Kevin Gisi

In the dim candlelight of The Cabin, Clinton Miller wasted no time with lengthy introductions. After thanking the audience for the opportunity to perform again, he launched into a complex sequence on the acoustic guitar paired with haunting vocals. The audience seemed mesmerized.

“He is one of the most amazing technical guitar players I’ve ever seen,” said junior Katie Sullivan.

As the second youngest in a family of nine, Miller began learning the electric guitar from his older brother at age 12.

“Guitar was . probably the first way I had of expressing myself. It helped me find my own voice and character,” Miller said.

Like playing guitar, Miller began writing and composing his own music at an early age. Recently, he has felt that he has strayed lyrically and started to focus too much on the technicalities of guitar, he said. He has looked to books and movies to pique his imagination.

“I’m trying to get some of the images back into my music where you can see the story,” he said.

Being exposed to a broad spectrum of artistry at a young age doesn’t hurt, either. A sign of his upbringing, Miller composed and performed a song called “The

Painter.”

“I come from a family of artists, and I wanted to write a song about painters,” he said.

Miller is inspired by a wide variety of music, including classical and delta blues, he said. These influences are apparent in his performance with “Blues for Mother Earth,” a jazz-tinged original from his latest album, and “Carnival Nine,” a rendition of the original Robert Johnson song. Miller also takes cues from world-renowned musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Billy Joel and Rush.

“(Miller) did different interpretations of songs I already knew,” Sullivan said.

Miller was applauded enthusiastically when he ended the performance with a rendition of “Hallelujah,” originally sung by Leonard Cohen and re-edited by J.J. Cale.

Miller performed an ensemble of new music, as well as a few songs from his latest release, “The Sacred Art of the Sun.”

For the new album, Miller is working on a compilation of some older music that has not been previously released, as well as some new music.

“I’m working on a crusade of my older stuff,” he said.

The album is due for release this coming winter.

Currently, Miller is looking to up the ante and challenge himself musically. He recently opened for world-renowned Austin, Texas guitarist Monte Montgomery.

“Monte Montgomery brought me to a new level of playing,” he said. “I like to find new songs to challenge myself; you have to push yourself sometimes.”

For Miller, it’s all about the music.

When asked where he could see himself in twenty years, he humbly said. “I just wanna play; that’s all.”