Milton: A Hastings Musician Grounded in Performance

But regardless of whether that day comes, the definition of success for this one-named artist is well within reach.

“I want to write really good songs, play as many gigs as possible and keep getting better at what I do,” he said.

His inspiration began at the age of 4 when he first heard the Beatles. “They sounded so wonderful and it seemed they were best friends—and all the girls liked them," he said.

What would suffice as his formal education in music began in his parents’ living room. Jazz, blues, country, rock or reggae, he said, “I never really discriminated between the style as long as I thought it was catchy, soulful and cool.”

A listen to songs like Shoo Be Doo will have you reaping the rewards of his open-minded upbringing. Rhythm and blues laced with a country beat and a hint of reggae that can’t help creeping in from the edges.

Not falling off to the side, jazz, folk and pop collide in originals such as “Her Place Uptown” and “In the City,” while his voice tends to rasp into a meld of Huey Lewis and Colin Hay, the now solo artist formerly of Men At Work.

Milton, born Milton J. Milton, was initially more literary than musical so rather than covering songs with his guitar, he wrote lyrics first and then set out to play them. “I sort of learned (to play) on the job,” he said.

His first band in high school was called the Bad Mustaches with lyrics a bit on the “naughty side,” but he soon outgrew that. He continued on in his musical self-education playing in numerous bands, as he would go on to major in Spanish Literature at New York University.

At this point, he’s shared the bill with the likes of Pete Seeger and Bonnie Raitt and appeared at large venues such as the Beacon Theatre and Irving Plaza.

Otherwise, he also relishes his recurring roles at smaller scenes such as the Peekskill Coffee House and The Living Room in NYC.

“I really like to get out there by myself or with one other person and play acoustic because then it’s just the writer of the song and making a connection,” he said.

And he takes the writing seriously at a time when descending to your garage to record has maybe become perhaps too easy. “A lot of people don’t take the time to work on their craft, and I believe in that strongly,” he said.

What is the definition of blues and rhythm style music?

Do you mean “Rhythm and Blues”? That marketing term was coined post-WWII (replacing the older label of “race” records) to describe any popular music made by/for predominantly African-Americans. The genre is extremely broad in an historic sense: what do Louis Jordan (one of the pioneers) and Lil Wayne have in common musically? I must note that the genre usually does not include jazz or gospel numbers unless these become extremely popular. The Wikipedia entry on Rhythm and Blues is fairly well written, so I’d recommend it as a springboard for your research; for a more in-depth look at the music, try “Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom” by Peter Guralnick (music historian who is best known for his research and writings on the Memphis scene, especially Sun and Stax/Volt records).

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