Laurence Bond Miller

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
Artsy Garage Punk
1977 - 78

Influences: Velvet Underground, Stooges, and T.Rex

“...a musical 3D experience; drugs, decadence and death...” 
The Michigan Daily / June 1977

ZIG-ZAG Magazine July 14th 1979

BRIEF HISTORY:

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS as the Miller Brothers experienced it was an odd merging of two local bands, in the spring of 1977.  Laurence's psych-noise band, EMPOOL, and the remains of Cary & Niagra's DESTROY ALL MONSTER'S.  What started out
as an inventive noise-music collage, quickly became motor city's new metal punk with pure party hardy mentality.  What brought the band into the limelight was the joining of guitarist Ron Asheton (X-Stooges) and bassist Michael Davis (X-MC-5). Laurence and Ben broke away from the band on Halloween, 1978, coming back for two "reunion shows" with the group, in 1983.

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
Cream Magazine "fold out", June 1978

Laurence Miller,  Ben Miller,  Michael Davis,  Rob King,  Ron Asheton,  Niagara,

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS CD ~ BROKEN MIRRORS

This Cd was released in 2002 on FarFetched Records. BROKEN MIRROS consists of rehearsals
and "live" material from the good old days, focusing mainly on the music of the Miller Brother's
original songs, which at that time (and hence forth) had never been released prior. There are
two "studio" recordings of their songs with D.A.M. that are unavailable to this day.
They were recorded in summer 1977 during the same studio session as
NOVEMBER 22nd 1963 and MEET THE CREEPER. The songs were
TAKEN FOR GRANITE and DESTROY A.M.

$15.00
Postage & handling within the United States included
mlbmiller@gmail.com

 
  1) You're Gonna Die
  2) Bored
  3) Destroy A. M.
  4) These Boots Are Made For Walking
  5) Soul Divider
  6) The Tab Machine "live"
  7) Turn Your Every Page "live"
  8) Taken For Granite
  9) Little Doll
10) Broken Mirrors "live"

TURN YOUR EVERY PAGE "live" in Toronto @ The Horseshoe June 1978
Written by Laurence Miller
NOTE: This was written pre-monsters with lyrics that are purely existential.

THE TAB MACHINE "live" in Toronto @ The Horseshoe June 1978
Written by Ben Miller
NOTE: This song was written with Niagara in mind, and her love of the soda beverage -- Tab.

DESTROY A.M.
Written by Ben Miller
NOTE: The term A.M. was a double entendre meaning both "all monsters" and commercial "am radio"

BROKEN MIRRORS "live" in Ann Arbor @ The Union Ballroom March 1978
Written by Ben Miller
NOTE:  Dedicated to Syd Barrett's guitar of broken mirrors.

TAKEN FOR GRANITE 1978
Written by Laurence Miller
NOTE:  Written in regards to one's standards, and Miller's animosity towards select band mates.

Linear Notes: BROKEN MIRRORS reflects this incarnation of Destroy All Monsters from fall 1977 to fall 1978.  In early 1977 original founders Cary Loren and Niagara would drop in on Empool rehearsals (a psychedelic free improvisation band lead by Laurence) and request we work on their own songs -- garage punk.  Eventually this imposition took hold and a loose knit hybrid group began to form.  Laurence's use of an echoplex, phaser, triggered filter and distortion (originally tagged "space guitar") graduated to playing straight-ahead rhythm guitar when Cary left the group due to personal differences in summer 1977.  My free-form alto sax playing, also run thru various electronics, became more traditional as well.  By the time Cary left, both Michael Davis (MC-5) and Ron Asheton (Stooges) had joined the band, honing a heavier metal-punk sound and we began opening up for the likes of Pere Ubu, The Ramones, and Devo to name a few.  Essentially it was one big party.  In fact, the difference between a rehearsal and a party was marginal.  We wish to thank DB, George, Hiawatha, TR, Sue, Andrea, and many others for indulging themselves in the band's vision during this time.  Due to creative differences, Laurence and I chose to leave the band shortly after completing DAM's second single in October 1978.
   
   Ben Miller 2003

RON ASHETON  July 1948 ~ January 2009
He will always be missed

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Reflections from artist, Mike Mosher, Jan '09

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INTERVIEW with BEN MILLER about D.A.M.
September 2008

Ben Miller speaks about his experience in D.A.M. and his current music projects,
for DSI Records. Interviewwed by Shuan and Videotaped by Clay Harris at the
2008 benefit for The Sonic Circuits Festival @ Pyramid Atlantic, MD.

Article/interview between Ben and TRAKMARX, in 2004

D.A.M. PHOTOS

D.A.M. Performing @ KRAMER THEATRE in Detroit, fall 1977
 Laurence on guitar, Ben on alto sax

D.A.M. opening up for DEVO in Cleveland, Ohio 1978
Ben and Laurence Miller seen here playing the freakout noise
ending to Laurence's song, TURN YOUR EVERY PAGE

Ben Miller demoing "THE TAB MACHINE" at home for D.A.M.,
written specifically with Niagara in mind (her fave beverage).
June 1977

"DAYS OF DIAMONDS", a vinyl bootleg D.A.M. EP, was released on Black Hole Records a few months after Ben and I left the group, by then fellow X-DAM members Cary Loren, Rob King, Ben and myself.  This record sported rough basement material from early D.A.M. rehearsals, including a
silly multitrack song of mine, at Cary Loren's request, called "There Is No End".  If only it were true... Cary, Rob, Ben and I, later released an original E.P. the following year, in January 1979
as a recording project called XANADU, "BLACKOUT IN THE CITY".  It's complicated.

DAYS OF DIAMONDS   D.A.M. / 5-song vinyl EP -- out of print
BLACKOUT IN THE CITY   XANADU / 4-song vinyl EP  $15.00