Now available from this site is a 10 track performance recorded at the legendary Station Inn on 10/12 as part of the Sunday Night Shout! residency in Nashville, TN.
This was the opening night of the second batch of weekly shows and truly captures the live expericence with Mike and the Roseland Rhythm Revue. The subsequent shows are being recorded for an eventual "official" live album but this is a great snapshot that really makes you feel like you are there.
The Mountain Stage peformance on NPR is now available on the net. This 4 song performance was recorded in July and features The McCrary Sisters as well as the Mountain Stage band. Click on the hyperlink and check it out!
09.19.08AMA Awards performance!
Mike Farris' performance of "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" from last night's Americana Music Awards:
09.18.08AMAs!
Mike Farris took home the award for "Best New Emerging Artist" tonight at the Americana Music Awards in Nashville!
07.31.08Gibson Guitar feature - Gospel Music for Beer Drinkers: Mike Farris, the Blind Boys, Mavis Staples, and Ry Cooder
Check out this great feature! Written by Ted Drozdowski who's in a cool band here in town called The Scissormen
Gospel Music for Beer Drinkers: Mike Farris, the Blind Boys, Mavis Staples, and Ry Cooder
Delta singer-guitarist Son House felt the lines of blues and gospel should never blur. Playing a juke joint on Saturday night and heading straight for the pulpit on Sunday morning got plenty of musicians, including House, run out of Southern towns. Ray Charles, for one, was a controversial figure early in his career when he began to experiment with gospel vocal techniques and driving rhythmsinventing rhythm & blues.
But today, many decades later, there’s a new breed of gospel performersome with a deep history in the genrewho is making spiritual music specifically for bars and concert halls. And they’re well loved by believers and non-believers alike.
Among the leaders are veteran gospelers the Blind Boys of Alabama and Mavis Staples, as well as gospel newcomer Mike Farrisformer frontman for rockers the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies.
Fans of the Wheelies may be surprised by Farris’ current path, which runs far from that outfit’s Southern boogie rock. Although the singer’s still based in Nashville, the music on his recent Salvation in Lights has its roots in the traditional sacred music of New Orleans and Memphisroots planted by the likes of gospel diva Mahalia Jackson and spiritual songwriter Thomas A. Dorsey. But Farris’ update of this classic sound owes as much to the influence of Stax Records and Al Green’s Hi label. It’s gospel music that, like Charles’ early R&B smashes, has plenty of secular grind.
Backed by a dynamic band front-loaded with horns and the supporting vocals of Ann McCrary, whose father founded cornerstone modern gospel group the Fairfield Four, Farris purrs and powers through both traditional numbers and his own songs. In the Wheelies, and later fronting Stevie Ray Vaughan’s former rhythm section Double Trouble, Farris struggled to overcome addictions that had threatened his life, suffering his first near fatal overdose before he was 21. He sought his salvation through the church and Jesus, and in part has found it in his music.
The Blind Boys of Alabama have been at this considerably longer: since 1939, when the group began at a segregated state school for the blind. But it wasn’t until the folk movement of the ’60s that they began to perform for white audiences at festivals and clubs. And it wasn’t until the late 1980s that they became a significant secular concert draw in their own right.
Over the past decade their popularity has been enhanced by collaborations with Tom Waits, Ben Harper, Peter Gabriel, Allen Toussaint, and other music glitterati, to the extent that they won the Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album from 2002 through 2005. It’s hard to beat their gorgeous harmonies, from the rumbling bass of original founder Clarence Fountain to the high, wailing tenor of Jimmy Carter.
The latest album by this American musical institution is Down in New Orleans, generally a returnafter some experimentation with more rock and pop style arrangements on recent albums to their classic testifying spiritual style.
And then there’s Mavis Staples, who’s been straddling the spiritual and secular worlds of music nearly since the start of her career. That was back in 1950 when she joined her father Roebuck “Pops” Staples’ family group, the Staple Singers, at age 11 and sang leads on such beatific gospel gemstones as “Uncloudly Day” and “I’m Coming Home.”
In the ’60s the Staple Singers became champions of the Civil Rights Movement and signed with Stax Records. Mavis made her first solo album for the label in 1969. At Stax, the Staple Singers wrote positive, spiritually based numbers that also translated to pop music fans. And in the early ’70s that approach paid off when “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself,” and a string of others became crossover smashes.
Several albums for Prince’s Paisley Park label in the mid-’90s put Mavis back in the spotlight. Her neo/trad soul workout Have a Little Faith on the Alligator blues label in 2004 made her a beloved figure in the Americana music scene, and her recent We’ll Never Turn Back has cemented her reputation with that supportive audience and other modern roots music lovers.
Staples’ gravel-edged incendiary voice still has all of its fire, smoke, and spirit, applied on her new album to both classic freedom songs and new tunes she and roots guitar king Ry Cooder co-wrote. Supported by Cooder’s dirty guitar and the drumming of studio legend Jim Keltner and Cooder’s son Joachim, Staples huskily evokes the days of Jim Crow in the autobiographical “Down in Mississippi” and “My Own Eyes.” “99 and ½” gets updated, as Staples sings of the racially based neglect that allowed Hurricane Katrina to devastate New Orleans. Like Farris’ Salvation in Lights and the Blind Boys’ Down in New Orleans, although rooted in history, this album’s themes and passion are timeless.
See the feature on line: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/gospel-music-for-beer-drinkers/
07.10.08Facebook
Mike is now a part of Facebook. Come by and be his friend!
www.facebook.com
07.06.08New Shout! newsletter out
The new Shout is out! To get Mike's e-newsletter click on Mailing List on the above menu bar. If you need this month's copy, email [email protected]
Also, don't miss the Summer Blow Out Sale.
Salvation in Lights only $9.99
Posters - $5.00 - only a few Hatch Show Prints left!
Mike & The Roseland Rhythm Revue take to Bonnaroo's Troo Stage at 5:20pm today!
06.12.08AMA awards!
Mike Farris has been nominated for an AMA award for New Emerging Artist of the Year!
Winners will be announced on September 18 at the 7th Annual Americana Music Association's Honors and Awards Show, to be held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
06.08.08Strawberry Festival photos
Check out these great Mike Farris photos from the recent Strawberry Festival gig! Thanks to Don Dowell for sharing!
06.07.08Mike Farris makes his live debut at the Ryman!
Check out these photos from Marty Stuart's Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium, where Mike performed with Kenny Vaughan:
fromNashville Scene: BONNAROO FOREPLAY: CATCH EM HERE Cant make it to Bonnaroo this year? Too poor? Case of the Dust Bowl Blues? Well get your Roo fix in Nashville with these artists before they ship out to Manchester. Led by female vocalist and bassist Carol Young, Grammy-nominees The Greencards use superior singing and playing ability to produce a tight, down-home sound (4 p.m. June 7 at CMA Fan Fairs Chevy Stage). Mike Farris proves that white boys can bring the Southern soul. Either band-backed or solo-acoustic, Farris vocals demand attention and rattle with sermonizing potency (9 p.m. June 8 at Station Inn). Lez Zeppelinwait, dont you mean Led Zeppelin? No, Google, we didnt. Were talking about the all-female, Manhattan-based group ripping through Zeppelin covers with a feminine mystique (8 p.m. June 11 at Mercy Lounge; Roo ticket holders only).
06.04.08Peter Cooper's CMA Music Festival picks
June 4 - Marty Stuart's Late Night Jam has the look of a potential show-of-the-year. Any concert featuring Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives is a ride through sharp country, lonesome blues and bluegrass and propulsive rock 'n' roll, and the Late Night Jam finds Stuart and his guys joined by a bevy of remarkable performers. On a bill that includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Gretchen Wilson, John Rich, Kathy Mattea (her Coal album is splendid), Sunny Sweeney and the Charlie Daniels Band, look for Mike Farris to be the surprise of the evening for most ticket-holders. Farris and his ever-soulful howl have a way of taking over a room, and he'll be performing songs from his remarkable Salvation In Lights album. The Jam takes place at 10 p.m. at the Ryman Auditorium, and tickets ($29.50 and $39.50) are available at the Ryman box office, at Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 615-255-9600.
05.19.08Sunday Night Shout continues through June!
Check out this great photo of Mike Farris fan Anika Hill singing "Sit Down Servant" with Mike at Sunday Night Shout! on May 18, 2008!
05.19.08Free Mike Farris download!
Be sure to visit www.freeccm.com this month to get a free download from Mike Farris!
Also, check out the new single "I'm Gonna Get There" just added to Mike's Myspace player!
05.16.08Buy your tickets for Marty Stuart's Late Night Jam!
05.15.08Live video from WNCW Studio B
Head over to the Mike Farris video page to check out some great live videos from Mike's in-studio set at WNCW's Studio B with Martin Anderson, May 9, 2008.
Sunday Night Shout! at the Station Inn in Nashville has been such a huge success that we're going to keep it going through the month of May! Sunday nights, 7pm. Admission is FREE. Mike & the band, plus special guests!
04.17.08Ian MacLagan digs Mike Farris...
"I caught Mike Farris' show at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville recently and was blown away by his soulful vocals. He reminded me of a young Steve Marriott as much for his vocals, as his size and stage presence. Such energy must not go unrewarded." - Ian MacLagan
04.10.08Sunday Night Shout kicks off with a bang!
Sunday Shout at the Station Inn launched to a packed house! Mike & The Roseland Revue hit the stage with a bang and kept the crowd lifted for the next hour. Special guest Jimmy Hall graced us with his presence singing "Wade In The Water" and "Keep On Smilin'," a Wet Willie Classic!
Mike & The Roseland Revue will be back at the Station Inn again this Sunday night with more special guests. Please join us!
04.06.08Raleigh show postponed
Unfortunately, this Thursday's show (April 10) in Raleigh at the Berkeley Cafe has been postponed. Refunds available at point of purchase.
04.03.08"The Stunning Mike Farris..." at Tin Pan South
"With acclaimed SXSW performances still lingering in the collective hipster consciousness, Mike Farris quite literally stunned the audience."
02.26.08Grab your Mike Farris widget now and help spread the word!
Mike Farris Widgets
Please show your support for Mike Farris! Add this widget to your MySpace or other web pages and get events, news, video and more, right at your fingertips! Click 'grab it' now.
"By late last year, seems like Mike Farris' name was coming up all the time — with casual fans, the guy who used to play drums in the Marshall Tucker Band, in glowing words from Marty Stuart and Buddy Miller ("Mike Farris has enough heart, soul and power to light up a city," was Miller's official statement on the matter, while Stuart called Farris "a star").
It's inspiring to hear so many people with glowing things to say about something, especially when that thing is too gritty and hard to define for flavor-of-the-month status. But it's more inspiring to hear Farris sing. He's one of the most dynamic, convincing talents to emerge from Nashville in years, and his Salvation in Lights album sounds like the gospel truth."
- Peter Cooper, Staff writer
02.08.08Listen to Mike's WPLN Interview!
In case you missed it, the good folks over at WPLN have archived Mike's interview from yesterday. Listen on the WPLN web site!
02.07.08New merch!
New t-shirts are here! Head over to the Mike Farris store to check them out. Additionally, you'll find a limited edition concert poster (first in the series), and information on how to get some Mike Farris ringtones for your cell phone!
02.04.08Limited Edition Concert Poster for sale...
Very limited quantities - when they're gone, they're gone! Head over to the Mike Farris store and check it out!
For those who have not yet subscribed to "Shout!," the Mike Farris newsletter, we've just archived past issues, so you can see what you've been missing! View the archived issues here
Sponsorship Opportunities are now available. Sponsoring an artist like Mike Farris is a great way to align your company with a unique emerging artist, reach a loyal audience and foster goodwill with your potential clients! Visit the Sponsorship Opportunities page for more information.
02.01.08Upcoming shows!
Feb. 7 - Atlanta at Smith's Olde Bar
Feb 8 - Nashville at Mercy Lounge
Atlanta show marks Mike's first performance here in at least 5 years. This is an intimate solo acoustic show, highlighting the range and subtleties of Mike's amazing vocal power.
Nashville show features the Roseland Rhythm Revue, Mike's 10pc band, which will include the McCrary Sisters. This show will also feature guitar great Audley Freed!
01.31.08The dates are rollin' in...
Make sure y'all are checking the tour page regularly. Dates are continuing to roll in! Newest additions include Charlotte, Spartanburg, SC, and Marietta, IL. Check the Mike Farris tour dates page for more details.
01.20.08Mike on Great American Country tonight!
Check out Mike on Great American Country's "The Edge of Country" tonight!!
AIRDATES
01.20.08 - 11:00 PM ET
01.21.08 - 3:00 AM ET
01.25.08 - 5:00 PM ET
01.16.08GMC Insider calls for the music industry to take notice of Mike Farris!
"What are we going to do with Mike Farris? And by we, I mean the music industry gatekeepers and those responsible for making sure great music gets to the masses. There are those who have already embraced this cause with zeal, but there are some who have yet to come to the party and it’s those folks that I’d like to light a fire under! (Attention Christian radio programmers: Are you catching a whiff of smoke?)"
