Sundays are the same everywhere, I suppose. I'm looking out my window at the view across the city and country side. There's no less than 4 ancient catholic church steeples piercing the spanish sky. We just got back from walking the streets of Vitoria.  All is quiet. Shops are closed. church bells are ringing throughout this ancient city. The few people out are sitting quietly outside the cafe's enjoying cafe' con leche. There was a time in my life when these types of mornings weren't weren't plaintive and fresh with life but stale and sad. These were my only memories of this city and country until now. I like things better nowadays.......Yesterday was full of excitement and energy, what with the festival and afternoon show we did in the beautiful Plaza de la Virgen Blanca.  Playing in such a place is like something out of a dream. I talk a lot of how important it is to me for music to be framed properly. The Plaza de la Virgen Blanca framed the music like no other place I've ever played. It was magical and yet the day had just begun!!! Afterward, we ran back over to the hotel for a MUCH needed nap. Then it was back on our feet and over to the storied Azkena Rock Festival!! We got there early for some interviews and such so we had time to hang out. I ran into my old friend Damon Johnson and spent some time catching up. He's over here playing guitar for Alice Cooper now. We chose to hire horn guys here to cut down on costs and I don't mind telling you I was just a tad bit nervous.................I am happy to report that Alberto, Joe, and Roberto were absolutely amazing and blew us all away, all the pun intended!!  We played to a packed and energetic crowd!! The Basque people are so loving and willing to listen and sing along. I think everyone in the band was blown away. Speaking of the band, Nick, Joe, Eric, Keio, along with Ann and Regina, were ON!!!! Everyone stepped up and played their butts completely OFF. There are no more butts left in the Roseland Rhythm Revue!!!! If they were pigs their value would now be greatly reduced!  Everything about the show was absolutely perfect for me! So much energy spent and now I am tired. The band, by now, is back stateside. Meanwhile, Julie, Tyler, and Donzit and myself are preparing to take off for San Sebastian tomorrow for a bit of a break, then it's off to Madrid, then back to Barcelona for two acoustic shows. I can't wait to play again, but for now all I can think about is SLEEP!!  More news to come......

In spirit-

Mike

Welcome to Spain! One of the most storied countries in the history of the world. Coming to you (barely) live in Barcelona- Catalon country. Tyler, Donzit (Tyler's wife, for you newcomers), Julie and I landed in Madrid at 10:00am and it took us only 9 hours to get to Barcelona, via train, subway, and somewhere between 5 and 50,000 verticle steps connecting us to each said train/subway train....travel note: avoid rail travel when carrying 5 times the luggage of the average immigrant seen in Penn Station....you know the ones I'm talkin' bout....they're in everyone's way, they're covered in sweat but dressed in the best clothes they own, extremely uncomfortable shoes, look like they've been up for DAYS with no sleep, all communications have ceased between the group members....yeah, you know the ones I'm talkin' bout....well, after years and yyyyyyyears of wishing that THAT could be me- that I could FINALLY experience the excitement of international travel like so many lucky persons who choose to travel in that fashion, despite the fact that they may even be able to afford NOT to travel that way, MY DREAM FINALLY CAME TRUE!!!!!!!  Some of my highlights included (in no particular order)- 1. Soiling my brand new sport coat that I wore- thinking that I might try my hand at getting an upgrade to first class from Newark to Madrid, and hey, if you're gonna seek first class it's good to look first class, right gang!! I looked fantastico as I carried my guitar, 2 suitcases and computer bag along with Julie's 2 carry-ons and her 62 pound (they weighed it back at the airport in Nashville- I remember being impressed with that number at the time) super cargo luggage up countless flights of stairs, through too small turnstiles, sometimes heaving them over while maintaining that dapper, international traveler flare. 2. The shoes- They held surprisingly well, as did my feet-very few scuffs and that slickness that comes with new shoes is now gone and I'm excited to try them out when we take that hike through the northern provinces of China later this year!

3. I lost only 1 wheel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Throughout the day, the luggage wheels held out great, despite the heat, friction and stress. 4. We only missed one connection- Or was it two, I lost count in the midst of so much fun! 5. One of the most exciting moments for me happened between one of our many many many many adventurous connecting subway trains. I remember I thought it might be fun to explore above ground for a change and maybe treat ourselves to some nice spanish country oxygen. As it turned out, we made the wrong turn and had gone over and above the wrong turnstiles so we turned to go back down to the comforts of subterranean life. As we descended the second stairwell, Julie's beloved 62 pounder somehow gave way from my grip, sideswiped the spanish lady who then helped me by yelling unintelligible profanities, but nonetheless helpful, along with me so as to warn everyone who had descended before us. We barely escaped disaster and it made us a stronger unit in the end. By sundown we finally made it to the great city of Barcelona.  It was, indeed, a long day filled with adventure and

 excitement and fun. Heck, just as we spotted the hotel across the street, the rains came and gave us a quick soaking!! Before we left the final subway terminal we made sure to pre-purchase a 10-ride card each so that we could come back tomorrow and ride the subways some more, although this time without the fun challenge of having the luggage!!! That said, I can't imagine tomorrow being any better than our first day back in Spain! Regards to everyone back home!!!

Just a quick note to let you all know that the SHOUT! Live LP is currently out of stock on our store and it could be awhile before it comes back in.  Amazon.com still has stock if you need your vinyl fix.

Play music, Holocaust Museum, National Cathedral, Ben's Chili Bowl. That's our itinerary for DC.
This will be Christian's 2nd trip there. The first time we did the National Archives, house where Lincoln died, Arlington, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, the Capitol, the mint, and some others that I'm forgetting. I don't care what you say, being a tourist in a cool town is alright by me and besides, I'm a nerd for touristy crap.
Hope to see some of you there!! We're actually gonna work in some music time as well!
right on!
Mike

Don't forget kids- Americana Music Association's Tin Pan South showcase is tonite at the Mercy Lounge. Mike Joins Ray Wylie Hubbard and Amy Speace for an "in-the-round" session at 9:00pm
See ya there!

Buenos dias, brothers and sisters!! It's looking like we're gonna have a b-a-utiful day here in Tennessee! Birds are busy welcoming back the seasonal friends (wow, that sounds bad) and seeing others off for the summer. My favorites are the little fellas. All their little tiny babies are out making their rounds for the first time!
I actually got on here to thank everyone for making the SHOUT! Live pre-order such a huge success! As you can tell, we are all excited about this record, and we're glad you are as well!
We're all busy gearing up for the summer here. Met with the merch guys yesterday to work on shirt ideas and that's always cool. Booking flights, planning out sights to see in various cities we'll visit. We've been on the receiving end of some huge blessings in the past few days! This summer is going to be great! I'm rambling....I gotta go do a photo shoot and I'm trying to forget about it......Have a great day everybody! Watch out for the April foolers out there....
Mike

Hey everybody!

Tyler here from Columbia Records chiming in about the Mike Farris pre-order as there have been a few questions regarding what you will get, when you will get it, confirming your order has been placed with our back end folks at Disc Revolt, etc.   I want to answer as much as I can so you'll forgive me (Mike already has) for taking up this personal blogging space to detail here in the last day of ordering.

First let me say thanks on behalf of Mike and all of us on team Farris for everyone who has ordered the package so far and thanks in advance to any who are on the fence and will do so by tomorrow.  After feeling Mike's excitement (and mine too I confess) seeing the vinyl being created we can't wait to get the feedback from you on how it looks, sounds, feels, etc.  We are very proud of it.

So to review here is what you are getting for you hard earned cash:

1) Full length CD of Mike's new live album SHOUT! Live that has one bonus track "Green Green Grass of Home."  This song is currently Mike's most viewed YouTube video and a favorite amongst the Americana Music community.  

2) Double 180 Gram (thick) vinyl in beautiful gatefold packaging with essay by Mike on the back cover.   Mike was in fine form when he wrote this piece and it truly does explain why this music is so important not just to him but to all of us.  Folks who buy the CD only later on will not get this in their package do to space constraints.

3) Autographed Poster Insert of an image you can still vote for at the same place where you  order the package.  Link is below

http://www.mikefarrismusic.net/store-preorder-shout-live.php

4) Your name in the thank you credits for this special package. This will be part of this package only and not the CD/Vinyl that people purchase later on also due to space constraints.

Everyone who orders should receive a code at the end of the checkout that allows you to download a video thank you from Mike as well as the promo clip for "I'm Gonna Get There."    There should also be an email confirmation sent to you as well.

If for some reason when you order and don't receive the promo code and an email confirmation (or didn't receive one already)  or if you have any other issues  please email  mike@discrevolt.com

All the Vinyl/CD packages have already been pressed up so the final piece will be the autographed poster insert with your names in the thank you space.  This will be turned around in the next week and we will then insert it into the package here at INO Records and ship out to arrive week of 4/14.

Being so close to this project it is hard not to be biased but in my opinion it is a spectacular record both aurally and visually.  I hope you will agree.

Thanks,

Tyler

Indeedy!!! I'm pretty refreshed today, people! Last night was great! For those who missed it, we had a Sunday Night Shout! last night. It was completely packed out and we were a tad bit rusty but the energy from the crowd was palpable and we all had a fantastic time. Now, we didn't have time to work up new songs like we wanted, as the date completely slipped up on us, but for the album release in-store at Grimey's on April 14th and the official release party that following Sunday April 19th at the Station Inn, we plan on introducing some new songs for you.
We've put up our first video of SHOUT! Live getting pressed for vinyl. Go check it out at www.youtube.com/mikefarrismusic

SPRING IS HERE!!! Wanna know how I know? Cuz I gotta go mow the grass, that's how!!
Christian and I caught 20 fish last week and we both got sunburned! Aww yes, it has arrived and I am READEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Everybody's getting really excited about our trip to Spain. I've been staying up, way too late, reading up on places and things we wanna do this time. The depth of history there is just something we don't have here. This one town outside of Madrid, Avila, has sights dating back to the Roman empire. Some of the most precious remnants from the medieval period that we have are located in Spain! anywayssss, I'm rambling and I know I'm just putting off mowing now............more videos to come from our United Record Pressing visit!
Mike

WOW!! United Record Pressing is way too cool-
We spent the entire day at the historic vinyl record pressing plant watching "SHOUT! Live" while it was being made as well as taking the tour. URP happens to be in our beloved hometown and this place is yet another treasure that makes Nashville special.
Christian, Julie, Tyler (our Columbia rep/label dude/business partner/pal/co-chicken conspiritor (that's another story, by the way) got downtown around 10am and met Dave (who happens to be from upstate NY-only 3 miles from Tyler's hometown) and Beth, who posed as our guides for the day. "SHOUT! Live" was already in the process of coming alive as we walked into the plant, which is rather small and homey, as "plants" go. The first process we were able to see was the actual pressing. At this stage, they sometimes have some flawed thing that happens which requires them to scrap a bunch of pieces and so they'll punch out the center of the vinyl and recycle everything but the center piece with the title on it. Turns out, the guys in the plant take these home from time to time and use them as coasters!!! What a great idea!!! They're the perfect size for coasters!! So, they gave us ours..so we'll have a whole bunch of super duper coasters, once we shellac 'em up real nice!
Then it was on to the nickle plating, and then quality control, where we met Melinda, the QC girl. Melinda listens to records all day-every day! She liked our record so much that she asked for an autograph album of her own and told us how she knew Regina McCrary and just loved Regina so much!! EVERYWHERE I go, people know the McCrary's, and I mean EVERYWHERE!! We can be on the road, and pull over in the middle of nowhere and walk into a random Mickey D's and the dude behind the counter will know them like they were cousins, no lie!!
From there, we took a detour upstairs. Back in the sixties, some of URP's biggest clients were R&B groups. One of the biggest, if not THE biggest clients of the time was Motown. Seems like Beth said that for several years they had a large number of their presses dedicated solely to making Motown records around the clock-nonstop! Turns out, these artists would come to town while the records were being pressed and they'd stay and do shows, etc. but no hotels would allow these huge mega stars to stay at their places, so URP had the entire upstairs of the plant converted into a huge apartment where they could stay. What's amazing is the place is like a time capsule- untouched and never redecorated since then. Same beds, same sofa, same tv, kitchen appliances. We just imagined Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Martha and the Vandellas and James Jamerson and all the Funk Brothers hanging out in there- simply magical, and way way better than any stinkin' hotel, as it turned out!!! I'm sure URP was greatly appreciated by them all. I felt overwhelmed by their kindness to us, so I can't imagine how those people felt back then, seeing what great lengths were taken to accommodate a group of people who were victims of the times.
We continued to the boiler rooms and on to the storage plant, where they house ALL the albums they've pressed since 1949. That means that somewhere in that building is the first American pressing of a Beatles record, possibly the first recordings of the Staple Singers, who were on Vee Jay Records early on (Vee Jay was one of URP's first clients), as well as who knows what!! This reminds me of when my old band the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies were in Woodstock recording our album "Magnolia" and Michael Barbiero's assistant house engineer walked in one day with the original masters of the WHITE ALBUM!!! Just after we returned from cleaning out our shorts, he told us that they were a gift from George Harrison to Albert Grossman, and that he had to "bake" them (a process to keep them from deteriorating to the point of disrepair). He baked them and then we invited the Dave Mathews Band guys over (we'd been on tour with those guys all that summer) for a listening party to hear the White Album masters!!! Crazy and surreal, people, I'm tellin' ya...anyhooooooo-
We then walked over to the shrink rap dept. and saw the new, special, Bob Dylan 45 single being packaged in one area, while the new Carla Thomas record was being shrink wrapped! We also saw Nine Inch Nails' "Downward Spiral" records lying around, The White Stripes, DeBarge (rememeber? Don't say ya don't!) Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", the 10th anniversary
Pearl Jam debut, Ray Lamontagne, and lots of U2!! We even saw frickin' THRILLER lying around !!!!
What a super special day! Everyone was really nice and seemed to be happy to have us invade their space for the day. Someone even gave Christian a bag of homemade cookies!! And then somebody else even gave him a limited edition anniversary copy of U2's WAR (Christian's a big time U2 fan)!!!!!!!!!
Thanks to everyone at URP for having us!!! Dave and Beth were excellent tour guides!
I've been listening to one of two of the first copies of "SHOUT! Live" while I write you and I have to say, if you don't own a turntable and music means a lot to you personally, then let me suggest you go find yourself a really good record player and start buying records. They are the BEST representation of the recorded process that we have. Nothing comes closer to giving you what the artist has in his head and desires to relay to you, the listener. Our kid got one for Christmas this year and it's just wonderful to hear records being played in his room. He loves the whole ritual that goes with playing records- putting the record on, listening, looking at the album, then turning the record over, and so on..It's a great hobby for him too. He's always asking to go to Grimey's, the local record store, to look at their collection and to buy some new records. And now to have this album for ourselves (Christian actually had a part in the layout!!) and to be able to bring it home to play it is just lots of fun!!
We filmed the entire day today, so over the weekend we'll be putting it all together and get it up on Youtube as soon as possible.
See you at the SHOUT! this weekend!!
Mike
www.urpressing.com

This one slipped up on us! This weekend, Sunday March 22nd at 7:00pm
Be sure and join us!!!