Guitar Mikey CD Release Party at Ground Zero
Clarksdale Press Register - November 6th, 2007
Wednesday November 7th at 8PM will be the release party for Guitar Mikey And The Real Thing’s new album “Jam Zero I”.
Clarksdale’s most recent music acquisition; Guitar Mikey is coming out in his new home town on fire. “Guitar Mikey is really raising the bar around here, both with his professionalism and musical innovation”,according to many locals, musicians and otherwise.
Since Guitar Mikey’s high impact at this year’s Juke Joint Festival, he has become a regular fixture at Ground Zero Blues Club. Part of that has been as a host for the Thursday Jams where he has been attracting friends like blues diva Nellie “Tiger” Travis to come and sit in. Drummer/Producer Eric Fowler (who plays with Mikey) began recording some of the Pre-Festival jams and GZBC and now it has evolved to the first of a potential series of CDs.
“Jam Zero I”, the first in the series will feature Clarksdale’s own Daddy Rich, Texas harp player Cheryl Arena and Nellie “Tiger” Travis. Ms. Travis originally hailing from Mound Bayou, MS has been a high profile fixture in Chicago for years. Mikey began his musical connection with Nellie while living in Chicago in the late 90s; often sharing Nellie’s stage at Chicago’s Kingston Mines. Mikey included Nellie in a blues review that traveled as far a Dallas Texas. This past June Mikey was invited to join Nellie on the main stage of the Chicago Blues Festival. “Nellie is not a blues belter”, Mikey says. “Her smokey voice is truly soulful with an allure to trap any ears connected to a musical heart. It is always a pleasure to see her perform and a thrill to perform with her.”
Mikey plans to continue bringing friends from Chicago and other places to continue feeding this music series.
Y’all are invited to help celebrate the new efforts by The Real Thing on Wednesday, November 7th. Ground Zero will be alive with the fascinating show and jaw dropping guitar licks that you can always expect from Guitar Mikey to really connect you to the blues. See you There!
National Release is tentatively slated for December 1st but pre-release copies can be purchased through at TheRealThing.com or at the release party itself.
Charlie Moore - Clarksdale Press Register - April 18th, 2007
For several months now, I have talked with Stone (Ellis) about starting a section of the paper dedicated to entertainment, especially with the increasing number of new artists that are migrating to the Delta for the slow-paced charm of the south and, of course to be in the Mecca of where it all began.
Most local people are aware of the musicians who play here on a regular basis; but over the weekend, many of our guests I spoke with, read the Clarksdale Press Register via the internet.
This leads me to believe that the entertainment section will give fans of the Delta blues worldwide, a way to access what's going on in "Bluesville" year 'round.
So I landed at the front door of Bluesberry Café to check out one of our newest transplants, and do I have some bad news for those of you that missed what I witnessed Friday night in downtown Clarksdale a packed house, four guys from Boston, thunder and lightning and a chilly rain. Say, can it get any bluer?!?
Well, the thunderstorm and lightning show outside held no candle as to what went on inside. Inside was "on" - Guitar Mikey and The Real Thing.
From the first chord of the opening number to the last encore and standing ovation, the entire room was totally mesmerized.
This was nothing short of a jaw-drop- ping, heart-pounding, in-yer-face-blues, never before heard by my ears or anyone else in our musical mecca in several years.
As a musician myself I am not easily impressed by bands, whether it be rock, blues, country or any label that fits the bill.
I was told these guys were exactly what the band's name implies - "The Real Thing."
Now, three days later, I still can't believe what I heard.
The show at the Bluesberry Cafe was a reunion, the band not having played together since Mike and wife Pamela moved here in 2006.
The Real Thing consisted of drummer Steve Sasso, keyboards Mark Yacovone, bass player John Allouise and THE man himself, Mikey McMillan.
Most three or four piece bands sound like something is always missing - horns, another guitar or percussion. But with this quartet, I caught myself looking around to see where the other two or three members were. The sound was so full and balanced - absolutely incredible!!!
It is very hard for any band playing in a small room to get a full, balanced sound at low volume. Seems there is always some one too loud or too soft.
Not in this case.
Guitar Mikey and The Real Thing seemed to have built-in sound technicians in their heads. Without fail and through the entire evening, the band performed with the roar of a lion and the whisper of an angel - the most dynamically controlled artists I've heard in a long time.
Mike has also been deemed one of the best slide players around, and, I must say, I momentarily had my doubts until he brought out his "Dan Electro" and, without a doubt, the comment given Mikey by Paul Butterfield could not have been more precise.
Mike is also very accomplished in the style of playing what some call traditional Delta blues, where a slide/finger picking technique is used. Many have tried to copy this, but few can do it with the finesse that Mike has achieved through the years.
All evening, lick after lick, song after song, the crowd cheered, the people danced and jaws dropped in sheer amazement. Clarksdale got a taste of "The Real Thing" a blues musician second to none - and in my humble opinion probably the next legendary artist about whom we can proudly say, "Guitar Mikey? Yes, he's from Clarksdale."
Check out Guitar Mikey and The Real Thing online at www.TheRealThing.com.
Charlie Moore is a lifelong resident of Clarksdale. He graduated from Clarksdale High School, and he is aho a musician as well as music critic.
Clarksdale Press Register - December 2006
Canadian blues artist Guitar Mikey has moved to Clarksdale. One might think it because of the music but actually, he and his wife and Manager, Pamela chose tp leave his ever building presence in Boston to join this community offering a general better quality of life;
"The fact that Clarksdale has such a prestigious music history and continuing culture was just icing on the cake," Mikey said. "We chose to live here because the people are so friendly and we love the pace."
Guitar Mikey has been playing, singing and writing blues since the age of 10. By 11 years of age, he was sneaking back stage to hang out with heroes like Muddy Waters. Earning a modest income by the age of 16 playing clubs while attending high school, he built a reputation in Canada and an on-again/off-again partnership with the late Richard Newell, aka King Biscuit Boy. In his late twenties, Mikey signed a seven year contract with A&M records, only to step down from his full time pursuit of music in 1993. Like many of his peers he subsidizes his income with other work. Mikey has continued to build his reputation in the United States; four years in Chicago and six in Boston.
Guitar Mikey's talent is strong as a singer and guitar player, (be sure to catch him playing slide guitar). An awesomely deft guitarist; he can go from knock-down-the-walls power to gentle tenderness in a beat.
He has shared the stage and toured with countless names and legends; Yank Rachel, Honeyboy Edwards, Otis Rush, as well as stars Johnny and Edgar Winter, Buddy Guy, and even the late Paul Butterfield.
Now he is happy to be settled in Clarksdale, the true home of the Blues. Mikey loves to play on stage. Recording has never been at the forefront of his endeavors. He's the first to admit that completing an album (in the works for six years) needs to happen and here in Clarksdale is where he intends to do that.
He will be making his first official appearance on Thursday, Jan. 11, at Ground Zero Blues Club.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Montgomery and The Real Thing
Charlene Arsenault - Worchester Magazine, Nov. 2004
Shortly before the twin towers were hit, musician Mike McMillan was living in Manhattan, about two blocks away from Ground Zero. About once or twice a week, he would head over to the World Trade Center to pick up discount Broadway tickets. Though he had moved just before the attack, it hit really close home to him. Like a lot of people, he developed a new appreciation for people defending our country. And it only grew with time.
“When I moved to Massachusetts in 2000,” says McMillan, “that’s when I started getting involved with who is now my wife [Pamela]. We got to know people in the community, and one of the things that amazed us being both Canadians is how many people we know who either are in the military or know someone in the military. It just became a passion for both of us to support them in any way we could."
Of course the way McMillan could is through music. What sparked it into action is a mutual friend’s situation: Kim H. returned from serving in Iraq in the summer of 2003, and McMillan and his wife helped put together a welcome back party — an elaborate one. He got his band, Guitar Mikey and the Real Thing, to play and turned it into a big to-do.
“I figured we’d have this big party,” says McMillan, “and sell some tickets to pay the band and thought that we’d make a profit and give it to charity. Kim was overwhelmed with the attention, being the modest person she is, so we decided to take the focus off her and got her to pick a beneficiary for the event.”
Kim picked the Veterans Hospice Homecare, which is a non-profit facility that has three locations in Central Massachusetts. That party raised $1,800, and was the launching pad to do it again. McMillan learned more about VHH, and the more he learned, the more he wanted to help.
He’s put together Blues for Vets, which he hopes to make an annual event. This year, it will again support the VHH. “Just meeting the staff,” says McMillan, “and checking the facility — I was overwhelmed and touched. We decided this was a way to use my expertise and talent and combine it with something. I really believe in it. We always want to support facilities that work with the same philosophy as VHH, both fiscally and socially — instead of like a very cold VA hospital. In a facility like this, veterans are living until they die instead of just waiting to die.” D E T A I L S What: Blues for Vets, featuring The Fabulous Thunderbird, James Montgomery, and Guitar Mikey and the Real Thing When: Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St.
Cost: $30-$35
The first Blues for Vets this weekend will bring in not only his band, but also two heavyweights on the blues circuit. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, of course, features founder Kim Wilson and rips through R&B stuff, including their hits “Tuff Enough” and “Wrap it Up.” James Montgomery has long been blowing his powerful harp in front of a kicking group. Frontman McMillan’s band and The Real Thing will open. “We play sort of a blues rock,” he says. “I consider myself very much a blues guitarist and singer. Our sound varies from a very traditional Chicago sound to more contemporary rock to sometimes a funky sound.”
Rock Fans Are Missing Alot Without Guitar Mikey
P. Chiliac - The Newspaper (Toronto), Feb. 1992
The late Stevie Ray Vaughan seemed to have a hobby of promoting the careers of promising young Canadian guitarists such as Jeff Healey and Colin James. Somehow, Vaughan managed to overlook the adept fretwork of Guitar Mikey. Maybe you haven't heard of them, but guitarist Mike McMillan, drummer Bob Latzer and Bassist Curtis Cripps, known collectively as Guitar Mikey and the Real Thing have been treating club-goers in the Hamilton area to their own brand of blistering blues-rock for years, making occasional appearances in Toronto like the Black Swan. That's where we caught up to them to talk about their album Caught Between the Squeeze (A&M).
According to Mikey the album is getting “lots of airplay out west. We were playlisted at the AOR station in Calgary three weeks before the album was released.”
McMillan is understandably frustrated by the relative lack of media attention in southern Ontario, were radio stations haven’t quite caught on to Caught Between The Squeeze. Mikey complained, “I did an interview with Q107, and the seal hadn’t even been broken.”
Indeed, it’s hard to understand why a station that espouses the talents of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan on a regular basis would shy away from Mikey and the Thing’s intense, bluesy workouts.
That’s bluesy , not blues. McMillan is emphatic about that distinction. He’s uneasy about being categorized into a particular style of music. “I play blues, and I am a blues guitar player,” he explained, “but I have so many other influences. I don’t want to be pinholed as a blues player.”
Accordingly, Caught Between The Squeeze frequently strays from the traditional 12-bar format, although there’s no denying the influences of Guy, Rush and Winter on Mikey’s lightning-fast guitar licks and husky, smoky vocals.
The presentation of the songs on the album differs considerably from the way there’re played live on stage. “Actually we did that intentionally,” explained Mikey. “I sort of conceived doing a record , being in the studio, as a different thing than live. The solos are short. The songs are tight and compact.”
Live, the band tends to let the songs stretch out, which gives Mikey an opportunity to really show off his prowess on guitar.
The Dead is live, Whitney astounds and Guitar Mikey is the real thing
Nick Krewen - The Spectator
(Hamilton),
Nov. 1990
....We didn’t know
a duet written by and recorded with Stevie Wonder, takes an almost anti-melodic
approach and maybe just the vehicle Wonder needs to get back on the charts,
while Lover Of Live has a touch of understated jazz.
Houston breathes so much life and sensuality into
After We Make Love that the windows around the house maybe steamed for
weeks.
There’s never been any contention that Whitney
Houston is a great vocalist, but she’s never been really tested. I’m Your
Baby Tonight is the assurance that the lady rightfully takes her place
among the Arethas, Barbras, Billies, and Bessies of this world.
ALBUM: CAUGHT BETWEEN THE SQUEEZE
ARTIST: GUITAR MIKEY AND THE REAL THING
LABEL: SPY/A&M
For the first major league album, Hamilton’s Guitar Mikey gives a charming little smoker that serves as a lively showcase for his considerable six-string talents.
But the great thing about Caught Between The Squeeze is its lack of self-indulgence. While Mike McMillan has the prowess to impress with dazzling technique and the ability to produce hour-long guitar solos, everything is kept in tasteful check in respect to the song.
This self-discipline strengthens the album considerably, and should give even those diehard Guitar Mikey fans a new found respect for the man as a songwriter/arranger.
Elephant Shoes, Mighty Man and Little Maria are three of the 10 very good reasons to pick up this blues-flavoured package. Bassist Curtis Cripps, drummer Robert Latzer and producers Ian Thomas and Ed Stone must be commended for stellar support.
Caught Between The Squeeze firmly places Guitar Mikey in the ranks of Jeff Healey and Colin James in terms of expertise.
Winter chews through the blues with abandon
Nick Krewen - The Spectator
(Hamilton),
Nov. 1989
A hot Winter was cooled off a little early last
night.
Legendary blues guitarist Johnny Winter was forced
to cut his set short by a song after tempers flared at Dallas on Barton
Street East where he played to a sold-out crowd of 750.
The 45-year-old Texan wasn't hurt or endangered
in any of the three scuffles that occurred during his encore, but his road
manager played it safe and had Winter escorted back to his tour bus, protected
by a bevy of bodyguards, after he finished his second number of a three
song run.
The situation was quickly brought under control
by Dallas staff, but when you think about it, the blues is the most selfishly
indulgent type of music around—a genre where the musician calls his own
shots; a music that incites passion.
The blues is an art form that one doesn't perform
as much as own. It's that personal stamp that fosters reputations, and
Winter's two-decade status as one of the hottest American guitarists was
proven in a combustible tally of firebrand licks and steamy grit.
For a little over an hour Winter and sidemen Jon
Paris on bass and harp and Tom Compton on drums cooked up a storm, with
fast, furious blues licks and the thundering roar of Winter’s harsh vocals.
After initially heating things up with a jam, the show really clicked when
Winter launched into Boney Maronie, an old standard he's played since the
early ‘70s.
Winter reached even further back into the vaults
for Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode, but built up the solo to a point where
it stood on its own as an almost different song.
The differences between Winter and his opening act, local blues unit Guitar Mikey And The Real Thing, were almost as dramatic In fact, Mikey was downright polite about the whole thing, and although he was technically perfect and proved him-self to be an above-average instrumentalist, his hour-long set was a little too clean and pure. But he is a fine guitarist, and his venturing into the crowd for an elongated solo was a welcome diversion from the routine of watching an artist stand frozen behind a microphone all night long.
Guitar Mikey should also be commended for his dynamic range of louds and softs that highlighted his sensitivity. It was the only thing lacking in Winter’s otherwise perfect set.
Yes indeed, Johnny Winter is still alive and will, thank you very much.
Thunderbirds really are a Fabulous band
Gary Curtis - The Spectator
(Hamilton),
Nov. 1986
IT’S UNCLEAR exactly where the name The Fabulous
Thunderbirds comes from. Is it from the Little Walter harp solo Thunderbird?
or is it from the cruising low-ridin’ tricked-up T-Birds that motor slowly
through the El Paso barrios? Thunderbirds may be open to discussion but
The Fabulous isn t. for this four-piece amped-up slicked-down band from
Austin Texas is exactly that, Fabulous.
This band is the sum of its parts, and that’s
considerable. When Wilson pulled hard on his harps low end a power surge
seemed to rise up out of the floor and the metallic crunch must’ve been
enough pop the rivets on the new twinned Sky-was. This is a man with a
serious Little Walter fetish and he’s among the finest harmonica blowers
this side of our own King Biscuit Boy. but more on that later.
Jimmie Vaughan, who co-founded the band 11 years
ago with Wilson, is among the top Texas blues guitarists. He's idolized
by his little brother Stevie Ray and for good cause; he knows as his brother
apparently doesn’t, that one note can do the work of 18 and that pauses
can say as much musically as any flash-fingered run along the six strings.
DRUMMER, FRAN Christina band’s the band’s new
bassist, Preston Hubbard found a steady groove and kept it Hubbard fingered
mostly an upright electric bass. Although both are refugees from Roomful
of Blues, a lighter swinging blues group, they rocked out from the opening
rim shot. A solid wall of throb is an apt description of The Fabulous Thunderbird’s
sound. And the Fab T-Bird philosophy was seemingly summed up in their second
song, Can’t Tear It Up Enough, although they certainly did try.
Guitar Mikey and The Real Thing opened the evening with Three Hundred Pounds of Joy by Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows, For Mikey, sharply dressed in a pinstriped suit jacket and blue leather tie, it wasn't altogether appropriate as he s lost considerable weight to get down to his current 230 pounds. Perhaps he should be called Big Spiff instead.
Mikey and his band. with Claude Des Roches on
drums and the veteran Doug Carter on bass, earned their encore with a Lone
Star hello to the Texas visitors with a smoking version of Johnny Winter's
Rock 'n Roll. Guitar Mikey s performance, however, begs an answer to the
obvious question: When is someone going to get some of these one Hamilton
blues bands down on vinyl.