mick laBriola

Billy Miller Memorial

I just learned today that my buddy Billy Miller left planet earth recently.

I worked with Billy at the Chippewa Valley Renn Faire in 2010/11 also doing the Village of Terror on the same site during Halloween with the Bates Motel Orchestra and the Shotgun Wedding Band. In addition to being a really fun musician he had a wondeful deadpan aire of humor and persona about him.

We also did a gig in Florida with Misty Bernard near Deerfield Beach. He was a very free guy and very unattached. He made flutes and played flute, sax, guitar, harmonium and was actually a very good vocalist. He was always so very relaxed when performing almost to the point where something might have gotten away from him. lol I on the other hand was always concerned about my music, arrangement, drum notation, equipment. And Billy was like let’s do this and he always had fun, fun, fun. I admired his positive, confident and sometimes aloof, carefree or taken away by the moment energy.

Have a great new adventure Billy I know you will.

Billy Miller singing/sax performing “HELL” The Squirrel Nut Zippers tune with the Bates Motel Orchestra at the 2010 Village of Terror in Chippewa Falls