Making Virginia History: Scott Miller

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ROOTS-ROCKER AND VIRGINIA NATIVE Scott Miller is taking some time off from touring as an opening act for country superstar Patty Griffin to play a string of headlining dates with his band, the Commonwealth. Miller was the frontman for alt-country rockers the V-Roys, and has honed his earnest quasi-rockabilly country as a solo artist. He will spit some furious backroad rhymes on Thursday night at Iota in support of his new live album, "Reconstruction." Miller talked about the recording, his experiences as the house band and what makes the Old Dominion the best state in the union.

» EXPRESS: Why did you decide to release your live album now?
» MILLER: I kinda set a goal ... to get a record out in 2007. I realized I wasn't gonna get a studio record out in '07. It was really about self-promotion more than anything artistic or anything. We recorded over three nights. The first night was pretty much all technical glitches, and the third night we were all too hungover to play.

» EXPRESS: How come you took the mics into a club rather than a studio?
» MILLER: All the live albums from the '70s are fake — the crowd is augmented, especially in the arenas. In a small club, you don't have to worry about getting the crowd, because they're right on top of you. That's what we went for with this.

» EXPRESS: What made your band such a good fit for "Blue Collar TV"?
» MILLER: We weren't. They hired us because the style of music we do on even one record varies so much that they thought we could do whatever they wanted us to do, which we could have, but they never used us to do much of anything.

» EXPRESS: You recently played at Jamestown's 400th anniversary — how was that?
» MILLER: I wonder why all my tax dollars got wasted, and I wonder where everyone was, and I wonder why they gave everyone the day off.

» EXPRESS: You're — usually — pretty proud of your origins. What makes Virginia so great?
» MILLER: We started the country. We just celebrated our 400th anniversary — we were here before the Puritans.

» EXPRESS: If you weren't doing music, what would you be doing with your American history degree?
» MILLER: I'd probably be teaching high school history, which is a threat I use to many audiences. Either buy this record and keep me in the music business, or I'm going to go into your high schools and teach your children — and you really don't want that.

» Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; with Mic Harrison, Thu., 9 p.m., $15; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)

By Jason Koebler for Express
Photo by Kristin Barlowe