Hootenanny Showcases Millers’ Talents, Charms

Good music rarely stays a secret forever. And for several years, the husband-and-wife duo of Buddy & Julie Miller has been a secret weapon in the music of Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Victoria Williams and other roots-leaning acts. At the Roxy on Monday, the Millers performed their first local headlining show, finally revealing their many talents and charms in a prestigious L.A. setting.

The Millers are up for a Grammy tonight in the contemporary folk album category, even as their folk-rock sound balances a touch of ancient bluegrass and the jagged edge from Buddy’s electric guitar.

The nomination is a welcome tribute to music so rich and organic. But the sound and community vibe of Monday’s show were their own reward.

There were many quiet moments easily categorized as modern folk on Monday, but the show opened with the up-tempo “Keep Your Distance,” which blended warmth and dark humor. And “You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast” was a brooding rocker, after which Julie admitted with a smile that the song lifted the famous chord change from “Wild Thing.”

Occasionally Julie would exit the stage while her husband rocked out on guitar with their band or sang a wise and forlorn song of love. But the mixture of their voices, her bubbly persona and his fiery playing provided the night’s most memorable moments.

The best songs were not those easily identified as rock or country, but those moments when the boundaries blurred into irrelevance.

When Julie suggested that the band play something “folk,” since it was their category, a fan shouted back, “Your category is anything!”

By the end of the show, the Millers’ nearly two-hour set had become a freewheeling L.A. hootenanny, with such guests as Harris and Williams stepping on stage for a few songs each. Julie promised the crowd, “You’ll get your turn!” It could have gone all night.