Miller Hining Tells A Story Through Live Music Preservation

Cassette tapes from Billy Strings, Widespread Panic, Grateful Dead, and Phish. These bands are central to the jam band scene and to Miller Hining’s tape collection. In the background, a huge array of older tapes comprise a number of genres and artists. Photo Credits: Miller Hining 

Isaac James, Community Desk Lead for The Powderhorn

In the age of digital streaming, physical media has fallen to the wayside. Physical music in particular has been hit especially hard by the advent of mass streaming services. When listening to your favorite song is as easy as one click, many students aren’t willing to buy record players or cassette players, much less bear the cost of building up a collection. In spite of these hurdles, there has been a revival in the world of CD, cassette, and record collection in the face of concerns over mass streaming’s effects on music and artistry. 

 Watauga senior Miller Hining is among those prioritizing physical over digital media. Hining is a music enthusiast in every sense of the word, following live shows both in person and online, trading for merchandise, and creating cassette tapes of different live performances. Most of Hining’s tapes consist of jam bands and bluegrass, the two communities he’s most involved in.

“My goal in creating these tapes is to bring back the importance of cassettes in the jam band sphere,” said Hining. “I also just want to create fun collectibles for fans to share.” 

Hining was originally inspired to pursue this hobby through his upbringing. Much of the music Hining listened to growing up was from his family’s own tape collections, something that instilled a deep appreciation for physical media and the genres he works with now. 

“I grew up listening to my mom's collection of Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, Doc Watson, Old & In The Way, Tony Rice, and David Grisman tapes,” said Hining. “That harbored a deep love and appreciation for these bands as well as the stories that tapes and live music can hold.”

A tape with the face of Grateful Dead keyboardist and vocalist Brent Mydland. In the background are dozens of tapes that Hining grew up listening to. Fans claim The Grateful Dead is the most impactful jam band of all time and were key in developing Hining’s love for the genre. Photo Credits: Miller Hining

Making tapes is an involved process, as Hining spends hours listening to shows and compiling the recordings onto each cassette. First, he records the live show on his computer, then passes it through a receiver to the cassette tape deck to transfer the audio over, adjusting the volume to minimize distortion. 

“Then, the tape is recorded in real time with immediate feedback,” said Hining. “The hardest part about making tapes is the time commitment. Each tape takes about 90 minutes to make, so 3 hours per show.”

Of the many tapes he’s produced, Hining’s favorites come from an artist close to his heart: Billy Strings. Hining is an avid supporter and attendant of Billy Strings’ live shows, and his welcoming stance on the practice makes the job easier. 

“I love making tapes for Billy Strings shows because of his openness to recording at the shows as well as the vast library of concerts available on Relisten [a popular live show streaming service],” said Hining. “Billy Strings also arose at a time when physical cassettes were long dead, so there really aren’t that many Billy cassettes out there compared to bands like Phish, Grateful Dead, or Widespread Panic.”

One of Hining’s Billy Strings tapes, night 2 of Billy’s March 4, 2023 show at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC. “In contrast to the unplugged, down-to-earth feeling of night 1, night 2 was full of pedal-heavy jams,” said Hining. “It also featured the 38 minute long ‘Meet Me at the Creek - Pyramid Country - Must Be Seven - Meet Me at the Creek,’ one of the few live performances available on Spotify.” 

Above all else, Hining loves and enjoys tape making. Each part of the process brings him gratification and, most importantly, his main motivation: community. 

“I really love how each tape holds a story. From the recording to the handwriting, each cassette feels like it has a deep personal connection to those who made it,” said Hining. “I also want to give a huge thanks to those who have made the archive possible: Staci Hining, Bill Ireland, Mike Hughes, Drew Williardson, as well as to the folks over at Off Brand Supply Co. for inspiring the process.”