On The Horizon
Well, no one is surprised to know that I’m really bad at maintaining this site. However, I’ve just added a whole bunch of dates between now and the end of March, 2024. Now, I could give you all some big load of hooey about “big things coming,” (I see that’s what my last post said….in April…of 2022), but the reality is, there’s always something brewing over here at MNMHQ, and it’s always exciting. For me, at least. So let me tell you about it:
In 2021 I was lucky enough to meet a great group of guys from a band called More More More. As you all know, I’ve been fronting that group ever since and I absolutely LOVE it. I was built for this band. When I began with them, we were an 80s tribute, but the thing is, there are a LOT of 80s tributes out there, and it was getting hard to make a mark. We had a lineup change along the way, and thought it might be a good time to re-evaluate. So, recently, we made the decision to expand our musical horizons and add in some 90s and 2000s music. We call it “The Naughties”. You’ll still hear all of your 80s favorites, but now it will be supplemented with great rock tunes from those later decades. Things couldn’t be better with that band, and I’m really excited about what’s coming next. Watch this space for gig announcements and other tidbits.
In 2020, during the pandemic, I got a lot of calls for trio work. It was the first time I ever had to step up and be the sole guitar player in a band; rhythm, lead, the whole nine. I was hesitant at first, and more than a little nervous, but I enjoyed it and I’ve kept it up, and I like to think I’ve gotten better and more confident. The years since saw me play in that format with increasing frequency, and last year I was able to secure a couple of monthly trio gigs. It was never a formal arrangement, so I would always just call some guys and see who was open for it. I’m lucky and grateful to say that I have a large stable of players to choose from, and we all know more or less the same music. I am very fortunate to be able to tell you that the places where I do trio work most always ask me back. They like me, and they know that whoever’s with me, it will be a quality product. I’ve even done a few 4 pieces recently. Well, it’s time to bite the bullet. So, I present to you, “Mike Newberry & the Availables.” You may have seen some posts in the past few weeks on my social media pages advertising this group. It’s me, and whomever is available. And it’s an absolute blast. You’ll see a lot of familiar faces and hear a lot of great music. I look forward to expanding our reach and seeing you out there.
WAY back in the 1900s, when I was in college the first time, I started a band called Concrete Prophet. We fancied ourselves Prog Metal, but we weren’t really. That group ran it’s course, but I never really lost touch with the guys. When I released “Histrionics” last year, I started exploring the heavier side of my writing. I’m not a talented enough guitarist to play what I hear in my head, so I enlisted the talents of several of my friends, who happen to be stunning players, and had tremendous results. After that record came out (thanks to all who supported) I continued with the heavy stuff and wrote some killer tunes. I’m still not good enough to play what I hear in my head, so once again, I began looking to my amazing musical community. The first two guys I enlisted were Kevin Boenning and Michael Passen, which whom I started Concrete Prophet. We put together an AMAZING track called “The Future is Burning.” Concrete Prophet had it’s day, so we wanted a fresh start. As such, we went with the name Ashweather - which is actually the name of a character in a book by Brandon Sanderson, my favorite author. (We did a cover gig under this name right before the world shut down, but our collective heart has always been original music.) Ashweather released The Future Is Burning in June, our cover of Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) in October. You should check both out if you haven’t already. Ashweather is already working on new music, and we’re excited for you to hear it. It’s heavy, it’s exciting, it’s - dare I say - bitchin’. As always, watch this space for more information.
I think that’s it for now. I’ve just added a reminder in my phone to keep this stuff updated a little more. Will it work? Signs point to “no,” but what’s the worst that can happen? Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all out there. Please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and be good humans.
