At Work: Blake Mills
“My solo albums are like Cinderella— they’re kicked to the curb and pushed back further and further,” Los Angeles singer, guitarist, producer, session musician and sideman Blake Mills jokes about his sophomore release Heigh Ho. “I am always jotting little things down and at night—after work is over—I see what I can do with those ideas during the off-hours.”
As a teenager, Mills co- founded Dawes precursor Simon Dawes but split off before the group morphed into their current incarnation. Instead, during the past decade, he’s developed into something of alternative rock’s ultimate utility player. A quick scan of Mills’ résumé includes tours as a guitarist for Fiona Apple and Jenny Lewis; sessions with diverse names like Conor Oberst, Weezer, Pink, Norah Jones and Dixie Chicks; and production work for Jesca Hoop and Sky Ferreira.
“Some people listen to music and they fall in love with what a drummer, bassist, vocalist or guitar player does,” says Mills, who is currently producing Alabama Shakes’ sophomore album. “I was influenced by all those moments as well as the production moments. It was probably really difficult to be in a band with me because it can be kind of invasive if you are the bass player and you’ve got somebody being all up in your business and making suggestions. But eventually, that turned into a production career.”
Mills released his breezy solo debut Break Mirrors in 2010 and started dreaming up ideas for his next recording almost as soon as the album was finished. In 2013, he went into the studio with a mix of veteran session players who followed similar trajectories into the shadows of fame, including Don Was, Jim Keltner and Benmont Tench, to work on his long-awaited follow-up.
“The first record was a calling card to use for production work, co-writing and things I enjoy doing in the studio,” he admits. “But on this record, I wanted to play live in the studio. My songs are still inward, but this isn’t one of those records that somebody built in their bedroom. I wanted to set myself apart from not only what I’m hearing a lot of other people do, but also what I’ve already heard myself do with the first record.”
Recently, he also received a confidence boost from none other than Eric Clapton, who mistook his slide work for Derek Trucks’. “I have tried to get my hands on every live tape of Derek— including him sitting in with Soulive or Widespread Panic— since I was 12,” Mills says. “Clapton watches Grey’s Anatomy and he heard me on a cover of ‘God Only Knows.’ He called Derek and said, ‘Are you sure this isn’t you?’”
