In January 1996, Producer Johnny Indovina (Human Drama, Eva O) stumbled upon Miracle Mile as an opening act at The Troubadour in Hollywood. "Miracle Mile's sound was so different than the rest of the LA scene," said Indovina. "It was Art: a sonic landscape. I heard traces of King Crimson, Cream, and Live. I loved it."
Indovina brought the group into the studio, where they recorded two songs, Heaven and Jaded Green. The singles later grabbed attention at Pinch Hit Records. In November 1996, Miracle Mile returned to Bayberry Studios to record To Burn Together, their first full-length project.
Heaven and Jaded Green offer up a rare breed of style and emotion. Heaven, penned by David Zimmerman, is an interesting juxtaposition of Art Rock style and vintage Clapton blues. Lyrically, the band investigates the subject without sacrificing the enigma. In Jaded Green, written by bassist Michael Mallory, the band creates virulent intensity in a low dynamic performance, not an easy thing to do. The track has a Peter Gabriel (Trespass-era Genesis) zen amped with higher energy.
Miracle Mile formed by fortuitous circumstance. After foregoing a college education against family pressures, Frontman Jonn Ross, 22, took a job as a backup musician in the circus. A year later, he returned home and hooked up with Zimmerman, a 31 year old Hammond B-3 player who had pArted ways with the Art rock band Opera. Zimmerman contacted Mallory, a 24 year old bassist living in upstate New York. They had worked on a project called "Psycho Cabbage" that both had found curiously interesting. "I was ready for a change of scenery," says Mallory. "When I got here, we put an unusual ad in the newspaper:
GUITAR PLAYER WANTED - MUST HAVE NO FEAR
"We only got one reply," adds Mallory. Guitarist Andy Susemihl, 31, had just moved from Germany to LA. Miracle Mile played more than a dozen gigs before they found the right drummer, Christian Werr. "The magic of To Burn Together came shining through at our first rehearsal," says Zimmerman, "and we knew all the pieces were in place for something great."