It's a dark, rainy night in New Orleans. My bandmates and I have the night off. We walk into the Blue Nile on Frenchmen St. Under the cool blue stage lighting, with eyes closed and intentions focused, up on the mic is a powerful, yet gentle voice. It's Micah McKee and his band Little Maker. The composition in the above photo is overly dark, but it kind of represents the vibe of the evening. You can make Micah out there in the left corner singing and playing his guitar. I snapped this photo, a habit of mine. Something I do to as a way to hold on to moments I don't want to forget.
This was 2010. I was on the road with my psychedelic throwback folk-rock band, Backwords. At the time it felt like life itself was one big psychedelic journey, the unpredictability of it all was our guiding light. We had gotten to share a bill with Micah and his band the last time we were traveling through New Orleans. This time, though, we just happened to stumble upon them. We played the night before and were off that night. We didn't know he'd be there.
It turned out we'd keep running into Micah again and again and we'd become good friends. We shared bills down in Austin for SXSW. We put together shows in our home, Brooklyn. And we always asked if he was available to share a bill whenever we were aiming to play in New Orleans.
I'm beyond thrilled to announce that Micah McKee is joining the Campers' Rule Records squad and will be releasing his solo album this Mardi Gras, or more specifically, February 16, 2021.
Having gotten to lend a hand with the mastering of the record, and knowing a bit about its making and background story, I can tell you that it's a magical piece of music from start to finish, created by a magical artist who has been dedicated to his craft for decades. Micah is a staple down in New Orleans, part of many bands, and once we all get vaccinated, he's likely to be back up there on any one of NOLA's many stages on any and every given day of the week.
Set your astrological intention clocks for CRR-023, "ABUNDANCES," by Micah McKee and the Lonesome Wild. Release date: 02/16/2021 - a limited edition, short run of cassette tapes will be up for pre-order sometime shortly... In the meantime, check out his artist page and Instagram for updates.
Love To All,
Brian, CRR