Miguel

Welcome back! Or should I say welcome for the first time - as this is the first of many blogs penned by me (Michael).

First up, a lot of you have been asking me when our next Brisbane show is. We are performing every night from December 20-23 with our circus show "Miguel, Lady Torpedo and the Big Swing Brothers" followed by a Miguel set - part of the Christmas Tights program. Details will be posted on facebook and the website real soon!

The next logical question to answer would be - what have we been doing?

Let's take care of the immediate: We're going into the studio next week to record a 7 track EP - a brand new recording for the band featuring new tracks and a new sound! Well... same same but different if you know what I mean. Don't worry, you won't be hearing jazz covers of manky pop tunes! This is an original recording. At the helm of our recording is the bass player/producer Paulie B (Beautiful Girls and george). Can't wait - rhythm section records next week.

Now to the other story of 2010..

After a very busy 2009 full of club dates, festivals and touring, 2010 has been a year of re-grouping in a few ways:

Firstly, Chloe our manager left at the end of 2009 to take up a position of programming manager at Woodford Folk Festival, we wish her well and missed her terribly - so lucky me took over the managing of Miguel... which could possibly explain the first 6 months of 2010 being so quiet!

Managing isn't a job I enjoy, nor am particularly good at.. This period (Jan-June) left me thinking seriously about the future of the band and where Miguel and myself are headed, pretty unique place to be! You see it also coincided with my first year without Doch (my previous band) who disbanded after 10yrs of touring, recording etc.

Cue period of intense introspection! I know this sounds cliched and boring but it's exactly what happened and I think it was kind of necessary.

I'm sure you all know what usually happens in these times so I'll skip the patter of rain, furrowed brow and coffee stained diary entries to the main realisations:

1. I can't live without the trumpet for any period of time (well dah).

2. Not writing music leads to insanity.

3. Pizza shapes are not real food.

Sure there were a couple of others but these are at the top of the list.

And I added a couple of things:

1. Swimming.

2. Playing guitar.

Then in June I met Wendy Avilov - a music manager I had worked with the year before while touring with a classical brass quartet (that was during all my free time in 2009 ha ha!). Wendy had listen to our CD and immediately called me on her way home from our first meeting (she listened to it in the car); said, "I love it, let's get started". BAM!

So this last 6 months (July to now) we've been re-grouping and planning and I've been writing new music which now importantly includes some influences from the 60's and a beautiful guitar sound (wait till you hear it!). And of course - the recording of our new EP due for release in early 2011.

Recently we also played the Caloundra music festival alongside Time Finn, Jimmy Barnes and John Stevens (pictures here). And also played at the Ausfolk Conference up at Woodford by the invitation of Bill Hauritz. Both of these gigs were AMAZING. Pics here.

I especially want to mention a fella I met up at the Ausfolk conference (dodgy footage here) - I spoke on a panel one evening with a bunch of music business bigwigs and afterwards was bailed up by a very well known music agent from Sydney called John.

John came and spoke to me after the panel about a few things, all of which were exactly what I needed to hear. Most of all he said - "This is a marathon, not a sprint. Set your goals, stick to your guns and don't give up." Knocked me for 6, I've thought about those words every week since.

So we're back, I'm back and we're not going anywhere... well there's a national tour but you know what I mean. Thanks for your patience and support - I'm very much looking forward to seeing you all soon.

xx Michael