Meet Fletcher Milloy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fletcher Milloy.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I didn’t grow up in a very musical family, but each time I encountered music, it had an incredible impact on me. I was 5 when I first heard the Star Wars theme song. Something about the soundtrack of those movies spoke to me as a kid more than anything else they contained. If my brothers and I were having lightsaber battles, I could be heard screaming John Williams’ compositions throughout the house. Family movie nights really were my gateway into music, to the point where both art forms were synonymous in my early mind.

A few years after that, my one of my Dad’s life long friends would tell me about a band he used to manage called Guns N’ Roses. I heard all kinds of stories about Slash and Axl when I was way too young (which made them all the more enticing). As a kid, I held onto them and the idea of one day being a “rockstar” like they were with an almost ecclesiastical faith.

When I picked up the guitar at ten years old, it really felt like an arrival into an identity. In the same way, I watched Mark Hamill hold a lightsaber and become Luke Skywalker. When I had a guitar, it felt like I could be any artist I wanted if I played the riff right.

After practicing for a couple years, knowing the future I hoped for depended on it, I moved out to Phoenix with my family two days before my 13th birthday. I remember the only thing on my mind as I flew over the city for the first time was that I needed to form a band and I wanted to play shows.

As I began to mature in my craft due to playing every week in my church’s worship band, my confidence as a guitarist grew. By 16 I had recorded on Alice Cooper’s Christmas album two years in a row, opened for artists such as Rick Springfield and Howard Jones, and began recording an EP with Grammy winner Robb Vallier (Backstreet Boys, Goo Goo Dolls).

In the summer of 2016, after a Craigslist connection, I joined a band called The Ricky Fitts and began writing and recording for our debut record, The Great Beyond (2017). Upon its release, it received national and international radio play and recognition, earning us spots in lineups alongside The Killers, The Roots, Odesza, Chance the Rapper, Death Cab for Cutie, and many more.

Currently, I’m 21, I attend Grand Canyon University as a full-time student and have the honor to be a music director for their worship team. I serve weekly at Christ’s Church of the Valley where I am being mentored both spiritually and musically. I’m in the studio with an up and coming band, STOX. And am the guitarist for Bodie, an artist from Phoenix quickly gaining national attention with plans to tour in 2019 and 2020.

Please tell us about your art.
I would consider myself a session guitarist. The musicians I look up to and aspire to be like are behind the scenes players that become integral components to the songs they track on.

Nile Rodgers (David Bowie, CHIC, Daft Punk, etc.), David Williams (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Aretha Franklin) and the work of John Coltrane have been huge influences on me recently. Funk and jazz are the genres where I feel most comfortable and expressive. Whether its a live session at a church or nightclub or recording in a studio, those influences become evident in how I play the songs I’ve been given.

I play guitar because I love it, but also because I have a strong desire for people to know that they’re known. Music is a language that you don’t have to be well versed in to understand. It has the ability to uplift, encourage and connect people from all different cultures, races, and religions. Stomping a beat or singing a line is one of the most human things we can do.

When I’m on stage or in a studio, my primary thought is: “Who am I talking to and what am I trying to tell them?”. I’ve seen the way that music spiritually connects with people to Jesus weekly in churches, and have noticed similar connections from coffee shop gigs to music festivals. It is one of the only forces on this earth that we will carry into eternity with us.

Given everything that is going on in the world today, do you think the role of artists has changed? How do local, national or international events and issues affect your art?
In a world that is more connected than ever, there is an epidemic of ostracism and loneliness. It’s so easy to focus on oneself and forget about the innumerable amount of people that are struggling whether internally or externally.

Artists have a moral obligation to authenticity in their craft, especially in this modern world that is increasing in superficiality. If anything, music has been made more powerful in the current global and national circumstances. Often it can be the only thing besides faith that people can anchor themselves to and feel in the midst of their struggles.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Follow me on Instagram (@fletchermilloy), where I’ll post all of my upcoming show dates, or visit my website (fletchermilloy.com). I have a couple shows planned out of state with Bodie in the coming months, and a new STOX. EP that will be dropping this year.

You can check out my previous band, The Ricky Fitts on all music platforms. “Nightmare,” “Back to the Basics,” and “Closer 2 U” were my favorites to record if you need somewhere to start.

As previously stated, I serve weekly at Christ’s Church of the Valley across all of their campuses with some other amazing musicians. All are welcome to attend; I promise there will be rad tunes and awesome vibes. I also frequent a lot of coffee shops in the Phoenix area so come say hi if you see me around, I love meeting new people to jam, write or even just talk about life with!

Contact Info:

• Website: fletchermilloy.com
• Email: fletchermilloy@gmail.com
• Instagram: @fletchermilloy
• Facebook: @fletchermilloy
• Twitter: @fletchermilloy

Image Credit:
Quinsey Sablan
Everett Milloy

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