Hailing from Purcell, Oklahoma, Parker Millsap is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music seamlessly blends blues, country, rock, Americana, and folk. His soulful sound and character-driven narratives captivated the audience at De Melkweg in Amsterdam and me a few days later at the equally impressive Vondelkerk in The Netherlands’ capital, where Millsap played his Wilderness Within You and covers of Tom Waits’ Picture In A Frame and Van Morrison’s Crazy Love.

Millsap first gained significant attention with his self-titled album in 2014. Growing up in a Pentecostal church and listening to blues with his parents, Millsap’s music is deeply rooted in his upbringing. His performances are known for their emotional intensity and dynamic range. His early releases showcased a mastery of acoustic folk rock, with a flair for revelation and fiery dynamics.

Over the years, Millsap has released several albums, including The Very Last Day (2016), and Be Here Instead (2021). His latest album, Wilderness Within You (2023), continues to showcase his evolving sound, interweaving threads of his musical past with newer influences and featuring guest vocals by none other than Gillian Welch.

“When Tom Waits means a lot to me.”

After filming the session, we venture out into the Vondelpark, where Parker Millsap tells me about his discovery of Tom Waits. “When I was in high school Mike – one of the guys who I was in a band with – was taking bass lessons at this place in Oklahoma near where we both lived. It was something like rock camp, all these kids taking lessons, they all play different instruments and they would just group them up and start a little band. And you’d learn four or five songs. I did that with Mike. The teacher or coach was this guy named Wes, who is also a producer and engineer. And after doing that, I had written enough material that I wanted to record. So we went in together and he introduced me to Tom Waits.”

“Wes had worked at a recording studio called Prairie Sun where Tom Waits had recorded some records, which is in Northern California. I’m from Oklahoma. Those are a very long way away from each other. Because I was into blues music and I was a songwriter, he recommended I would listen to Waits. The first album I got was Swordfishtrombones and I was not prepared for that. Now I enjoy that album as much as any of them, but it was too early for me. Instead I bought Mule Variations and fell in love with it top to bottom. It’s still a top five record for me.”

Picture in a Frame is on that record. “I often played this song during performances at a small bar in Norman, Oklahoma”, Millsap reflects. “It’s just a great love song and there’s still this mystery in the lyrics to me, where he gives you all this detail. Enough detail that you understand the depth of this relationship, but he also leaves a lot of holes in it where you can fill in with whatever whoever the song makes you think of. I’ve been listening to this song for over 15 years now. I’ve known this song and it definitely resonates very differently than it did when I was a teenager. It only gets deeper.”

Millsap absorbed Tom Waits’ music during a formative period in his life. “I value the timeless quality of Waits’ songs and how they stand the test of time. Waits’ ability to blend different musical styles and his unique voice have had a lasting impact on my own music. He means a lot to me.”

“I don’t know how conscious it is but with Tom Waits in particular, I definitely absorbed his catalog really heavily during a pretty formative part of like learning to play music and write songs. So, there will always be a little bit of a stamp there or at least that’s part of the well that I’m probably always going to draw from. Even his quotes about music resonate with me. He talks about ‘my wheelhouse is field hollers and jump rope songs and blues squawking’. He seems to both appreciate and make things that stand the test of time. A lot of his songs still hold up across decades and contexts, in similar ways that folk songs keep banging around because they’re solid.”

“Moondance was the only thing I was aware of for a long time.”

Parker Millsap talks about discovering Crazy Love by Van Morrison when he was around 15 years old. The song, from the album Moondance, has always held a special place in his heart. Before his European tour, he rediscovered the song and decided to learn it. He found some chords that were slightly different from the record and enjoyed the process of relearning the song.

Millsap appreciates Van Morrison’s lyrics: “I’ve known Crazy Love for a really long time. I’ve been listening to Moondance since I was probably 15 years old or something like. Right before I went on the European tour my phone was playing on shuffle and I thought: “Damn I forgot how much I love that song. So, I went to learn it and I was able to find a few little chord things that were slightly different than the way they were harmonizing it on the record. And I had a great time relearning this song and playing it during soundchecks. I love Van Morrison’s writing. A lot of his lyrics to me feel like at once ancient but also with new flavor. I think that’s so cool.”

“So, yeah, I’ve been listening to Van Morrison for a really long time. Moondance was the only thing I was aware of for a long time. I think my dad had a copy of that CD and that’s how I came across it.”

On tour with Larkin Poe

This April, Parker Millsap is heading out on tour supporting Larkin Poe in the United States. You can find all the dates on his website.

Photos

Keep watching

Thank you for watching and enjoying this session. You’ll probably like some other sessions from The Influences’ archive too, like these earlier ones we filmed with Robert Ellis and Christopher Paul Stelling.

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