Raven in the Snow

"I have watched the seekers searching for their gold~The rape of the land, generations unfold~Nations of the world, their rise and fall~I've watched it all, I'm a Raven in the snow" One of my favorite CD's is "Raven in the Snow" by Bill Miller. Songwriter, educator, performer, artist and Grammy award winner (2005 Best Native American Album, vocal or instrumental~"Cedar Dream Songs") are just a few of the words that come to mind when describing Bill. He describes his music as "alter-Native American" blending folk, rock, country, new age, tribal chants and drumming.~ Born one of nine children, his father was of the Mohican nation and his mother of German descent. The family lived on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation in Wisconsin in near poverty. Although his father was an electrician and draftsman, racial hatred required his father, who had designed many of the buildings in Appleton, Wisconsin, to take his name off the designs and clean toilets and empty trash to keep his job. Growing up Native was not easy for Bill with alcohol abuse and two suicide attempts by age 19 a symptom of his drained spirit. Luckily, music saved him from a life of despair. Bill feels that art in general has the ability to tear down prejudice and promote understanding between all of us...just one reason his live performances are backed up with personal stories. Bill feels that the United States doesn't realize what a tremendous resource Native Americans are and that it is going to be gone soon (2.5 million Native Americans nationally including 750 Mohicans, 1998 statistic). He also stresses seeking wisdom before knowlegde..quite the opposite of our "information seeking age". ~I was fortunate to attend a performance of his for an artist/lecture series at a small, local liberal arts college in 1998. Even though the concert was free, the small auditorium was sparsely filled...but those of us in attendence were soon captivated with the first strains from his Native American flute to his rock n' roll numbers to his heartfelt stories. As we stood applauding at the end of the evening, those interested in purchasing Bill's CD's were invited to come down front. This man, who had just filled the auditorium with his artistry, soul and energy was quiet, humble and almost shy as he sold and autographed CD's. I purchased "Raven in the Snow" that evening. Since then I have added "Native Suite", "Ghost Dance" and "Spirit Rain" to my collection. Each album is different and unique, but Bill Miller's spirit is the thread that connects them all for me. To hear sound clips of Bill's music, touring information, etc. go to: http://www.billmiller.net/index.html