Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Jared & The Mill have been together since 2011. Their moniker – at least the “Mill” part of it – is twofold in meaning. All the band members met as students at Arizona State University in Tempe, and Mill Avenue is the biggest street and the “center of college culture.” The name also refers to the act of completing a song by running it “through the mill” after lead singer Jared Kolesar writes the lyrics, melody, and chords.
The band’s style has been described as a mix of indie rock, folk, and Americana, with occasional hints of jazz and blues touches. Kolesar cites the influence of country artists Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson in giving Jared & The Mill their decidedly western flair. To date they have produced two major releases, following up 2013 debut album Western Expansion with the six-song EP Life We Chose, first made available back in April.
“[Life We Chose] is more mature...more true to who we are as musicians than as a band,” says Kolesar. “It’s about what we've given up to pursue this crazy dream of ours.”