Buddy Miller will release Midnight and Lonesome in October on Hightone Records. The release will be his first since his 2001 joint album with wife Julie, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album (it lost to Bob Dylan's "Love and Theft").

Julie wrote four of the new tracks and collaborated with Buddy on three more. "We did this on the spur of the moment," Buddy says. "We had a month off and decided to put a record out."

For the Millers, time off is rare. Each has a solo recording career, although all their albums are collaborative efforts. Buddy has also served as Emmylou Harris' music director for the last five years, and, in his spare time, he produces other artists."

"Buddy is more goal-oriented than I am," Julie says. "He doesn't want to turn down any work, because for a long time there wasn't any."

In addition to the title song, the album includes "Wild Card" and "The Price of Love," which the couple is previewing on tour. A last-minute addition was "Quecreek," named for the coal mine where the nine miners spent three days trapped underground in late July. "It was amazing," Buddy recalls. "The miners were trapped right after we finished mixing. Then I found the lyrics for the song on my desk. Julie had written it overnight."

Midnight and Lonesome was recorded in the couple's Nashville home studio. Neighbor Harris, who has appeared on all of the Millers' albums, and Lee Ann Womack contributed harmonies.

The Millers' plans for after this album are uncertain. "I guess it's my turn next," Julie says. "After that we may do another duo album. Although I'd love to do 'Buddy sings Hank.' He's real good at that."

Buddy and Julie Miller tour dates:

9/6: Bowling Green, OH, the Black Swamp Arts Festival
9/7-8: Remus, MI, Wheatland Festival
9/22: Louisville, KY, Blue Sky JamFest
9/28: Atlanta, Variety Playhouse
10/4: San Francisco, Slim's
10/12: Conroe, TX, Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival
11/8: Nashville, 12th & Porter
11/9: Charlotte, Neighborhood Theater
11/14: Newport, KY, Southgate House
11/17: Ann Arbor, MI, The Ark
11/20: Pittsburgh, PA, Rosebud
11/21-22: Alexandria, VA, The Birchmere
11/23: Carrboro, NC, Cat's Cradle
12/6-7: Nashville, 12th & Porter
12/29: Annapolis, MD Ramshead
12/30-31: New York, Bottom Line

CHARLES BERMANT
(September 5, 2002)