Jarad Miles & the Ancient Waves

From his modest beginnings discovering his mom's old guitar and a John Denver songbook collecting dust in their South Dakota farmhouse basement, Jarad Miles’s musical life has followed nary the predictable path.

Although his mom refused to teach him to play, she bought him a Statocaster replica guitar and amp kit from the nearby Walmart for his 16th birthday. Largely self-taught, Jarad first began trying to learn songs he heard on the radio by Beck, The White Stripes, Radiohead, and Wilco. After seeing Martin Scorcese's 2005 documentary about the life of Bob Dylan, Miles was inspired to write and perform his own songs.

Miles now performs solo and, depending on the occasion, with his backing band the Ancient Waves consisting of bassist Andy Nail, drummer Ed Draper, and lead guitarist Andrew Berg.