Feeling the Country Jitters

CAMERON MILLS

FEELING COUNTRY JITTERS

Music is an escape. Wheneveryou’re in tune, when you’recreating and making music,and especially when you’reperforming, it’s like a luciddream. It’s like reality but…elevated. You’re in control,but you kind of lose yourselfin it. It gets me giddy. It putsdinosaurs in my basket andbutterflies in my stomach.

Music creation and writing lyrics really came first for me out of heartbreak. I loved a girl. We dated for eight years.

When we split, it flipped my world upside down. I poured myself into my passion for singing; I always felt it was the best medicine. Guitar didn’t come naturally to me, so I neglected it. I finally pressed into practicing that six string. I needed it. I began writing lyrics that took this negative emotion of mine and turned it into something I could control; something tangible, something beautiful, and something artistic. The music I made was something I owned. It was mine.

It made me feel like I once again had power over the way I felt in the midst of a difficult situation.

I was raised listening to artists like Marty Robbins, Travis Tritt, Styx, The Eagles, etc. I appreciate the musical base my family gave me. They got me started on the classics and inspired me to expand my music library. I’m continually venturing through genres to try and tasting as much as I can of the beautiful array of music existing today. We are privileged to live in a time when all eras and genres of music exist simultaneously, and are accessible anytime, anywhere. I love everything from Highly Suspect to Liquid Stranger; from Pavarotti to J Cole. But it was the Texas Country artists I felt I could most relate to. Guys like Roger Creager, Josh Abbott, Randy Rogers, Pat Green, the list pours on, but they’re the ones who influence my music the most. The music I create is mostly singer-songwriter, Texas Country. I’m a huge Louis Lamour fan, largely because of the imagery he uses in his novels. I love the idea of verbally painting a picture in the mind’s eye. I try to do that with my songs. The lyrics are centered around love and loss, places I’ve been, things I’ve seen. It’s all real. Lots of tear in your beer kind of stuff with a dash of self-empowerment and drinking songs. The songs aren’t flashy and perfectly polished. There’s no autotune, loop pedals, synth leads, or flouride lyrics. I wanted my songs to be vulnerable and relatable. It’s raw, me and a guitar.

This past year, music for me has been about having fun. I love it when folks sing along and dance with their partners while I’m performing. For me, having folks take to the dancefloor during a set is the highest compliment I can receive. For a while I allowed music to become a chore. I stressed over image. I over analyzed how every audience member might be receiving me. I worried whether or not I was worth the compensation a venue was paying me. I decided it was time to get back to basics. I started to spend more time playing with friends, at the pool, making up the words as we go along; all of those playful aspects of performance are what sparked my love for it in the first place. Putting more energy into those beautiful facets of performance gets me out of the self made pressures inside my own head. It helps me remember how playing and singing allow me to express an array of emotions we’re all confronted with every day. I’m definitely an expressive performer. I let the words I sing get all over me. During upbeat jams I’ll beam with excitement with this huge goofy grin of mine. I’m not scared to growl a little like Garth does, or stretch the peak of a high note like Cody Johnson. I can feel the emotion well up in my chest when I sing the sad ones. Tyler Childers is one of my favorite artists right now. His voice is powerful and big. He doesn’t shy away from blasting those high notes from his diaphragm and sighing through those valleys in his sad songs. I love performing his music; I think the power and texture in my voice emulates his pretty well. We’ve both got a splash of gravel, we love to accentuate the minor notes and attack the highs. My cousin, Elizabeth Wills, is an amazing mentor. She taught me that people enjoy music that makes them feel what a performer is feeling. I think

Music helps me remember how playing and singing allow me to express an array of emotions we're all confronted with every day. I'm definitely an expressive performer.

Cameron stands at the top of a building in Downtown Fort Worth.

Justin McAfee

“Jarrod Collins and I host our own open mic night every Tuesday at Varsity Tavern in Fort Worth”. This is where you can see Cameron Mills playing every week in the DFW area.

Justin McAfee

I have a gift for conveying honest emotion and bringing that feeling to listeners.

While performing live music can be a ton of fun, it certainly comes with challenges and gut checks. After riding a 6 month wave of solid performances, I had a huge dose of humility at my first song swap. I was performing in the Fort Worth Stockyards at a bar called Filthy McNasty’s (much cleaner than the name might lead you to believe). One of the two other performers was a well known Fort Worth artist, Skylar Payne. He and the other musician I shared the stage with had serious chops. They had harmonies for each other’s endless array of original songs. Their melodies effortlessly poured from their bodies. Their fingers stripped the guitar strings of all apprehension and glided through leads and rhythm sections flawlessly. Then there was me. I had my 3-ring binder of 4 chord songs I’d recently memorized, and a handful of originals. I walked out of there feeling like a two foot tall, rhythmically-challenged raccoon. I questioned whether I even belonged on a stage. After a few days of self pity and anxiety, I picked myself up (I have a song titled “Pick Myself UP”). I decided I would focus on enjoying all the lessons and challenges that come with personal growth. I kept cutting my teeth at open mic nights, festivals, and was fortunate to land a 6 month residency at the Fort Worth Boat Club. The residency was a huge morale boost for me. To have an establishment enjoy my stuff enough to have me back every month for 6 months helped solidify in my mind that I am a quality performer and I can do this! Now, I’m hustling to fill the books for the rest of 2018. I’ve become addicted to the ongoing opportunity to network and audition. Working to land a gig is just like sales. Every “no” you hear brings you one step closer to your “yes”. One recent “yes” I was really excited to participate in was an artist showcase series in the Magnolia District of Fort Worth in October.

I had my 3-ring binder of four chord songs I'd recently memorized, and a handful of originals. I walked out there feeling like a two foot tall rhyhmically challenged raccoon.

My performance pursuit is all about becoming a better artist, a better guitarist, a better singer.

Art works both ways. It’s open to interpretation from both the artist and the viewer/listener. Before I really pressed into the live music scene about two years ago, I always felt a bitterness and jealousy when watching other artists perform. I’d think to myself “I can do better”. I’d criticize the performer in my head. The reality was I simply was envious of anyone who chose to pursue their passion, while I allowed mine to lay idle. I’m thankful for the live music scene here in Fort Worth. It has provided me an environment where I feel confident and challenged to pursue my passion and grow into the artist I want to be. I want to be an every day guy who has a uniquely powerful voice and solid technique on the six string. I want to create music helping folks see the paradox of beauty existing within pain. I want to write honest lyrics empowering people to overcome adversity, or simply allow them to take a step back and enjoy a musical escape (usually to Fort Worth, Texas :). I want them to know they are not alone.

In the coming months, I will be creating more music and bringing more people into the fray. I’m working with a friend of mine, Jarrod Collins, on some fun projects. He’s an amazing guitarist and he’s making me a better guitarist. Miss Jordan Sizemore, she and I have been spending more time playing together. She is an amazing vocalist and a talented guitarist (and it doesn’t hurt that she’s cute as a bug). Having people in my life who care about me and the music I play and want to support me and collaborate with me is such a blessing. We are always performing around Fort Worth, but booking some studio time to cut my first album is my next big step. In the meantime, folks can find me on Facebook at “Cameron Mills” and “Cameron Mills Music”. We are always posting videos of performances, jam sessions, artist interviews, etc. Y’all should definitely check it out!

A deeply seeded love for music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Since I was old enough to speak, I’ve been performing for people. Out of that love has come a beautiful driving force of positive change for me. Performing, practicing, and writing is making me a more self-aware, self-confident person. I’m excited for the ups and downs I’ve had the privilege of experiencing and I’m hungry to learn and do more!

Cameron Mills and I went to the same high school in Fort Worth, Texas. The crazy thing is, in high school he was a part of the worship team, and the rest is history!