it Summer Of Love because the vibe of the album is like an updated version of the peace and love which came to signify the original summer of love in 1967. And people get it.

Q: What’s the release date of Summer Of Love (2020)?

A: The release date for the album is January 29, 2021. This gives us enough time to release a few singles from the album so people can familiarize themselves with it. We’ve released two singles so far, “Aches And Pains” and “You Can’t Tell The Truth”. We will probably release one or two more. Plus, we put together a one-minute promo reel that provides snippets of all the songs. Here’s the link:

Q: How can people learn more about you and Project Grand Slam, and buy Summer Of Love?

A: Just go to our website, www.projectgrandslam.com, which is the mothership for all things PGS. And if you become a subscriber to our Newsletter you will get a free digital album as a token of our appreciation. You can listen to Summer Of Love (2020) and pre-order the album at our store, www.thePGSstore.com. Of course, you can also listen to and pick up all our other music and merchandise there.

Be Inspired! Interview With Robert Miller

How About Becoming A Rock Star at 64?

Summer Of Love (2020) Robert's Best Effort Yet

"One of the best albums of the year we’ve yet heard is the debut solo album from Project Grand Slam’s Robert Miller, called Summer Of Lover (2020). Miller has already done exemplary work with PGS; their Trippin' album was #1 on Billboard and his choice of rock-classics to re-imagine has been superb. He’s done The Who’s “I Can’t Explain”; The Kinks “You Really Got Me”; and, Cream’s “I’m So Glad" among others. Miller, who was actually at the famed Woodstock festival, is a rock-and-roll fan of the highest order and his work on Summer Of Love is his best effort yet. Stay tuned for more on this one …"

Ray K Podcast Interview of Robert

Voyage LA Magazine: Meet Robert Miller of Project Grand Slam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Miller.

Robert, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am the leader/bassist/composer for Project Grand Slam, a Rock Jazz Latin fusion band. We’re based in NYC and we’ve performed at festivals, major venues and clubs around the U.S. and abroad. Nine albums including a Billboard #1 and over 4 million video views.

I come from a musical family – my father played the trumpet and I started out playing the trumpet too. But when the British Invasion hit in the ’60s trumpet suddenly wasn’t very cool and I taught myself guitar and then bass. I took lessons with Jimmy Garrison, Coltrane’s bass player, who introduced me to jazz. In the ’70s I got into the jazz fusion movement.

I completely reorganized PGS in 2015 with a group of young, mainly foreign born musicians and began transitioning the band from instrumentals to mainly vocals with our incredible female vocalist. I also added a kind of musical signature, taking on an iconic song from the ’60s each album and “reimagining” it in our style.

During the pandemic, after all our upcoming performances including a European tour were canceled, I completed a new, as yet unreleased solo album, where I handle all the vocal duties. I’m pleased to say that the pre-release reviews for this album, called “Summer Of Love (2020)”, have been simply stellar.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The life of a musician is anything but smooth! You’ve got to really love what you do in order to stay in this crazy business!

The music world has changed completely over the years. Labels are basically irrelevant now. Hardly anyone buys CDs or downloads anymore. Everything is streaming, which is essentially about giving away your music for free since the reimbursement rates on Spotify are so pathetic. And insofar as playing live now is concerned, all that the promoters ever ask is how many tickets can you sell. I keep thinking that if those four guys from Liverpool came around today and couldn’t sell enough tickets, you never would have heard of them!

Hey, but enough complaining! The upside is that recording is so much easier to do today, and anyone can get their music out there today with no gatekeepers to thwart you. And there are so many online sites and forums that focus on music in all of its niches. As the Dead said you gotta keep on truckin’!

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I think that Project Grand Slam is unique, which is hard to say in today’s wide world. When people ask me who does the band sounds like I honestly cannot point to any artist in particular. In part, that’s because of my musical philosophy.

I grew up revering those artists – like The Beatles – who constantly evolved their music and with great variety. So many artists seem to find a particular sound and then record the same song over and over. I guess that’s good in one sense, as their fans know exactly what to expect from them. But for me that would be musical hell. I constantly want to stretch and expand my music. A PGS album can easily glide from hard rock to jazz fusion to country jazz to ballads. It sounds like a mishmash but it’s not – we maintain our “sound” or integrity throughout. I think this is a major reason why the critics love us – we take them on a musical journey each album. I know this is against the grain these days, but this is what really distinguishes PGS from the rest.

My new solo album, “Summer Of Love (2020)” is the same. I tried to take the listener on a journey from song to song, but with a powerful thread that hangs it all together. Again, the pre-release reviews have been spectacular.

What were you like growing up?
I was a typical child of the 1960s. Music and baseball were my two biggest interests growing up in NYC. There were three rock and roll AM radio stations in NYC and you could constantly flip back and forth to get all the latest hits. Like I said, musically my world changed forever when the British Invasion hit in the ’60s. Everyone formed a band. My first one was called The Buccaneers. We played at all the Church, Temple and School functions that we could get. All covers straight off the radio.

Like I said, baseball was really important to me. If you grew up when I did in NYC, you were a Yankees fan. It got in your DNA. Mickey Mantle was every kid’s hero.

I grew up in Queens, NY. My neighborhood was a melting pot – roughly 1/3 Italian, 1/3 Irish and 1/3 Jewish. Everyone got along fine. I rode my bike everywhere. A different world.

WSBS Radio Interview with Robert

WSBS 860AM and 94.1FM, Stockbridge, MA.

CAN ENTERTAINMENT SURVIVE COVID?

CAN ENTERTAINMENT SURVIVE COVID? CELEBS TALK HOPES, LOCKDOWN FRUSTRATIONS

Robert Miller: His band, Project Grand Slam released a new album titled East Side Sessions over the summer along with four videos in advance of the release. Last week, he debuted a new video (a version of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man” re-titled “I Wanna Be Your Girl,” with a yellow submarine.

Says Miller: “The pandemic hit all musicians hard and PGS was no exception. We had several festival appearances lined up plus a European tour. Unfortunately, all were canceled.

“But creativity continues. We were fortunate in that we had recently completed our new album, East Side Sessions, before the world ended. Although we couldn’t play live in support of the album, I decided that we could make and release videos of several of the songs. The tricky part is that the videos needed to be done remotely because the band members were all in different locations.

Miller also started a long in-the-works project, a solo album. “This time around I decided to sing all the songs myself, including three-part harmony on some of the tracks. “The album, tentatively titled Summer Of Love (2020), captures the ups and downs that I and everyone have experienced over the last six months due to the pandemic. The one overriding theme of the album, however, is love. Love heals.”

Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam Continues To Create During The Pandemic

Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam Continues To Create During The Pandemic

G.H. HARDING

New York – Acclaimed bassist/composer/leader Robert Miller and his Project Grand Slam rock/jazz/Latin fusion ensemble released their latest album, East Side Sessions, in July, right in the middle of the pandemic. The album, buoyed by terrifically positive reviews, was augmented by several in-advance videos with hundreds of thousands of online views and many thousands of streams.

Says Miller, “The pandemic hit all musicians hard and PGS was no exception.  We had festival appearances lined up plus a European tour.  Unfortunately, all were canceled.  But creativity continues.”

“We were fortunate in that we had recently completed East Side Sessions before the world ended.  Although we could not play live in support of the album, I decided that we could make and release videos of several of the songs. The tricky part is that the videos needed to be done remotely, as the band members were all in different locations.”

“Two of the songs on the album ironically were tailor-made for the pandemic: ‘It Is A Miracle To Me’ is a positive, upbeat, life affirming song that I felt was like the musical antidote to the virus.  This was the first video that we released and it got a wonderful response.  We then followed up with a video of ‘I’m Falling Off Of The World’, a song that reflects all the craziness that the world has devolved into.  This video struck a powerful chord with the public, with over 350,000 YouTube views to date.”

“I then decided to lighten the mood a bit with our third video, this one my “cowboy jazz” song called “The Pardners”.  It’s my musical homage to the great Hollywood western films.  It’s about two partners in crime in the old West, one of whom cheats the other, and the victim seeks revenge. Amazingly, we were able to find a 1960s era Spaghetti Western movie that perfectly fit the story of the song.  The video was authentic and fun and so very different! I’m really very proud of it. “

But, perhaps the most unexpected video from the album was Miller’s re-imagined version of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man”, originally sung by Ringo. One of Miller’s musical signatures on each album is to take an iconic 1960s song and redo it in PGS’s style. He’s done this with Cream, The Who, The Kinks and Hendrix among others.  On East Side Sessions Miller re-retitled the song as “I Wanna Be You Girl” to suit his female singer, Marilyn Castillo.

Says Miller: “For the video, again I wanted to have some fun.  So, we put together a kind of “Yellow Submarine” animated video, wonderfully done by our videographer Aaron Wilhelm, complete with references to The Beatles for younger viewers who may not know the song’s Beatles connection.  I’m pleased to say that the video is doing fabulously well on YouTube and Facebook.”

In addition to all the Project Grand Slam pandemic-era activity, Miller also found the time to record what will become his first-ever solo album, titled Summer of Love (2020).  Says Miller: “While we were doing all the videos, I was writing a whole new album’s worth of material.  This time around I decided to sing all the songs myself, including 3-part harmony on some of the tracks. My song writing has changed dramatically over the years – initially jazz fusion instrumentals, now nearly all rock/pop/jazz vocals.  The album captures the ups and downs that I and everyone has experienced over the last 6 months due to the pandemic.  The one overriding theme of the album, however, is love. Love heals. Like the Beatles, who prided themselves on writing mainly uplifting songs about love, I felt it was important during this bleak time to also write upbeat songs and love songs – but with an undertone that captures the horrors we’ve all witnessed and experienced.”  

“I anticipate releasing the new album in the next several months, just as I anticipate (hope) that PGS is able to get back to playing live in the not too distant future.”

Project Grand Slam records on Cakewalk Records.

East Side Celebration

The Glorious Corner

7-31-20

G.H. HARDING

EAST SIDE CELEBRATION —Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam’s new album, East Side Sessions, is a major, immediate contender for album of the year. Joyous, rhythmic, melodious … it’s just what we need right now, especially considering the state of the world.

Miller previewed the album with several upfront videos: the brilliant “I’m Falling Off Of The World,” “It’s A Miracle To Me” and the terrifically creative “The Pardners” – which is an epic spaghetti-western featuring the awesome vocals of Marilyn Castillo.

After 8 albums (including the #1 album Trippin’ –2018- ), Miller has successfully transformed the band into a marvelous working unit; definitely a premiere jazz/rock/Latin attraction for certain.

Miller, who re-imagines a classic-rock-song song with each album (he’s done it to The Kinks’ ‘You Really Got Me,’,  Cream’s ‘I’m So Glad’,  and, The Who’s brilliant ‘I Can’t Explain’) has continued on this album with The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Girl,” that Ringo sang on.

Miller says: “The Beatles are like Mount Everest in this regard. You simply cannot improve on almost any of their songs. But ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ is among the most obscure Beatles songs – recorded first by The Rolling Stones, and then by The Fab Four with Ringo singing. I not only changed the feel but rewrote some of the lyrics to give it a feminine spin. Done with the greatest respect.”

Tristan Clark’s guitar work is exception; as is Alex Blade Silver’s horn work and Baden Goyo’s keyboard work.

Exceptional work all around from Miller and the band. Expect another # 1. A must-hear work for sure.

WSBS Radio Interview with Robert

Interview with Robert on WSBS Radio - 860Am and 94.1 FM; July 21, 2020

Miller Time At My Father's Place

MILLER TIME AT MY FATHER’S PLACE — Robert Miller and his Project Grand Slam aggregation delivered a home run last night at My Father’s Place in Roslyn. The legendary club now resides in The Roslyn Hotel.

Miller and company, who is coming off his PGS 7 album, just soared with their signature hits (like “Gorilla” with a fabulous bass solo by Miller) and new tracks off his next album. “Constable On Patrol” and ‘Stockbridge Fanfare” being two of the highlights. The interplay between the musicians was just sensational; especially guitarist Tristan Clark and saxophonist Alex Silver.

Miller’s two keyboardists, Baden Goyo and Marcello Casagrandi, drummer Joel Mateo and percussionist Guillermo Barron, also were terrific as was lead-vocalist Marilyn Castillo who truly delivered the goods. As a jazz/fusion enthusiast from way back this show was like manna from heaven. Perfect night in Roslyn.

Miller's Groove

MILLER’S GROOVE — Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam played NYC’s The Groove – which recently was totally refurbished – last Sunday night and it was one of their best shows ever. Miller’s aggregation played all their signature tunes, but also previewed several new numbers for their next album: which is set for early next year. The new track “I’m Falling Off Of The World” is an instant PGS-classic. Also, “I Wanna Be Your Girl” (their take on The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man” sung by Ringo) is sensational. Guitarist Tristan Clark and vocalist Marilyn Castillo both really shined this night, as did Miller on bass. Just a sensational show!

Miller’s PGS is re-imagining jazz-rock fusion and it was interesting watching the crowd grow and grow and really champion the band. It was an early show this Sunday, but the house was packed.

Miller’s upcoming show at My Father’s Place (2-21-20) in Roslyn, Long Island, will be terrific. There’s a serious number of jazz-rock fans out there and they’ll love the performance!

PGS Coming To My Father's Place

MILLER TIME AT MY FATHER’S PLACE — Friday, February 21, 2020 is the date for the debut Long Island-performance of Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam at the legendary My Father’s Place. It’ll be an auspicious debut for the band and we sat with Miller to answer some finer points about the performance and some other things:

T2C: I think the new My Father’s Place at The Roslyn Hotel is an excellent venue for you. Were you ever at the original MFP?

Miller: The original My Father’s Place was one of the great rock ‘n roll clubs of the NYC area in the 70’s and 80’s. All the greatest artists played there, from Springsteen to The Police. For someone like me who grew up in Queens, NY, it was an incredible place and I went there many times. Kudos to Eppy who ran the original club and has now opened the successor. The new MFP is a major upgrade, now located at The Roslyn Hotel. I am very excited for PGS to play there. And it will be our first engagement on Long Island, where we have many fans.

T2C: Your current PGS 7 is my favorite album so far; what will the set list be for MFP? In case you wondered, our favorite track is the Dobie Gray song, “The ‘In’ Crowd.” Just an inspired choice.

Miller: Thanks. PGS 7 (our 7th studio album), might be our best one yet – or at least that’s what the critics have said. Every review has been 5 stars. I love variety in our music, and on PGS 7 the songs I composed run the gamut from hard rock to funk to Latin to ballads. Something for everyone but always keeping true to the PGS sound.

When I originally formed PGS in 2007 we were a contemporary jazz group playing mainly instrumental music. Since I re-formed the band in 2015 I’ve taken PGS in a very different direction. Now we are a true fusion of Jazz, Rock and Latin – with mainly vocal songs. Our singer is extraordinary, as is the rest of the band. I write and arrange all of our material, and one of my musical signatures has been to “reimagine” a classic 1960’s song in the PGS style on each album. I’ve done this so far with Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Who, The Kinks, and now on PGS 7 with Dobie Gray’s “The ‘In’ Crowd”. So yes, we will definitely include that one in the set when we perform at My Father’s Place!

T2C: I’m hoping to see you perform again at The Groove in NYC. Any surprises in-store?

Miller: The Groove in Greenwich Village is like our home base in NYC. It’s an intimate club with great sound and a great vibe. Over the next several months we will be playing two special Sunday evening gigs there on November 17 and December 8, both with a 5:30 pm start, as well as a Saturday night gig on January 11 with a 7:30 pm start. At these shows we will be debuting some of the new songs that I’ve written for our next album along with PGS songs that our fans have come to love.

T2C: Will PGS be performing at the upcoming APAP conference?

Miller: Yes. We are doing a Showcase at APAP, the annual music industry conference, also on January 11th at 5:40pm in the Regent Parlor room on the 2nd floor of the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel where the conference is held.

T2C: Tell us about the new upcoming PGS album.

Miller: I wrote all the songs for the next PGS album over the summer. The new songs further evolve the band’s music. At this stage of my career I feel that I’ve got no artificial boundaries on what I write, and I always want to push the envelope. So for example one of the songs I’ve written for the next album is what I call a cowboy jazz song. Another is a James Taylor inspired song called “Stockbridge Fanfare” – an ode to a particular small town that I love.

I like to release a new album each year. Here’s the schedule we’ve had: Made In New York (2015), The Queen’s Carnival (2016), The PGS Experience (2017), Trippin’ (2018 – which went to #1 on Billboard), Greetings From Serbia (Jan 2019 – our “live” album recorded at the Nisville Jazz Festival), and PGS 7 (June 2019). New music keeps the band fresh. Plus, I figure if The Beatles could release three albums in a year I can do at least one!

We will be recording the new album at the end of January at our favorite studio – EastSide Sound – which is owned and run by my friend Lou Holtzman, who has co-produced with me our last several albums. We will aim for releasing the new album in mid-2020.

T2C: Thank you … we’ll see you at My Father’s Place in February.

Times Square Chronicles Review of PGS Live

MILLER’S GROOVE (10/21/19) — Robert Miller and his Project Grand Slam, through the course of seven albums, have made some outstanding music; including their #1 album last year, Trippin’. We caught them Friday night and just loved the show; relaxing and terrifically enjoyable. Miller had told his PR-man David Salidor, that they’d be playing some new music for a forthcoming album for 2020, so I was ready for the new material.

After a rousing beginning with the track “Redemption Road” (off their current PGS 7 album), they debuted their new material, “It Is A Miracle To Me,” and “Constable on Patrol.” The packed Groove-nightspot loved it. I found myself sitting next to a couple who had never heard them before and by-mid set they were fans for life.

I’ve been fortunate to have seen them numerous times and this was their best performance by far. The interplay between the musicians has never been better and for me, the jazz-rock-fusion aspect is intoxicating. Marilyn Castillo, their vocalist, was just on fire.

The last portion of their set rocked with PGS-signatures: “No No No,” “The Queen’s Carnival” and they closed the set with their revamp of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.”

Miller and his PGS-outfit are ideal for bigger venues; they’re right on the cutting edge of the new burgeoning jazz-fusion genre. They deserve to be seen.