The band usually plays as a 7 or 8 piece line up but we've sometimes had 10 or 11 on stage (this usually gets called the "Miles too big band").
The current line up is:
David Hyams - guitars, mandolin, dobro;
Jennifer Tingley - cello;
Manoli Vouyoucalos - bass;
Dana Ogle - percussion;
Stuart Patterson - wood flute;
Nola Formentin - trombone;
At various times the band has also featured:
Andy Copeman - cittern, didgeridoo, guitar, vocals and bodhran;
JP Sweeney - fiddle
Dougal Adams - highland bagpipes, wood flute;
Ormonde Waters - uillean pipes, tin whistle, concertina;
Ben Franz - bass
Tom De Ridder - fiddle;
Andrew Muller - fiddle;
Caryn Sullivan - percussion;
Federico Duende - percussion.
Influences
just for starters - Pierre Bensusan, Donal Lunny, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, New Grass Revival, Nitty Gritty Dirt band, Eric Clapton, Albert King, Neil Young, Carlos Santana, David Gilmour, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Moss, The Pogues, Wedding Parties Anything, The Church, U2, Bob Dylan, Chris Whitley, Townes Van Zandt, Alan Stivell, Davy Spillane, Michael McGoldrick, Moving Hearts, Planxty, Alisdair Fraser, Tony McManus, John McCusker, Arty McGlynn, and many many more....
Sounds Like
"The overall theme...is an exploration of the confluence between traditional Celtic folk and American-influenced New Acoustic styles, and it succeeds in staking out a patch of ground all of its own..." Steve Barnes, Fairbridge Festival Artistic Director
"Some of the loveliest pieces sound like really good "traditional" tunes that one's somehow managed to miss hearing before - no small compliment to David's skills as composer..."
Doug Spencer, Producer, The Planet ABC Radio National
"...adroit changes of rhythm and style, as slow reels shift gear to full-flown dance mode, and acoustic guitar gives way to pipes with churning bass... There are John Renbourne-like sunlit meadows of sub-medieval guitar in Watching the Wheels; searing deserts of slide Dobro in Big Sky Country; and the odd hooley up the back of the pub in Old Speckled Hen/Three for the Road." Ken Ferguson, The West Australian Newspaper
"The music is full of clever twists, subtle, gentle cultural references and poignant moments. Anyone who's driven across red earth under a vast sky will recognize the references in the wide notes and the atmospheric acoustic melodies." Kayt Davies, Australian Vital Magazine
BUY THIS MUSIC -
The music on this page and all tracks from our 2 albums are now available for download from the iTunes store worldwide:
David Hyams and the Miles To Go Band | Knowing The Place
David Hyams is a composer, producer, and instrumentalist from Fremantle in Western Australia. He plays acoustic and electric guitars, dobro, mandolin and bouzouki in various musical styles - spanning blues to the cutting edge folk rock of Devils on Horseback and Press Gang (later Fling). He is also known for his instrumental accompaniment of singer songwriters, including Bernard Carney and Indigenous artist Peter Brandy, from WA's remote Kimberley region.
In 2000 David released his own first album, Miles to Go, a collection of acoustic based instrumentals, at what became the first performance of the Miles to Go band.
The band contains some of Western Australia's finest musicians on a world spanning array of instruments; from cello and wood flute, to didgeridoo and trombone.
The band regularly tours nationally in Australia and recently played the Woodford Folk Festival, where they were described by "The Australian" newspaper's Tony Hillier as one of the "standout acts". They have featured on ABC TV's 'Planet' series of world music, and top author Tim Winton's “Dirt Music” CD. Their second album, Knowing the Place, released in late 2005, received a 'thumbs up from leading UK world/roots magazine “fROOTS".
The Miles To Go band has opened for international acts Bob Geldof, Sharon Shannon, Maryanne Faithfull and Pierre Bensusan. In 2009 they were once again been recognized by the industry with their fifth consecutive WAMI nomination for ‘Best World Music Act”.
Wow ...! congratulations on 10 years! as I shall not go, you have to promise to upload photos of that day so we can see the pictures and we love you from afar... AdriZ
Este año el Festival de música Folkez Blai, organiza talleres de Gaita gallega, Whistle, Guitarra celta, Bouzouki, Uileann pipe, Violín celta y Txalaparta.
Se están ultimando detalles y en breve se dará mas información.
Pásate por su space!!!!!
ESTÁIS TODOS INVITADOS!!!!
Thanks so much for the Add–and your friendship. We enjoyed your music very much. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's a pleasure having you among our friends!
We've just added two new blogs about Umano, plus four more new compositions, making ten on our space. We hope you and your friends visit us and enjoy our music, too.
We wake up every morning and play the music of the new MySpace friends who have arrived at our site during the night. It occurred to us that these friends (you are among them) are almost universally positive, whether they be novices or legends, and without regard to their station in life or the country they occupy.
Although it's not an original thought, it also occurred to us that we couldn’t hold a verbal conversation with most of these friends, but we have bridged that gap by expressing our art honestly with each other.
We all have been filling the world with our music and art, in the hope that our messages of love and human understanding will have an impact on the world at large.
What a gift and what an opportunity we have received from this technology!
hey dave, hope all is well for you, whichever part of the planet you are currently blessing with your presence. i'm still on the west coast of ireland, enjoying the rare sunshine! i see JP's been playing fiddle with you. tell him i said hi! lots of love to you.
Thanks a million David for joining our ministry of Blues. It's all about peace, love, understanding, and GROOVE! Hope to perform for you sometime. I'm REALLY digging your music... Ireland is almost a second home to me and I like the shades in your tunes mixed with Ausie and world beat etc. And I hope to see you live sometime. Wishing you the very best in Blues and life! -Big Daddy
Hi David Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday dear David Happy birthday to you!!! "Te Quiero mucho y el bien David" cya xoxo!!!! Mia
