Highlight Reel
Nominee Independent Male Pop Artist of the Year at the 14th annual LA Music Awards
Shane Mills has been writing his own material since the day his father brought home his first guitar. Not content to simply learn riffs or impressive guitar licks, Shane’s focus from the start has been melody, harmony, and chord progression. Simple. Beautiful.
Eventually Shane relocated from his isolated, humble Midwest hub in northern Michigan to Los Angeles. For several years he was a major contributing writer for and (founding) member of a very active band on the L.A. scene called Soulbelly. Their independent release, simple.chaotic, for which Shane was the principal writer, was nominated for Best Pop Record by LAMA. With the release of his solo album, Some Assembly Required, Shane went on to capture his own L.A. Music Award nomination for Best Male Independent Pop Artist in 2004. With his new band, One Silver Astronaut, Shane Mills may not fit neatly into any specific genre. He says he’s “attempting to blur the distinction between an intimate, singer/songwriter vibe and an energetic rock band.” Shane’s chief goal is that whatever does come out is “sincere, visceral, and of some redeemable, artistic value.”
With the chemistry of this fresh, new line up (Some Assembly’s drummer and co-producer, Nick Amoroso, bass player Brian Song, who also played on Some Assembly, along with innovative newcomer, Dan Atkins on keyboards), that goal is sure to be accomplished. Working with co-producer David Newton (of The Mighty Lemon Drops), One Silver Astronaut is hard at work on their debut album, Scientific American, due out in July of 2006.
In addition to the full band playing around the L.A. area (The Troubadour, The Knitting Factory, The Roxy, The Mayan Theater, The Scene,…), Mills has embraced technology and taken to playing other shows. This live set-up features a laptop and ranges from simply an acoustic guitar and vocal accompaniment, to full-blown, near album-accurate, electric renditions of the material. For touring purposes, this might offer the best of both worlds; the essence of the album’s material is conveyed and One Silver Astronaut is as mobile as ever, free to take their music to the ends of the earth.