mike mills Archive
30 Jan 2026
40 11 Great Albums You May Have Missed
A few issues back, SPIN Magazine asked its regular contributors (including me) to help build a list of 40 albums of the past 40 years that you likely missed. I […]
05 Sep 2024
The Music of Big Star Gets What it Deserves (Part 2 of 2)
Continued from Part One… “It was Jody’s instinct,” says Sansone, “for the songs to be played by a band, in the spirit that the records were made.” Sansone describes his […]
04 Sep 2024
The Music of Big Star Gets What it Deserves (Part 1 of 2)
An edited version of this featured appeared in Spin. Rock music’s history is filled with success stories, both of the gradual and so-called “overnight success” varieties. But that history also […]
01 Jul 2019
Mike Mills’ Rock/orchestral Hybrid
Note: I’ve written a number of pieces ( links: [1] [2] [3] ) based on interviews with former R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills. Here’s another. — bk Mike Mills is best […]
22 Sep 2017
Mike Mills: R.E.M. and Beyond
I grew up just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, so when R.E.M. got together in the nearby college town of Athens and started making noises in 1980, my friends and I […]
29 Dec 2016
Best Music of 2016: Concerts
There’s a bit of overlap where my best albums and best concerts of 2016 are concerned. And there are some old favorites, too. John Mayall Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte NC March […]
27 Dec 2016
Best Music of 2016: New Releases
I’ve said it before, and in 2016 it’s true as ever: those people who complain that there’s no good music any more simply aren’t looking hard enough, or in the […]
22 Dec 2016
Album Mini-review: Mike Mills and Robert McDuffie – Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra
File next to: R.E.M., E.L.O. Hybridizing rock ‘n’ roll and classical is nothing new: arguably, the Beatles did it in 1965 with “Yesterday.” And many others have attempted since, including […]
13 Dec 2016
Mike Mills Bridges the Gap Between Rock and Classical
Most people know Mike Mills as the bassist in R.E.M.; he was a founding member of the band and remained with them until their 2011 breakup. Since that time, he’s […]