Okay, sorry, I’ve been quite absent lately. but the exhaustion level has been high. the first break is over, I’m back in the Las Vegas about to start with Bette Midler on our second bout, from 6/24 - 7/20. I’m actually very happy to be back at work, I needed the break, but it was time to go back to work! Last night we taped some promo for Bette on “The View”, a female yakfest on you local TV set. We also just performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 6/20. This is Jay’s last year doing the show, next year, Conan O’Brian will be coming out to L. A. with the entire crew to begin their interpretation of “The Tonight Show.” I guess Jay will have to survive doing a few stand up comedy dates a year at a half million a pop...

    My new album is done, except for the artwork. and I hope to get that done during this stint. I’m very happy with the way it sounds, mastering helped even some things out that I was hearing. but I’m too close to it anyway, I need to just put it out so I can get some new ideas in my head...

    I’ve been recording quite a bit in the last couple months, finished an album (except for one guitar solo that needs to be done) for a Japanese sax player with Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason, all of the jazz group Fourplay.

    Harvey Mason is a very interesting guy, I’ve known him from the studio scene in Los Angeles for some time now, he did the original Herbie Hancock Headhunters album and the first Brecker Brothers album, a very accomplished and musical guy. I’ve been to Japan with Nathan East 20 years ago with David Garfield and Karizma. And Bob James played some great Jazz piano, I was very happy to be there.

    There have also been a number of songwriter/singer sessions, some done at my house, with Bill Schneider of Bette M. fame producing, and another few songs with the lovely Elle Lewis. And an all blues session with my old Natalie Cole cohort, Johnny Friday on drums and Reggie McBride on bass.

    And of course I did a couple nights at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood with my own band, featuring Mitchel Forman on keys, Dave Carpenter/Jerry Watts on bass, and Joel Taylor/Ralph Humphrey on drums. It was really great to hook up with Ralph again, he walked in and read everything like he never left. It had been about four years since we played, and he fried it.

    I did a gig with Simon Phillips on drums, Steve Weingart on keys, Jimmy Earl on bass, Walt Fowler on trumpet, and Gary Meek on sax. those guys all suck. No, it was really pretty great, challenging and intense  tunes, and TONS of energy. I hope we do some more...

    We are also continuing with the Chad Wackerman Trio, with myself on guitar and Doug Lunn on bass. We played a gig at the Baked Potato to warm up, then recorded a DVD at the DW drum factory in Oxnard, Ca., they have a beautiful video studio at their facility, Terry Bozzio was there, semiproducing in some way... I want to record a DVD of my quintet there, hopefully in the near future.

    And I also worked on a new movie being scored by Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO fame. He asked me if I’d be willing to play on the new DEVO recording, which I happily agreed to, but I’m still waiting for the call...

    I’ve also being working with Tom Hiel on some more of his many recording projects, he’s an up and coming composer that I really enjoy working with.

    Unfortunately, the “Without A Trace” composer job has passed on to someone else, leaving me out in the street selling pencils in the snow. You need one? I have one match left....

    I have also, (drum roll) figured out how to route my domain names,

mikemillermusic.net, and

outsidemen.com

to this website. it only took two years and one phone call... oops. but it’s there now.

 

    I am very saddened to inform you that David Carpenter, one of a handful of the finest bass players in the world, died suddenly of a heart attack on June 24th. I am proud to call him a friend of mine. He was a first call recording session player in L. A. and his resume would fill many pages.  He will be sorely missed.

 

 

 

    Okay, Bette M. is over for a while. we wrapped up vegas on 7/20, I came home, saw Steely Dan with my old friend and Midler bandmate Jon Herington TEARING IT UP!!! on guitar, had a little vacation in Carmel Valley, (nice place if you are independently wealthy and never want to do anything but golf) then came home and, Lo and Behold, Peter Manning Robinson is scoring a pilot! So I went to work on that, a simple “Beautiful Girl In Her Twenties Who Is A Cop, Dating The D. A., And Takes Cellphone Calls From Her Horse” story. You know, that old story.

    And then we went to Chicago for a week with B Midler to open a new Harrah’s casino on Lake Michigan around the corner in Indiana. Nice town, Chicago. Like New York, but without the grinding-you-up-to-grease-its-wheels feeling.

    And now I’m really home, after a six or seven week (depending on how you’re counting) stint, and I can really be home and try to catch up on some overdue house maintainance crap. Repair the ceiling in my studio, and part of our house, wash our filthy cars, and attack my huge list of stuff that needs to get done.

    Did another recording session on 8/11 for Michael Tinholme, he has an album coming out that I did some horn and string arrangements for. Tom Fowler played bass, Gary Novack on drums, it was a nice time. I’ve got a few gigs coming up with Max Bennett and Brenda Russell, but nothing that takes up too much time for awhile.

    Just finished a week of recording with singer Amber Whitlock and her husband, keyboardist Rob Whitlock. We had the legendary Anthony Jackson on bass, we got some very nice tracks for an album they are producing. There’s a very funny YouTube episode of us playing a song called “The Chicken” at the Baked Potato, where I seem to be the first guy to ever actually invoke an actual chicken into my solo.

    I’m headed for South Dakota in mid-September, Max Bennett has a gig in his home town of Oskaloosa, Iowa on 9/20, so I’m going to visit some friends in Sioux Falls before that, play a couple gigs there, the 18th at Latitude 44,  and the 19th at Touch Of Europe.

    I’m also going to finish the artwork on this new CD, by God, before they stop selling them completely! (Update) Cover’s done, now some simple liner notes, (no lectures, please) and out it pops!

 

    THE CD IS FINISHED, PRESSED AND AVAILABLE AT CD BABY. COM!!!

It’s called “World Goes Round” and I’m very happy with it. And just in time for the total economic collapse! The last one, “Save The Moon”, came out just before Sept. 11, 2001, so I’m realizing that I’m some kind of bellwether oracle for disaster!

    We just played a private party with Bette Midler for Steven Speilberg honoring Kirk Douglas here in Los Angeles. And I was hanging around outside after our to long rehearsal, when a little black sporty car pulled up, the driver door opened and Kirk F**king Dougles climbs out and walks his wife into the party. He’s 92 and he drove there himself! We should all be so lucky.

    I’m playing with the Chad Wackerman trio on Sunday, 10/26 at the Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, Ca. It’s dangerously close to the fishing fleet there. Hmmm........