mike-downey.com

Sub lease

Mike — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:45:02 +0000

I packed my bags and moved over here / and here.

But come back here too.

Best,
Mike

Beat it or leave it

Mike — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:32:11 +0000

I don’t have any planned releases for the rest 2010 under my name besides one more compilation song. Reason is that I am going to abandon releasing music as Mike Downey for a while. Maybe forever. I have given a lot in recent years stamping my birth name all over the place. I need to slide into a comfortable anonymity for a bit and step outside of the the rules I had set for myself. Details forthcoming, but most likely in cryptic form.

Know that I have rediscovered my love of guitar-driven rockin’ pop and hope to offer you the rewards of that sometime this year.

Audio Graves 1994-2009 really is my life’s work, up to date. And I fully stand behind it. If you ever miss me I suggest listening to those compilations as they represent me musically (solo) to the fullest extent.

Stay gold,

Mike

Boy By A Bus By A Lake

Mike — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:36:31 +0000

Hey gang!
I’m happy to announce that I have a new and exclusive song out on the cosmoPOPlitan, Vol. 1 compilation, courtesy of O Bosque/Woodland recordings.

The compilation features 25 artists from around the globe and is available on both CD and download. Ease on down the road for ordering info.

Let the Woman In b/w Some Money

Mike — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:40:26 +0000

Let the Woman In b/w Some Money : RAR002 : digital single

I was really excited when Jason Sposa let me know he was starting up his very own netlabel, called Rain Above Records. His mission is to release scrappy, rough around the edges demos and the like; the sort that sometimes get swept under the rug for various reasons. Sounded right up my alley. I agreed to a release immediately.

So just today in fact, Rain Above Records launched with 2 releases. The first being Jason Sposa’s Hush Demos and the other being my digital single.

These two songs were at one point the beginning to a new album. After these were finished I decided to change directions ever so slightly (details on that some other time). I still liked the songs though and wanted to let people hear them. This seemed like a great chance to put them out.

These songs, like all other songs in the universe, are free.

Best,
Mike

heartphone newswire: Codes for Go comp!

Mike — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:04:09 +0000

Starting out 2010 with a big old BANG! Today the Codes for Go compilation came out over at heartphone.

What a blast this was putting together. It ended up as a really solid 15-song romp. Of course I’ve got an exclusive song on there and I’m in the company of many other amazing artists. All in all, I’m super proud of it.

Please check out the entire tracklist at heartphone. Or if you’re antsy, you can snag the download by clicking on this thing.

xo,
Mike

Sky Station Cloud cassette is out

Mike — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:36:34 +0000

A nice little surprise came through the wire today. That being the Sky Station Cloud cassette is out ahead of schedule. Order now!

To order the cassette, send an email to bks@telemar.it and a kind gentleman named Alessandro from Best Kept Secret Tape Label will reply with his PayPal info. His website is being overhauled at the moment and is missing the PayPal buttons. So yeah, just shoot him a mail for the time being.

I’d like to mention that Vicenza, Italy’s Best Kept Secret is a wonderful tape-only label doing their absolute best in keeping cassette culture alive. They’ve been releasing tapes since 1997.

As I spoke about before, this album was recorded immediately after I awoke my 4 track out of a long hibernation. Surprisingly enough, the machine still worked for the most part. During my intensive recording sessions during Sept, Oct and early Nov I realized I was working against the clock as the record head on track 3 was quickly deteriorating. By the time the 16 songs were finished I was officially working on a 3 track machine.

The first music I ever released in 1995 was recorded on that 4 track and released on cassette in a black and white xeroxed j-card. If you told me I’d be doing the exact same thing 14 years later I never would’ve believed you. Funny how it all comes back full circle now and again.

If tapes aren’t your thing, that’s cool too. I have released the album as of today as a paid 320kbps/FLAC/Lossless download. You can go purchase that right here.

Thanks for listening and reading. I’ll be back at it in 2010.

2010 Plans

Mike — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:19:26 +0000

Hey gang,
2009 has been a fun year for me in the music world. Thank you so much for following along. I’m doing exactly what I want, how I want and it feels amazing.

2010 shows absolutely no sign of slowing up. Early 2010 (January!) looks to be hilariously busy…take a peek:

“Mean It” on heartphone presents: Codes For Go – digital comp – Jan 2010
Sky Station Cloud full length cassette on Best Kept Secret – Jan 2010
“A Boy By a Bus By a Lake” on O Bosque – CosmoPOPlitan Volume 1 – digital/CD comp – Jan 31, 2009
Let the Woman In b/w Some Money – digital single, Rain Above Records – Jan 2010

And then later in the year…
“Cloud Art” on a Series Two cdr comp – early 2010
Full length cdr on Series Two – 2010

Not to mention there will definitely be another Bubble Shield release and some top secret collaborations.

NO BAD YEARS.

xo,
Mike

Stream Sky Station Cloud

Mike — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:22:44 +0000

Things are coming together for my next release, Sky Station Cloud. Here’s the deal: You can stream the album right now. In early January 2010 it will be available on cassette courtesy of Best Kept Secret Tape Label as well as a paid download. Check back here in January for purchasing info.

I recorded this album a couple months ago in a month-long blast of song writing inspired by the resurrection of my Tascam Porta07, the machine I bought in 1995 and learned how to make music on. It is sentimental.

Also, as a treat from me to you for stopping by you can download what I would consider the single off the album, called Probably Follow.

Enjoy!

‘Tis the season, for a re-release!

Mike — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:48:37 +0000

In the back of my mind I’ve been wondering where I was going to find the time to put together a holiday mix. I really had the urge to put one together this year. Time is running out, and luckily my good pals from bumbleBEAR and Planting Seeds Records saved me!

Here’s the story, straight from the mouth of baby Jesus….

“Back in 2001, bumbleBEAR records teamed up with Planting Seeds Records to release a holidays compilation entitled “Christmas Underground” featuring several artists from both labels’ rosters (and some close friends) playing a smattering of traditional classics plus some seasonal originals. The CD has been sold out since its release in 2001 but usually around this time we get several inquiries about its availability. So bumbleBEAR and Planting Seeds have decided to re-release it this year as a free gift to you, the people of the digital age. We hope you enjoy the tunes and that they put you in the holiday spirit. Happy Holidays from all of us at bumbleBEAR and Planting Seeds.”

Head over here to download.

Oh, and yeah btw, track 7:The National Splits, that was me in 2001. I don’t remember anything from that Christmas except for this comp.

CD & Download packages now available

Mike — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:57:11 +0000

Thanks to recent developments over at Bandcamp I can finally offer a couple CD and Digital Download packages.

For 10 USD you can buy a CD and get a complimentary download link. So…if you still don’t have either Total Hearts (2009) or Adventure, Bless and Don’t Be Sorry (2006), now is the right time to pick them up.

CDs ship directly from me. Worldwide shipping is included. The transactions take place via music.mike-downey.com. Downloads are available as lossless, 320kbps MP3 and a slew of other formats.

Thanks for reading!