Mike Farris Update

SHOUT! The Newsletter March 2012 Happy belated new year everybody! I'm excited about this year, even if it may be our last one EVER. Historically, the Mayans are known to have been serious “Debbie Downers” and straight up pessimists so, here's hoping 2012 will bring us all a positive attitude, along with love, peace, clarity of vision and God's grace. Just to err on the side of caution, it may be wise to wish for good fertile ground, healthy livestock, and a wise Ace Hardware stock manager in hopes he/she will order plenty of firestarter logs for the coming year...... ALREADY ALRIGHT Making a record can be a scary endeavor for me. I remind myself of it's permanence and the importance of it all because of how this craft can take shape in other peoples’lives- how I will never be here at this moment again. A sort of insanity quickly sets in and I suddenly begin to feel the weight of Beethoven and Steve Cropper bearing down on me- great songs flood my mind-Eleanor Rigby-Soul Of A Man-the theme from Barney Miller...the ghost of Louis Armstrong begins to follow me around- I tremble before the genius of Tom Waits, CaroleKing, Aretha Franklin, Pops Staples- and Foy Vance- my good friend I love to hate -and the hysteria in my head that this record must be perfect, and I mustn't be too wordy and on and on it goes till suddenly- I find that I've become paralyzed with fear. Just then, I happen to find a chair somewhere to sit down and I notice a note on the chair that so eloquently says, “DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO DAMN SERIOUSLY! I still want to know who put the note there, so that I may give due thanks, but in the meantime- We are getting back into the studio to finish recording our new record,Already Alright. I say our because that's just what it will be- By the time we play our last note-roll the tape on the last take, choose just the right photograph, proofread all the liner notes and shrink wrap it all up and place the little bow on the front- we would have all played our parts. Those who have invested in this thing, be it monetary or good ole blood, sweat and tears for fears-will have built a new-fangled vehicle for which to take around the world and offer rides for anyone who needs a lift. Sometimes the plans need to be redrawn- bigger carburetor, new-age wiper blades-maybe it's just not up to codes. The point I'm trying to make is that, yes, sometimes it takes longer than expected, but this ride we're workin' on is built for comfort, not for speed and, God willin', we got a lot of miles to ride! KICKSTARTER We will be starting phase II of our Kickstarter campaign in the next few weeks with lots of new incentives/prizes for participating so be sure and tell all your friends to come check us out. NEW WEBSITE The new website is pretty much complete and it's a good one! We've joined forces with Lotus Nile to design a more user friendly site, so we can communicate and provide better services for you regarding all things Mike Farris Music. We also have a spring merchandise sale going on now so go check it out .... www.mikefarrismusic.com 2012 TOUR DATES: March 14- Austin, TX- SXSW- KCA Showcase @ The White Horse March 15- Fort Worth, TX- Candera Centerw/ The Steeldrivers March 16- Austin, TX- Sin City Social Club Showcase @ Maria’s Taco Xpress March 18- Austin, TX- Riverbend Church May 4- Nashville, TN- 3& Lindsley acoustic w/ Ray Wylie Hubbard May 10 – The Hamilton – Washington DC May 12 – Narrows Center for the Arts – Falls River MA June 21- Salt Lake City- Utah Arts Festival June 23 -Blackberry Jam – Liepers Fork TN Sept. 2- Laramie, WY- Snowy Range Music (MORE DATES ADDED DAILY - PLEASE CHECK WEBSITE ) That's it for now . Thanks everybody! I remain- the luckiest guy in the world- Mike