On their new album, Keep Your Hands to Yourself, set for release on May 17, Miller and the band are true to their vision. Rockers include the title track - a cover of the Georgia Satellites' classic - as well as poignant ballads such as "They Don't Understand," a testimony to the power of true love and religious faith from Dean Chance, a songwriter Miller discovered.
"When I was a new songwriter in town, I promised myself that if I ever made it, I'd listen to every demo that got handed to me," Miller said. "I was in a furniture store with my wife, and after a middle-aged gentleman had helped us, he introduced himself and asked me if he could give me a song. He dug out a CD demo from the floor of his car, and on the way home I put it into my deck. At the end of the song I turned to my wife and said 'Is that song as good as I think it is?' and she was sobbing. When I got home and listened to it again, I was sobbing; so I called up the band and after I played it for them, they said we had to record it."
After 23 years as a band and 20 years with Curb Records, Miller and his compatriots agree that they still get the same thrill from working together. "We survived because we let the music become our lives," Miller said. "And as we've gotten older we've matured. We did tours with conveyor belts where I shot out up out of the floor, with all kinds of costumes and special effects, but when we did surveys of those shows most of the fans said two things: 'Mark sure can dance.' and 'We love the music.' Eventually it seemed like the show was bigger than the band so one day we sent it all home. We realized we don't need all that stuff to play. We're just a pumped up garage band, a big bang Country band and we didn't need all the bells and whistles.
"We all have vastly different personalities, hobbies and lives, but the common thread is the music. Nobody wants to do a solo project, nobody wants to be anything but a member of the band. Sawyer Brown is my life's work. I've always wanted to keep that as my focus, and all the guys are like that."
Miller jokingly said he has only one regret. "Everybody has those pictures of themselves doing goofy things, the pictures that they usually hide in the back of the family album. Since we grew up in the public eye, our embarrassing photos all wound up on album covers where everyone can see them, forever and ever amen." On the Web: www.sawyerbrownfanclub.com
Sawyer Brown will have a booth in the Wrangler® Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall) during CMA Music Festival that takes place in Downtown Nashville, Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12.
Four-day ticket packages are on sale now. Packages are divided into four categories, based on the level of reserved seating at The Coliseum (the Gold Circle and Floor Level ticket packages are already sold out). Four-day ticket packages include the Nightly Concerts at The Coliseum; Daily Concerts at Greased Lightning® Daytime Stages; daily admittance to the Wrangler® Fan Fair (Exhibit Hall) featuring the Acoustic Corner; Bush's® Baked Beans Family Zone; Fun Zone; Sports Zone and performance stage; CMA Music Festival After HoursT; free in-town shuttles; the CMA Music Festival Program Book; CMA Music Festival pin; special discounts to area attractions, restaurants, shops and more.
Four-day ticket packages for CMA Music Festival are easy to purchase. Order over the phone by calling toll-free, 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378), visit www.CMAfest.com to download an order form to fax or mail; visit www.ticketmaster.com to buy online or charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600. Prices do not include applicable handling fees. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All sales are final and non-refundable.
A limited number of four-day parking passes for The Coliseum are available by phone order only. Call toll-free 1-800-CMA-FEST (262-3378) to order. The price is $28 for cars; $60 for vans/shuttles; and $120 for RVs/motor coaches. Spaces are limited and no overnight parking is allowed. Free shuttles run all day between major Festival event locations.