Mike Farris News
Rolling Stone Premiere’s “Golden Wings”
May 29, 2018
Hear Soul Singer Mike Farris’ Cautionary New Song ‘Golden Wings’
Grammy-winning vocalist will release his new album ‘Silver and Stone’ in September
Mike Farris has released the new song “Golden Wings,” off his upcoming album ‘Silver and Stone.’
If life experience equates to wisdom, then Mike Farris probably has more fatherly advice to impart than most. The Grammy winner does just that on “Golden Wings,” the first single from his upcoming LP Silver and Stone.
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With ‘Shine for All the People,’ the former Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies leader exorcises his demons
As the lead singer of Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies during the Nineties, Farris fell victim to the excesses of a rock & roll lifestyle, having been a drug addict and alcoholic since he was a teenager. Eventually, he shifted gears into soul music and committed himself to getting sober. It worked: in 2015, he scooped up the Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album for Shine for All the People.
Farris intends Silver and Stone as a return to his rock roots, yet “Golden Wings” maintains a distinctly soulful flavor, with its loping melody, stained-glass organ, and soaring vocals, including a hearty assist from his backup singers. “Listen now, child, don’t run so wild,” Farris cautions, and it’s a sentiment that not only comes from the heart but also from his own personal hardships.
“The song was written for my son, who is at that pivotal point in life, where he has so many options in front of him, that place of wondering, ‘Where am I supposed to be?'” Farris says. “It’s one of those songs that just flowed out after I did an exercise where you write a letter to your younger self. It has a dual message – something to say to a young person who is looking for answers, but also a reminder to myself to be free and open to the possibilities of life.”
Silver and Stone will be released September 7th and features legendary drummer Gene Chrisman, Reese Wymans (Double Trouble), Doug Lancio (Patti Griffin) and Joe Bonamassa.
Read moreNew Album Announcement
March 16, 2016
It’s time to make a NEW RECORD. I am excited to announce that next Monday 3/21 we will begin a Pledgemusic Campaign to fund a brand new record with the legendary Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton). Pledgemusic will allow us to give you more exclusive behind the scenes updates as well as access to pre-order the new album.
Some of the items up for grabs in the campaign include:
• Spending a day in the studio with Mike and the band to experience the recording of the new album in PERSON.
• VIP Concert Experiences
• Autographed Guitars
• Handwritten Lyric Sheets
• Skype sessions with Mike
• Private Acoustic show for you and your friends
• Album Pre-Orders
• Exclusive Behind the Scenes updates from the studio
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Because of YOU we were able to take home a GRAMMY for my last record “Shine for All the People”. We appreciate all of your contributions to our last campaign and look forward to you being a part of our new Pledgemusic Campaign. Let’s make this record even bigger than the last one!!
Read moreMike Farris Receives First Grammy Award
February 11, 2015
Mike Farris become the first artist to receive a Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album, for his Shine for All the People. Farris was presented the award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 57th annual Grammy Awards ceremony held on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles.
Best Roots Gospel Album is a new Grammy Award category that recognizes ‘roots’ gospel albums, the heritage of this music, and the growing interest and support of these genres. Farris has made history as the first recipient for this prestigious award in addition to it being the first Grammy win for the artist.
“This is a unique musical heritage here in America,” he said. “And this is my mission to shine a light on it, to show the world this music, and to bring it out of the attic. There are two basic seeds of western music: old Black spirituals, where it all began, and old Appalachian music.”
“I’m from Tennessee,” he continued. “I was born and raised with it. That is the beauty of being raised in the South, it is so fertile. This ground is so rich with all this music we all know. Blues, rock, jazz, R&B – we wouldn’t have had any of that without the ground that I walk on.”
Asked what the impact of winning this Grammy would have on his career, he said, “You have a Grammy- winning Mike Farris forever and ever, and you carry it with you for the rest of your life. It brings more people to the table, and opens more doors, opens more hearts, more ears. It is not easy for a white guy to do this music. And it’s true the word ‘Gospel’ is a wall that stops a lot of people. So anything I can do to show music has no boundaries, music breaks down all walls, that matters.”
Read moreGrammy Nomination for New Album Announced
December 5, 2014
Mike Farris’ new album Shine For All The People received a Grammy nomination in the “Best Roots Gospel Album of the Year” category. The 57th annual Grammy Awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 8, 2015. For a full list of this year’s nominations go to http://www.grammy.com/nominees
Read moreMike Farris To Appear On ACL 40th Anniversary Broadcast
October 2, 2014
Mike Farris will be performing on the prime time special, Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, airing Friday, October 3rd, 9-11pm ET on PBS Arts Fall Festival.
Mike Farris was recently chosen as one of Rolling Stone’s “20 Best Things We Saw At Americana Music Festival” and described as a “cross between the crowd-stirring dynamism of a charismatic church band and the syncopated endurance of a New Orleans jam outfit.” His latest studio project, SHINE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE, is out now on Compass Records and currently #14 on the AMA music chart. This long-awaited follow up to 2007’s critically acclaimed SALVATION IN LIGHTS includes both original material and Farris’ trademark interpretations of traditional gospel steeped in the influence of rock, vintage Memphis soul and the swagger of New Orleans.
The landmark PBS series Austin City Limits (ACL)highlights four decades as a music institution with a primetime special honoring the program’s milestone 40th anniversary. With guest hosts Jeff Bridges,Sheryl Crow and Matthew McConaughey, the two-hour broadcast features memorable moments from the trailblazing show’s remarkable run, while the brightest stars in the series’ history return to the ACL stage for dream duets and choice collaborations.
See Mike Farris perform “House Is Rockin'” with Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Double Trouble in this ACL special.
Read moreMike Farris Signs To Compass Records
July 2, 2014
(Nashville, TN) July 2, 2014 — Compass Records Group is excited to announce the addition of award-winning vocal powerhouse Mike Farris to the roster. Farris is putting the finishing touches on his long awaited studio follow up to 2007’s critically acclaimed Salvation In Lights. The new album is set for release on September 16, 2014 and will include both original material and Farris’ trademark interpretations of traditional gospel steeped in the influence of rock, vintage Memphis soul and the swagger of New Orleans.
Read moreAfter The Flood Recording Now Available
May 2, 2014
Mike was the featured vocalist for last year’s Hillside Album Hour at MerleFest. Conceived and performed annually by The Waybacks, this set covers a classic album with a different featured vocalist and guests each year. It is now available to order from The Waybacks’ site, click for link.
Read more“Mercy Now” As Oxford American Exclusive
November 25, 2013
Mike’s interpretation of Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now” is featured on the 2 disc sampler included with Oxford American’s annual Southern Music Issue on sale at the end of the month. It is an exclusive mix given specifically to the magazine that is focusing on the music of Tennessee. It is also the only place to get Mike’s version of the song until his new album is released in 2014.
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