The passion of Loki miller

It’s difficult to tell what drives Loki Miller the most, acting or playing music. He’s extremely gifted in each genre, but another thing that stands out about Loki is his thankful attitude about his abilities and his welcome back to Chico after a few years on the East Coast. “I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to be back in Chico,” he said.

Always independent as an actor, musical artist, and individual, Loki got an introduction to acting at eight years old through his father, local acclaimed actor and director Jerry Miller, who heads the Theatre on the Ridge in Paradise. You couldn’t ask for a more experienced person to introduce you to the world of acting. Another huge influence on Loki’s career has been Denver Latimer, past director of the Blue Room Theater in Chico. It was Denver whom Loki lived with after he dropped out of Fairview High School at 18. Isn’t it usually the super talented and very intelligent who find a way to bypass regular public education? (Calm down, teachers! I taught in public education for forty years.)

During his late teens and early twenties, Loki played in a number of bands, acted in productions at The Blue Room Theater, and directed the kid’s program there for a few years. At 18 he adapted a play about teen suicide into a musical where there were around twenty songs he wrote. The play, Tender Yellow Sky, had been written by a local teacher whose school district banned it from production. The musical sold out every performance, and included the late actor, Quentin Colgan.

Eventually, Loki ended up teaching children actors at Theater on the Ridge, where teaching kids became another passion. “I wanted to make sure every kid who has that spark knew they could act.” A satisfying aspect of teaching kids is that you can get a kid who nails the performance from Day One, a truly gifted performer. Then you have some who come along more slowly, but by the last performance have truly evolved and become a great success. “It’s so satisfying to see a young actor transform during the theater process,” said Loki.

And Loki Miller knows this process intimately. He has “the chops” as they say, and he has the experience and credentials to back it up. His ambitions and expectations have always been high. At 17, he applied to the Juilliard School, the prominent acting conservatory. He didn’t get accepted, but he kept at his craft, all the while playing music. He eventually moved to San Jose in 2018 where he acted in the San Jose State Theater Department. During this time, the Camp Fire tore through Paradise and the Ridge. However, a nexus point appeared for Loki, and he received a letter from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts offering an audition. He went to San Francisco to audition and was accepted.

“It was really a dream come true,” said Loki. “I’d always wanted to go to a disciplined school for actors. It was kind of a Hogwarts for the acting community.” He lived in Midtown Manhattan and witnessed Black Lives Matter protests outside his apartment window. Of course, Covid also happened with all its dubious attributes. “I’d run through Times Square and wouldn’t see anyone,” Loki said. He graduated from the AADA in 2021 and moved to New Jersey. There, he became a “creative octopus” of sorts, reading for audio books, doing social media for a cafe around the corner, and other pursuits. He was on the verge of forming a band when he came out to act in a show in San Jose. This led to another performance at The Pacific Repertory Theater.

Since making the transition back to Chico, his latest passion is to star in a one-man show, much like he did with his Hank Williams, Sr. show ten years ago, called Lost Highway: the Hank Williams Story. (You can find an interview he made with Denver Latimer on YouTube where Loki describes the challenges of portraying Williams.) He also envisions a show depicting Vincent Van Gogh, and another far-reaching production based upon a poem by Shel Silverstein, The Devil and Billy Markham. “It’s an epic poem,” said Miller. “The devil gives a down-and-out Billy Markham the opportunity to roll the dice. It eventually becomes sort of a game for the Devil, as he takes a shine toward Billy.”

Whatever he does, theater-wise, Loki wants to perform some kind of open-ended show where people come back more than once. He envisions going beyond regular theatrics, and utilizing masks, dance, live music, unseen narration, and puppets.

On the music side, Loki is concentrating on playing with his trio, The Loki Miller Band, which has two iterations. One has Sparky Smith on drums and Chris Henederson on bass. The other includes Jeffrey Burkhart (Jeffy B) on bass and Jose Meme Lopez on drums. No matter whom he chooses, Miller keeps his “little black book” of local musicians to call upon. He attributes this book to his guitar instructor, Michael Dodge, who passed away a few years ago. “He didn't just teach me music theory, he taught me how to become a musician,” said Miller. “It was real world advice,” he added.

For now, Loki Miller is concentrating on his music, which spans blues and rock ‘n roll. He’s also delving into a bit of country music as well. “I'm definitely focused on playing the blues and getting better,” he said. “It’s how I’m wired: I’m always focused on learning and getting better.” The band performed at the Chico Summer Fest and has appeared at the Eagles Hall, the Paradise Ice Skating Rink, and The Studio Inn.

Whatever Loki Miller does in terms of performance, you can bet it will be an all out endeavor, because whatever he does, he does with true passion. “I’d like to thank the people who have followed me and stuck with me all these years. Whatever I do my whole heart is in it.”