Game Theory - Ziggy's, Winston-Salem, NC., 10/12/85. R.I.P. Scott Miller (1960-2013)

Another college-rock legend has departed this mortal coil for the choir invisible.  Although the circumstances have yet to be reported, Scott Miller of Game Theory/Loud Family/Alternate Learning renown passed away this Monday at 53.  Like many of the "yesteryear" indie acts I pimp on Wilfully Obscure, I discovered Game Theory a few years after the fact - but luckily in enough time before their albums (specifically on CD) started going for extortionist prices online.  Playing just about any given G/T disk is invariably a treat - yet for whatever the reason I never quite "immersed" myself in any particular album.  This bodes well for me in the respect that I'm not the least bit burnt out on anything with Scott's name attached it (heck, I still haven't gotten around to some of the later Loud Family albums).  Had my investment in his music been greater, I'm confident I could dispel a far more profound remembrance than this, but alas, most Scott Miller die-hards would deem me as a casual fan.

Scott's slyly offbeat vocal panache wasn't far removed from that of Mitch Easter and the dB's Chris Stamey.  Game Theory's crooked pop muse made for good company with that lot, albeit Scott and Co. were a west coast proposition.  G/T and Loud Family were routinely pegged as power-pop, but their comparatively dense and oblique song arrangements placed them on the left side of that continuum.  The concert I'm presenting here is situated around the era of G/T's first proper full-length, Real Nighttime, which wasn't their most sophisticated work...but they were definitely getting there. Overall, it's a fine soundboard memento from this period, boasting plenty of their early signature songs.

For the time being, pretty much the entire Game Theory catalog is available free for download via the Loud Family website.  In addition you can check out a collection of demos for widely revered Big Shot Chronicles album here. Perhaps more Scott Miller-related goodies are to follow later this year...

01. Gloria
02. I Tried Subtlety
03. Shark Pretty
04. Curse Of The Frontierland
05. Never Mind
06. Linus And Lucy/24
07. Waltz The Halls Always
08. Rayon Drive
09. Where You Going Northern
10. Make Any Vows
11. Here It Is Tomorrow
12. Real Nighttime
13. She's The Sweetest Queen

Hear