A musician's live album captures a performance's raw energy and spontaneity. It offers a unique opportunity for the listener to experience interactions between the audience and fans. It also showcases raw emotion, providing a more intimate connection to the music and the artist's personality. Millie Oliver and The Missing Pieces Live at Radio Artifact 2023 does just that.
“We decided to do a live album because we wanted to capture the energy that we share when we play live together,” said Jessica Miller, lead singer/keyboardist and lyricist for Millie Oliver and The Missing Pieces. “I personally feel like sometimes energy can be lost in translation with studio recordings. We've been told many times that our live shows are something special because of the chemistry we share and the energy we bring. We are all really close friends and love each other, and I think that love we feel shines through our live performance.”
The album starts with “Madam Malice at the Electric Palace." Vocals catch right on to the melody before the rest of the instruments come into focus. Many instruments, including a kazoo, are captured throughout the song, creating a feeling of joy and playfulness.
“This song is like my personal love letter to the Beatles. I've always been heavily influenced by their music and if you listen, I hope you pick up on their influence in this song,” said Miller.
Once the second song hit me, the total grove got me into a state of specific rhythm, that I did not want to end.
“Plenty Entertained” is a song about dreaming and daydreaming,” said Miller. “I wrote the melody and lyrics for this one after I had a beautiful lucid dream one night. It made such an impression on me that I still have glimpses of it every time we perform this song. Bringing this concept into fruition with my best buds really warms my heart.”
Song after song, the album encapsulated the feeling of being at the performance as it was going on, giving me a glimpse of how each song was crafted fully put together, and arranged in “real-time.”
“The energy of the audience always influences the performance. When you see, hear, and feel the crowd connecting with you, it becomes a magical thing for us who perform. We were extremely lucky to have had some good friends and family there that night cheering us on. When we get such big crowd reactions, it helps set the tone for the next song. That adrenaline boost really carries over into the music and performance and is one of the things I love most about performing,” said Miller.
As for me, I don’t have one specific song that is my favorite off this album. All the songs are unique in their own way and that’s what I like about all of them. Each one gives my body a wide range of emotions to process and that’s what makes it so interesting to listen to.
“Hearing feedback from fans is so important,” said Miller. I'd say the biggest surprise in the reception of this album is that people are expressing that different tracks are their favorite. There really hasn't been one that stands out more than the others and every time someone tells us their favorite song, it's a different track than the person before. That is the biggest compliment you could give a band or songwriter.”
