"...In his Monopoly-money shirt, nerdy horn-rims, slicked-back hair, and left-handed guitar, Laurence Miller, Ann Arbor rocker - composer - iconoclast - extraordinaire, has found a new niche -- children's music!  Never one to be pigeonholed, Miller has gone through as many personas and musical styles as Madonna.  From his teen years in the band SPROTON LAYER (with brothers Ben and Roger) to the theatrically rich, ultracomplicated music of LARYNX ZILLION'S NOVELTY SHOP, Miller has kept Ann Arbor audiences guessing for a long time.  Now, as Mister laurence, he's out to win the hearts of a new generation!.."

-- October 1999  Kate Conner-Ruben

Fan-Mail: FLAGHORN....

"...The CD is just brilliant, and the accolades you are receiving don't surprise me one bit.  In fact, I am a bit mystified why there is not wider recognition of what you have done.  I put the Flaghorn CD in my Gateway computer and do whatever I have to do in a much better mood than one would predict.  This is your special gift.  What could be better than stimulating kids with happy tunes, interesting words, and, dare we say it, stimulating lessons on life.  This is genius.  And, you still are an influence in rock n' roll.  I am impressed.  Thanks for sharing your talents with a group that needs it so much..."....

-- May 1999  Bob Cashner (New Orleans Icthyologist)

Fan-Mail: FLAGHORN....

"...I have to tell you that I am knocked out by "Flaghorn"!  It is one of the most fun, imaginative pieces I have heard in ages!  A brilliant mixture with touches of the holy trinity: Dr. Seuss, Pee Wee Herman, and Slim Gaillard.  I love the whole concept behind the life-sized Lionel train that runs on burnt toast. The "Sorryland" cut  is just as applicable to adults as it is to kids -- when I was dating this one girl I visited Sorryland so often I should have bought a condo there.  I can envision some kid who in 20 years time becomes a big groundbreaking music star, crediting this CD as an important early influence, and once again it will be in demand!.." ....

-- October 1999 Adrian Wylie (Ann Arbor photographer)

REAL.com ~ Music Review: FLAGHORN....

"...If the subject matter of these songs weren't aimed so pointedly at children, Mister Laurence could be a hit not just with the 2-5 year-olds but also with their older, college-going Indie Rock siblings!..."....

-- May 2000  Music Editor

KIDDIE CORNER ~ Music Review: TUGBOAT TOW....

"...with a decidedly show-biz flare, Mister Laurence charms his audiences both young and old, with his eclectic mix of original songs & stories for kids.  His refreshing approach to children's entertainment pushes the envelope of the mainstream, luring us into a world of sing-song antics, both children AND their caregivers can enjoy!  Original arrangements of such classics as THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER and I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT keep the little ones glued, while his own songs are sophisticated enough to satisfy the most discerning ear!..."....

 -- September 2001  Lyra Vahn

Fan-Mail: BUBBLELAND..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />....

"...Any CD that starts off with a sneeze is nothing to sneeze at - what a great beginning, and Bubbleland rocks!  The couple tracks that have already got to me already off this CD are Little Flower and Paging Mr. Dumpty.  Little Flower is really a beautiful tune, but like many of your songs it seems to have a duality about it - it is simple yet complex, a bit funny and yet poignant, childlike and yet very adult.   I have to say that when I listen to your CDs I never associate your songs with any other children's musician.  The two groups I usually think of are Pink Floyd (although their songs tend to depress in a way that yours never do) and the ultimately fascinating and greatly underrated Beach Boys album "Smiley Smile"..." ....

-- August 2002 Adrian Wylie (Ann Arbor photographer)....

KIDDIE CORNER ~ Music Review: BUBBLELAND....

"...Mister Laurence rides out, into the sunset again!  Only this time he's in the air, floating on a stream of bubbles along with everyone else in the world!  How cool is that?!?  His original songs & stories in this collection are without a doubt the most imaginitive, and highly produced material he's released to date.  When will this lad ever stop!?!..."  ....

-- November 2002  Lyra Vahn....

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ALL MUSIC GUIDE ~ PRESS RELEASE: Laurence Miller 
"...In his children's-music guise Mister Laurence, Laurence Miller aimed to give kids a richer, more challenging musical experience, while still offering the kind of light-hearted fun they expected. It was a long and unpredictable journey for Miller to that musical destination. A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Miller took piano and clarinet lessons as a child, and later taught himself guitar, bass, drums, and accordion. As a teenager, he often played music with his brothers Ben and Roger, collaborating with them in a heavy psychedelic rock band called Sproton Layer. Both Laurence and Ben played in the avant-garde semi-punk rock band Destroy All Monsters (Laurence handled guitar), while Roger went to Boston and led the seminal alternative rock band Mission of Burma. After Destroy All Monsters broke up, Laurence performed off and on with several Michigan bands; he also reunited with Ben and Roger in the '90s for the free-form experimental rock of the trio M-3, and played with the classic-style Detroit rock collective the Empty Set  ( this band description isn't accurate. The Empty Set was initially formed in the mid 80's and at that time we were not a collective, nor classic rock.  Depressed psychedelic bubblegum pop maybe, but not classic rock... )  In 1998, partly inspired by his three daughters, Miller made the switch to children's music, and began performing as Mister Laurence in a variety of local venues: clubs, bookstores, family festivals, local radio and cable TV. His first CD, Flaghorn, was released in the spring of 1999, and as he did on all the follow-ups, Miller played all the instruments on the backing tracks (in his live appearances, he sang along to them karaoke-style). The follow-up Tugboat Tow appeared in the spring of 2000, and was followed by What Goes Up Must Come Down, Vol. 1, a cassette-only compilation of songs from the two existing Mister Laurence albums. In 2001, Miller released The Verge, an hour-long piece of ambient music designed to put kids (and their parents) to sleep. 2002 brought Pancake Heaven, which was soon pulled from stores due to possible September 11 associations; it was re-released as the slightly reconfigured Bubbleland..." ....

-- Spring 2003

CDBaby.com ~ Music Review: FLAGHORN
   (Reissue w/select cuts from Flaghorn & Tugboat Tow)....

"...If Weezer put out a children's album, it'd pretty much sound like this. An ironically pleasing track, titled "Good Manners", mixes a ridiculously silly post-punk attitude into a knee-slapping, foot stomping, sing-a-long encouraging kids to be respectful and courteous to their peers and elders!..."....

-- August 2003 CDBaby.com

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Fan-Mail: PURE GIBBERISH....

"...Pure Gibberish is Pure Genius! Musically complex, meandering, dreamlike and delicate.  Lyrically funny, thought provoking and edgy.  Your choices of incredible sound effects don't seem to be as much for the sake of entertaining as they are springboards that divert the lyrics and music on an unpredictable new direction.  To me it is incredible that you can continue to work at this level...if anything the production has gotten even better with this latest one!..."....

-- January 2004  Adrian Wylie (Ann Arbor photographer)

ANN ARBOR OBSERVER ~ Music Review: PURE GIBBERISH....

"...After having released a massive oeuvre as rock musician, performance artist, and Dad, Ann Arbor-based musician Laurence Miller has found surprising success writing and performing music for kids -- releasing several CD's, performing all over southeast Michigan, and writing song after song.  The music of Mister Laurence ignores many rules of children's music -- such as simplicity, repetition, and not too many big words.  If they didn't know his songs were intended for kids, some neopunk band might cover them.  The CD kicks off with a rollicking welcome by the man in charge, who sounds like a blend of addled great-uncle, psycholinguist, and general goofball.  The title song is a complex ditty fillled with instruction for talking nonsense, filled with unexpected chords, that signature Mister Laurence.  "Jack & Jill's Hill" is a journey into perky surrealism that asks what would happen if that fabled pair just never came back down?  "Sticks N' Stones" starts out like a Bach harpsichord sonata and devolves into a scary, pounding, growling plaint about verbal bullying.  Brave Kinder might well stomp about the living room giving vent to all kinds of feelings when this track plays.  It's like having your own personal giant in the house.  This scary persona of Mister Laurence as monster hurtles back for "Mom and Dad Are Teething": ....

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Mom and Dad are teething, we know it really hurts....

It's difficult at times it seems for them to use their words!....

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"The Typing Train" starts with a story of a magical typewriter and morphs into a kind of Laurie Anderson-ish trance song. It's both charming and cool.  I personally would very much like to see Mister Laurence in a smoky bar, wearing his play-money shirt and singing his children's songs to a horde of gin-soaked art students.  At the end of the night, he'd croon a lullaby, their eyes would slide shut, and their dyed heads would slowly fall to their chests..." ....

-- February 2004  Kate Conner-Ruben

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ANN ARBOR CURRENT ~ Music Review: MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE....

"...Not everybody can make music that kids of all ages will like, but Ann Arbor townie Mister Laurence, a.k.a. Laurence Miller, does.  A stylish, enigmatic performer whose Community Television Network videos are filled with neatly cropped suits and mannequins, Laurence engages the audience in a pastel universe where the edges are neatly defined in a crisp, almost cartoonish way.  Performing on a variety of instruments and using pre-recorded music, Miller calls his imaginary group The Play Money Band.  A live concert at The Detroit Zoo serves as the foundation for this record. The wild animal sounds of "Bubbleland" recreate the zoo atmosphere of the concert.  It's goofy premise of catching a ride on a bubble is the kind of thing kids can relate to. His techno-shuffle version of "I'm a Little Teapot" is reminiscent of the fluffy teenage British pop from the 1960s (think Herman's Hermits). "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" shows an '80s influence with its fluty bridges pulling the tune together like a spider web. Most people can identify with "The Pouting Song" which speaks about being grumpy because it's raining, while never losing hope that the day will get brighter. Mister Laurence is the kind of performer who celebrates that innocent time free of the hustle of modern life.  His hook is his oddness.  Play this record for any kid, and if they aren't jaded yet, they'll find themselves singing along..."....

-- December 2004  PT Quinn

"CHILDREN'S MUSIC THAT ROCKS" NYC Librarian Blog ~ Music Review: RECESS FOREVER

"...There's a musical legend living in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, R. Stevie Moore, who pretty much invented the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) ethic in the late 60's, early 70's.  Since that time, he has recorded literally hundreds of cassette tapes, vinyl LPs, and CDs, all chock full of his off-kilter yet brilliantly perfect pop compositions, writing, playing, recording, and producing everything himself.....

Tucked away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is Laurence Bond Miller, aka MISTER LAURENCE, the children's music version of R. Stevie Moore. Since 1999 Miller has released five CDs, Flaghorn, Tugboat Tow, Bubbleland, Pure Gibberish, and Recess Forever!, with another, Marmaline, to be released soon.  I can't recommend one CD over another, so browse Mr. L's witty, silly website and check out the awesomeness of individual tracks like "Bubbleland", "Recess Forever", "Is There an Echo in the Room?", "Little Flower", "Jack 'N' Jill's Hill", and the Zen sentiments of "The Sky is in the Sky!" and "We Won't Be Afraid" (even if we are afraid / We won't be afraid).....

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The only group who comes close to his combination of inventiveness and quirkiness is They Might Be Giants, who would be well advised to team up with Mister Laurence and create the greatest Kid's album ever.  Hey, it could happen!..."....

-- August 2006   Warren Truitt  (Children's Librarian in the Donnell Central Children's Room of The New York Public Library)