Rebecca Miller, artist

[Taken from- http://www.rebeccamillerart.com]

Artist Statement
A light haze of Nag Champa, a tide of music, life, and deep human emotion is my motivation. 

After living in several major cities around the world, I visited Seattle and fell in love with the people, atmosphere, and the energy. Many years spent traveling abroad inspired me to find my passion, and painting was it. Somehow it is an adventure that I just naturally "fell" into.
  I taught myself by spending hours at museums and bookstores researching art and artists I admired and felt strong connections to. And of course long hours of painting, painting, painting.
Through these steps I quickly realized the amazing powers intrinsic of self-expression 
and creative energy.
 I credit the powerful impact of music on my life with the inspiration to convey emotion onto canvas. 

 My process varies. Forcing the issue with a intense focus is a necessary starting point at times when I sit down to paint. Thankfully from there I shift into a creative zone from where the work flows.

My recent series is my attempt to show visually, the link between music and painting by subtly incorporating sheet music into the pieces. I choose Antique because of my deep love for rare things from the past, which have been mostly forgotten, yet still hold timeless qualities. It was dusty and destitute but now new life is sparked by assimilating it into my art and lives on. Each particular music sheet was selected by name of the composition to work with the feeling of the drawing/painting.

 Growing up in Chicago, a city full of culture, I spent many weekends enjoying the museums & the Art Institute. As a teenager i departed family and the home of Illinois seeking year round sunshine and warmth. I ended up in San Diego where I spent many years diving into painting and for a short stint, opened and ran my own gallery. Missing the change of seasons, I made the move north to Seattle where I currently reside. Hence, the "Into the Cold" painting, even though I have noticed that Seattleites rarely use umbrellas. 

Alice in Chains new album and tour, 2013 dates announced

Essential, alternative rock band, Alice in Chains, announced upcoming tour dates to support their forthcoming album set to be released this year. The Seattle band was formed in 1987 and played a key-role in the evolution of the "Seattle Sound" grunge rock movement.
Alice in Chains produced four number one singles, plus eleven top ten singles, on the Billboard charts. The band has six platinum albums and four gold albums. Alice in Chains platinum albums include, Facelift, Dirt, Alice in Chains, Jar of Flies, and Nothing Safe: Best of the Box. The band has 23 smash hit videos and
The tour kicks off April 25 at the Fillmore in Miami Beach, Florida, and will bring the bands through Birmingham, Norfolk, Milwaukee, Ft. Wayne and several other cities before wrapping up May 24 at the Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater in Lincoln, Nebraska.
More tour dates are expected to be announced soon."
The original band members, singer Layne Staley, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney. In 2002, Staley was found dead in his home after overdosing on heroin and cocaine.
After a hiatus the band reunited with new vocalist William DuVall, in 2005. DuVall played with numerous alternative and metal rock bands, releasing hit singles through Indie record labels.
In 2011, former, and original band member, Mike Starr, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, died of a prescription drug overdose. Current band member, Mike Inez started with the band in 1994, during the band's peak.

Who's Sean Kinney?

Sean Howard Kinney (born May 27, 1966) is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the grunge band Alice in Chains.^[1]
Kinney's interest in music was developed at an early age. He got his first drum kit when he was 5. By the age of 9, he was keeping the beat for his grandfather's band, The Cross Cats, and traveling the Northwest playing small venues. Kinney grew up in Renton, Washington, where he attended Liberty Senior High School in the Issaquah School District.
Sean Kinney met up with Alice in Chains when he was dating the sister of bassist Mike Starr. Through Starr, he was introduced to Jerry Cantrell who introduced them both to Layne Staley. Since the band's inception, Kinney has been the only drummer. He also sang chorus vocals through a megaphone on the hidden song from Sap entitled "Love Song". The album was named after a dream Kinney had about the band recording some light acoustic songs for an album they name Sap, because it's "sappy."^{[citation needed]} Sean plays a large role in the presentation of the band, having helped design artwork and stage setups for most of the band's albums and tours.

Other projects

During the decline in grunge popularity during the mid-nineties, Kinney was a member of a Willie Nelson tribute band that also included Johnny Cash, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, and Krist Novoselic from Nirvana. Kinney also played drums for his Alice in Chains band mate Jerry Cantrell's solo album, Boggy Depot. Four years later, he founded the short-lived project Spys4Darwin with friend and fellow Seattle musician Chris DeGarmo of Queensrÿche fame. Joined by Mike Inez (AIC's bassist since 1993) and Vinnie Dombrowski, they recorded and released the 6-track EP, microfish, in May 2001.

Alice in Chains rebirth

In 2005, Kinney reunited with the other two surviving members of Alice in Chains—performing at a benefit concert for the Tsunami Disaster. On March 6, 2006, they again performed together at VH1's Decades Rock Live concert, honoring fellow Seattle musicians Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart. That night they played "Rooster" with Comes with the Fall vocalist William DuVall and Ann Wilson. DuVall joined Alice in Chains as lead singer shortly thereafter. Since that time, Kinney has drummed for AIC at numerous events and concerts. From May 16–17, 2009, Alice in Chains was part of the annual rock festival, Rock on the Range at the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The album Black Gives Way to Blue was released September 29, 2009.

Artwork

In 1995, Alice in Chains were contemplating making a 3rd studio album, when it was official Kinney drew out artwork for the cover and liner notes. The cover features a three legged dog, reason being, according to band lore, "there was a dog with three legs that always used to chase Sean around when he was doing his paper routes, it creeped him out!" In the music video for Grind, it shows a three legged dog (similar to the one that allegedly used to chase Kinney) walking up a stairway with an elderly man. The dog used in the video belongs to Jerry Cantrell, named Sunshine.^[2]

Gear

Kit

• DW Drums
  • 7x14 Edge Snare Drum
  • 18x23 Bass Drum
  • 9x13 Rack Tom
  • 14x16 Floor Tom
  • 16x18 Floor Tom
  • 13x15 Floor Tom (left side)
  • 8x7 Rack Tom (left side)

• DW 5000 Single Bass Pedal

• DW Snare and Cymbal Stands

• Remo Drumheads

Cymbals

• Sabian cymbals (from left to right on kit)
  • 15" AA Sizzle Hats
  • 19" AA Rock Crash
  • 20" AA Rock Crash
  • 24" Vault Liquid Ride
  • 21" AA Medium Thin Crash
  • 19" Paragon China
  • 20" AAX O-Zone Crash

Sticks

• Vater VHSKW Sean Kinney Signature Series Drumsticks