BRATTLEBORO — Roger Clark Miller, co-founder and frontman of Mission of Burma and member of Alloy Orchestra, will present “Eight Dream Interpretations for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble” and perform songs from throughout his career at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.
The first half of the concert will feature Miller's signature “Dream Interpretation” compositions, four of which he performed online in 2020 in connection with the BMAC exhibit “Transmuting the Prosaic.” At this in-person, expanded performance, Miller will present eight interpretations.
To perform as a solo electric guitar ensemble, Miller uses multiple lap steel guitars on stands, guitar stomp boxes, and a Boomerang III Looper to create an enveloping sound palette. From his central seat, he is able to reach all four guitars and multiple pedals.
The structure of the music is based on Miller's dreams and the interpretation technique he developed in 1975 as a student at Thomas Jefferson College. By translating a dream into music, he “creates a structure that is organic and personal, yet universal. Dream logic is not day-to-day logic, and the music follows this deeper unconscious thread,” organizers say.
In the second half of the show, Miller will play guitar and sing songs from throughout his recorded career, including songs by Mission of Burma and Trinary System, as well as new, unrecorded material.
Alloy Orchestra is a three-person ensemble that Roger Ebert called “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.”
Miller's compositions have been performed at the New England Conservatory (NEC), Tufts University, and elsewhere. At NEC's Jordan Hall in 2015, he played electric guitar with a large chamber ensemble for his setting of the Epic of Gilgamesh, punk rock piano concerto Scream, Gilgamesh, Scream.
Tickets are $25 ($20 for BMAC members) and are available at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Space is limited.