Laurence Bond Miller

MILLER   &   KATSUMI
Alt Folk Duo

(2003 - 2007)

MILLER & KATSUMI is an alt folk duo put together with good friend, Katsumi Nagae.  Besides
being an original song writer, Katsumi also produces award winning documentary films.
His films HALEY AND MADONNA, AUSTIN'S MOVIE , and CHARLES MCGEE
have all received attention from PBS and film festivals, with HALEY AND
MADONNA receiving a local Emmy.

MILLER & KATSUMI produced a music video for Miller's song, VALENTINE SONG.
This took 1st place award at both the 2008 Philo T. Farnsworth Festival and
the 2008 Flint Film Festival.  It was also screened at the Queen's New
York Film Festival and Detroit's Shorts Film Festival.

Though no longer an active performing outfit, MILLER & KATSUMI continue to work together creatively both in music and film. NOTE: Katsumi plays bass and sings in MY BIOGRAPHY.
Plans are to shoot another M&K music video in the winter season on the ice,
miming along to Katsumi's original composition, OCEAN.

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Below is a cable TV promo for their celebrated 2004 performance at Ypsilanti's Dreamland
Theater, and three of Katsumi's compositions, videotaped during that show.

Cable TV Promo for "A Night to Remember"
Music Video 2004
A Triple Bill Showcase @ Dreamland Theatre, Ypsilanti, MI.
MILLER & KATSUMI, BEN MILLER, and AMY FULGHAM

Below is the cover for their music video, VALENTINE SONG.
This can be purchased for a $7 donation.

MILLER & KATSUMI
"VALENTINE SONG"
Music Video 2007

 1)   Given this love song had a surreal flavor to both it’s “sound” and “lyric”, we had wanted to try something special.  We spoke to a local set designer and asked if he would be interested in creating a unique set for us.

2)   Between the three of us it was decided he would build the set in his garage, with a rough, slightly Gothic look. Having broken up with the woman I was personally involved with at the time of writing this song, I encouraged our designer to exaggerate the imagery, fueling its dark overtone and ambiance to an otherwise lovely song.

3)   Katsumi came up with the idea that we learn how to mime along to the recording of the song, at double speed – speeding up the music by two – later to slow the footage back down again, to standard speed.  It was then our intention to paste the music back in, at it’s original tempo.  Of course we were not sure of the outcome, and were both thankfully and pleasantly surprised at the results.  A unique, slow syrupy look with saturated texture. 

4)   For added fun, both Katsumi and I wore stage clothes with the apposing duality, B&W.  NOTE: The only color we wanted in the film was red.  The classic color for the expression for passionate love, valentines, and death. In addition to this, it was also decided that I look anxious and distracted, peering about, while Katsumi came off looking cool, calm, and collected – concentrating primarily on what lay ahead of him.

5)   As the recording fades out at the end, so does the life in it, “the color”.
And, with it, an unplugged and poorly recorded substitute recording fades in underneath, as the video turns gray. The bare bones, skeletal remains of a love gone awry.

 
The MP3 below is the double-time high-speed version of the tune, which Miller & Katsumi
actually "mimed" along to, for the shooting of VALENTINE SONG.  Just imagine...

MILLER & KATSUMI "live" at Dreamland Theater
November, 2004

$15.00
mlbmiller@gmail.com

MP3 samples below

MILLER & KATSUMI
(Promo Shot, 2004)