July Featured Artist - Eric Mills

July’s Featured Artist is Eric Mills, a singer/songwriter from Brantford. Mills has been singing and playing the guitar since he was twelve years old and made the decision to pursue this interest full-time in 2009.

Mills, like other musicians during the pandemic, has not been able to play any in-person shows but has been able to put out a consistent stream of virtual shows streamed over Facebook Live as well as his YouTube channel aptly named Eric Mills Covers. The pandemic has also allowed him the opportunity to finish and release a single that he has been working on for a long time.

Mills is a self-proclaimed ‘low maintenance’ musician. He says all he needs to perform is a guitar and microphone and he uses a portable audio system for amplification. That’s it – no pedals or fancy equipment and the amp is loud enough to provide sufficient sound at most venues.

When asked what inspired his artistic pursuits, Mills says he remembers his mother singing to him at a very young age. He has loved to sing for as long as he can remember, singing commercial jingles even when he was in preschool. Mills distinctly remembers that his grandfather was also a really good guitar player and singer, despite the fact that he passed away when Mills was very young. When Mills turned 12, he asked his grandma if he could learn to play guitar on his grandfather’s old guitar and that’s where his love began. In addition to influence from his family, Mills also credits his friend Andrew Freitas who is the other half of their ‘Big Shiny Two’ duo. The two have played together for almost 20 years with Freitas teaching him about stage presence and pushing him to be a better player technically.  Mills adds, “Andrew’s dad, Chico, plays bass and taught Andrew when he was really young. I’ll never forget the first time I went over to jam and there was Andrew’s dad stomping around the basement just absolutely dominating the bass guitar playing in perfect time with the rest of the band. That was something I didn’t know dads could do.”

Mills said he wouldn’t be the player he is today without the support and inspiration from Freitas. He elaborates, “I used to be terrified to perform in front of an audience. I would struggle not to shake from nervousness. Now it’s my favourite thing to do and I don’t get nervous anymore. I do still feel pressure to perform well and have a good show, so I suppose I have learned to channel that nervous energy.”

Mills grew up in Brantford and loves the sense of community here, acknowledging that there is a lot of talent right in our beautiful city. When asked what other local artists or groups he finds inspiring, Mills says he has always enjoyed Chris Brown and his band Brain Jammage.

 When asked what tips he has for developing artists, Mills says that open jams can be a great asset. “Find a place with a good stage that allows upcoming artists to play. Have a friend film your performance and use the videos on your website to help book paying gigs. Open jams also help in acclimating yourself to being on a stage and in front of an audience,” Mills explains.

Mills says that one of the most rewarding things about being a musician is enjoying the feeling of fulfillment after completing a project and knowing you poured your heart and soul into it. He adds, “It’s also fun to look back at previous projects and reminisce. Every song captures a particular moment in time.”

Follow Eric Mills on his YouTube channel to watch some of his many videos and keep up-to-date with when and where he is playing next.