V-Roys return to rock, Dec. 2, 1998

By MATT THOMPSON
Sun pop music writer

Like fine whiskey, good music is best when distilled to its purest essence.
Fancy production techniques and neat effects are all fine and dandy, but
when the chaff is cut away and the song is left to stand alone, it
sometimes isn't worth the effort. Scott Miller of the V-Roys uses this
little nugget of truth as his mantra, writing hard-hitting, emotional tunes
with a rock 'n' roll punch and plenty of country twang. In the end, Miller
says, it's all about the song.

"It's basically like this: it should be a good song," Miller said. "It
should evoke something, have something to say. We really don't have a
pattern to how we write songs; we just write what's inside us. I guess we
just have something to say."

The Knoxville-based quartet will get another chance to voice their opinions
Tuesday, Dec. 1, when the V-Roys make a return visit to the Covered Dish.
This is the band's fifth trip to Gainesville and though they be diehard
Vols fans, the V-Roys love coming to Gator country.

"Maybe it's the large crowds that show up every time, but we really like
(Gainesville)," Miller said. "Everything from the downtown area to the
people just rock, man. They always treat us good and it's just a great
town."

A Virginia native, Miller kicked around the Tennessee coffee-house circuit
playing folk and bluegrass before he ran into Jeff Bills. The lanky drummer
shared a love of country tunesmith Roger Miller (no relation) and
hook-heavy rockers like the Replacements and Jonathan Richman. Hooking up
with bassist Paxton Sellers, the Viceroys were born.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Harrison joined just before the band was
signed to country music iconoclast Steve Earle's fledgling E-Squared label.
After a change in name (a Jamaican outfit from the '60s owned the rights to
"the Viceroys"), the V-Roys released their debut "Just Add Ice" in late
1996.

Miller and Harrison write incredibly catchy tunes full of pop hooks, owing
allegiances to both rock & roll and country. Sellers and Bills form a tight
rhythm section to keep things moving at a quick pace, making for an equally
pleasing sound at live shows. The tunes are quick and to the point, most
clocking in under three minutes, and Miller said that's the way he likes
them.

"There's no need to stay around and make a nuisance of yourself," he said.
"Whatever a song's supposed to do, get it done and get it out of the way."

Miller and company brought that work ethic to their new release, "All About
Town," released last month, but with a few bonuses. While "Just Add Ice"
captured the sound of a young band trying to recreate a live show on disc,
the new record shows how the group has grown and matured over the past two
years. Along with excellent straight-ahead tunes like "Sorry Sue" and
"Testify," there's horn flourishes on the rocking "Amy 88," a tin whistle
solo on the Celtic-flavored "Over the Mountain" and bluegrass touches all
over the record courtesy of the Del McCoury Band.

"I played bluegrass before I played rock 'n' roll, so it just seemed
natural," Miller said. "The way I see it, it's all about a song and what it
calls for. Mike or I would bring in a song and play it on acoustic guitar,
and we'd all say, 'Hell, let's put a tin whistle on it.'"

The band's more concerned with making good music and playing great shows
than whatever genre critics put them in, he said, and radio will come
around in time.

"It's godawful frustrating, but that's how the business works," Miller
said. "There's a lot of bands out there in the same position or without
even a record deal, so whining about it won't make any difference.

"We can't concern ourselves about radio because it's out of our hands. I
just want to get out on the road and rock. That's what we get paid for and
that's where we belong."