From All Ages to All Heart: How I Got Involved and My Journey with ODP
- Mickey Miller
- Aug 18, 2025
- 8 min read
I have been asked by so many to write a blog on how I got started with ODP, so today felt like the day to tell my story and to let people know what ODP was about and why it mattered to so many, including myself.
I got involved with ODP (2009)because one day I was telling Damien how I wished I could be a booking agent or put on concerts. That’s when he told me about how he started Obscurrus Diem Productions back in October of 1986 in Detroit. They created it so people who weren’t old enough to get into bars or venues could have somewhere to go to see bands. Then he said the magic words, “We could bring it back.” And that was it. He had me hooked. From that moment on, Obscurrus Diem Productions was alive again. The kids eventually started calling it ODP instead of the full name and it stuck.
ODP wasn’t a big company with staff and funding. It was just me and Damien. We were the booking, the set up, the tear down, the sound engineer, the lights, the door people, and the security. For years, it was just the two of us managing everything. Eventually my kids Roo, Skylar, and Kira stepped in to help, and some of the ODP kids and my friends pitched in as well, running the door or helping with set up. Kids like Adam Rhode became Damien’s right-hand man, always helping with setup, until he went on to start his career. Chris McCauly, Dakota, and Kennedy were also there when needed. There are too many to name who impacted ODP. Some of these kids even hung out at our house, their parents knew where to find them. My kids and theirs would be watching High School Musical or Camp Rock and singing along together.
From the very beginning, ODP was about giving bands a stage and fans the opportunity to see their favorites at a very low price, like $5-$10 low. We brought in local and Michigan favorites like Seaside Lucha, Hollywood Vampires (later Death of the Party), Story Book, Before Color, Act As One, Doogie, Midwest Skies, Memories of a Murder, Broadway, Famous Last Words, Corpus Christi, Ryan Dunson who was all over MTV with his band Rookie of the Year in 2006 became family, Star City Meltdown, Words Like Daggers, Hold Close, Bad Case Of Big Mouth, Crunkasaurus Rex, Live for Tomorrow, Arescyn, Destination Morgue, Skarkazm, Joshua Prior, Hot Mulligan (who are now huge) For the Fallen Dreams,Versus the Ocean, Everyday TRAGEDY, Theatre Breaks Loose, HeartSick, and so many others, these are the ones off the top of my head. Some of these bands played here multiple times, and some were signed to indie labels. I even went further and brought in bands from Victory Records, Rise Records, Pure Noise, Sony and Tooth and Nails records like These Hearts, The Bunny the Bear, My Ticket Home, Belmont, Survive This! The Paramedic, I Set My Friends on Fire, Courage My Love, The Animal In Me, Icon For Hire, SayWeCanFly and Hawthorne Heights. The Michigan bands got to share the stage with these National Recording Artist. It didn’t matter if I wasn’t into the music, every band deserved the chance to play, and I made sure they were taken care of, whether that was paying them, providing a place to stay, feeding them or cheering them on.
I’ll never forget the first time I booked Hawthorne Heights at the Kaliseum upstairs. I had barely sold any presale tickets and I was so nervous because this band was costing me a lot of money on top of renting the room. As doors opened, just a few people trickled in and my stomach dropped. I thought I had made a huge mistake. But then over 400 people poured in from as far as the Upper Peninsula. I couldn’t believe my eyes. All that anxiety melted away into pure relief and joy. People were watching the opening band Vifolly, and little did they know that their drummer, Shaun Foist, would go on to play for Breaking Benjamin. That moment really drove home how DIY we were, how much it all meant to me, and how these shows and other DIY shows became a launchpad for talent. Later, JT Woodruff, the singer of Hawthorne Heights, contacted us because he wanted to do an acoustic show while he was trout fishing in the area. We had him perform at the park for all the kids, and they got to watch him play for free, acoustically, including songs they’d never heard before. It was magic.
From there, ODP grew into award shows, small festivals, and charity events that really brought the community together. Kids voted for everything: Best Band, Best Guitarist, Best Drummer, Best Bassist, Best Vocalist. We even had a Best Festival award, which went to Kevin Lyman, founder of Vans Warped Tour. He sent us a thank-you video that made the kids feel like they were part of something bigger. Bands played in between award announcements, and we surprised the fans by not telling them who was going to play. Our Hall of Fame inducted bands like Act As One, and at our second awards show, my friend Stormy Deal, daughter of Mick Mars of Motley Crue, came out to talk to the kids and be part of the scene. Somehow it made us all feel connected to something bigger then just a local show.
ODP also had the amazing opportunity to be vendors at Vans Warped Tour for a few years. That experience gave the kids, the bands, and even myself a connection to the larger music world. It was another way to show how our little community in Northern Michigan could be part of something so much bigger.
Some of the special events that made ODP unforgettable include Christmas charity concerts and lock-ins. They would start at 6 PM with bands performing until 11. Those not attending the lock-in would leave, and then the lock-in would begin with more bands, cellphone karaoke, ODP musical chairs (yes, moshing involved), human hungry hippos on skateboards, and staying up all night with music, fun, and movies until 6 or 7 in the morning. Kids under 18 had to have permission slips signed, and they weren’t allowed to leave unless a parent came to get them. Other events included our Suicide Awareness show, Battle of the Fans, Punkfest, Summer’s End Fest, fundraiser concerts for bands like Daryl from These Hearts when he was battling a rare form of cancer, Troutzillafest which happens the last weekend in April during the National Trout Festival, and our one time event MORP, our alternative dance for kids who couldn’t afford their school dances or meet the dress code requirements. We initially started it for Kalkaska students, but soon kids from other school districts reached out asking if they could attend, including a pregnant teen who couldn’t go to her own dance. That’s when I decided to open it to everyone, with food, music, and a king and queen crown.
ODP was never about money. I may be old school, but I believe in the music. Bands deserve to be paid for their jobs because some of them depend on it. I am not into selling tickets just to play, pay-to-play, or buy-ons. Sometimes it needs to happen and I get that, but in my heart and soul it’s always about the music. Music is universal. It brings people together, it heals, and it never leaves. I’ve worked with huge bands and bands just starting out. I’ve made friends who turned into family in the music industry. I know some of the biggest managers and booking agents, and I know musicians who now play in packed arenas and festivals. And it all started because Damien gave me the chance to live my dream and join ODP. I owe him the most for this. There is so much I could say about ODP and the almost 17 years of being a part of it. I could probably write a book about my experiences, my love for the bands, and all those kids — now adults — and even though I may not be doing a lot of shows anymore, I still stand by my words: if you’re in it for the money, you’re doing it all wrong.
Eventually, things changed. As the kids grew up, attendance slowed. I shifted ODP to shows geared toward adults, bringing in bands like Liliac, Tantric, John Corabi,and Derek St. Holmes, as well as Independent artist like Mick Blankenship. We sold out shows, and it was amazing, but then The Fireball Lounge (Up North Grill) was sold. I lost not only the venue, but a place my dad and oldest son had helped remodel, a place filled with over 20 years of memories. Watching it torn down — now a Taco Bell sits there — that broke me emotionally.
Covid hit in 2020 just after our sold-out Tantric show at Up North Grill. And that hit us hard. That is when I joined NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) along with many other independent venues and promoters. We tried making it work after everything opened back up, but places like Up North Grill, being a restaurant as well, took big losses. The owner grew tired and wanted to sell — and he did.
I tried hosting shows at Railroad Square Pavilion in downtown Kalkaska. Some went well, some didn’t, but it just wasn’t the same. It didn’t have that home feeling or the sense of belonging that ODP had always offered. Then Damien joined a band and started playing out all the time, leaving me to handle everything — booking, setup, tear down, sound, lights, door, and security — I would mostly have to do it alone, if I could even find someone to run sound because that alone is costly. That’s when I realized I just couldn’t keep running shows on my own.
Would I do show again? Absolutely. Would I have a venue in little old Kalkaska? Yes. Could I book huge national bands? Yes. But all of that takes money, the right space, and the support of the community to make it happen. That’s the reality. ODP has always been about heart, not profit. We have lost more money than we have in our entire lives being DIY and doing it on our own, but it was worth every smile on a fans face, it was worth bands saying they had an amazing time and they wanted to come back.
Even though I don’t put on shows as often as I used to, the heart of ODP is alive. I’m working on doing an EMO PROM for the elder emos in the area, carrying on the tradition we started — a fun, inclusive, music-filled celebration open to everyone. I’m also working on Troutzillafest 2026, the 15th year of the festival. My hope is to bring in a national act that the old ODP kids will want to see, and the older adults would like to see, almost like a reunion. And a little birdie told me we may even be returning to the fairgrounds, full circle in so many ways and giving that same sense of home we cherished for so many years.
My dream has always been to work with bands. I love the behind-the-scenes part of the industry just like some people love being on stage. Don’t get me wrong, everyone knows I love concerts and live to be up front against the barricade, but that connection of working behind the scenes is special. Believe me, I wish it was my full-time job — concerts and behind-the-scenes work are my biggest dreams. Hey, a 56-year-old rocker can still dream!
ODP taught me that music isn’t just sound; it’s community, it’s love, it’s memories, and it’s the stage where dreams take flight. To all of you who were part of ODP, whether on stage, helping set up, volunteering at the door, or just coming to see a show, thank you. Thank you for letting me be your music mom, for letting me witness your growth, and for trusting me with the magic of these experiences. I love each and every one of you with all my heart. Who knows what the future holds, maybe ODP will be in next years Trout Fest Parade, maybe ODP will return bigger and better. This is not the end of our story at all. Stay tuned because I have more stories tell, more memories to make and a lifetime of music to go!
Peace, Love and Loud Music ✌🏼🎵
Mickey
Always nice seeing your life unfold after all these years Mickey, and knowing where you started from. Great person to have known and watch be involved in lives and Music and what you have done for so many.