michael.christmas.music.com

All is quiet on the Austin front now that the SXSW 2012 tornado has passed and left the city shaken and in shambles..

What did I do during this birthday month of mine you ask..? Oh well, I played a show everyday during SXSW week.. sometimes I played three.. sometimes I walked six blocks with my gear strapped to my body. You know, the typical life of a drummer about town trying to make his way to that deluxe apartment in the sky. Hey.. if it's good enough for The Jeffersons.. it's good enough for me.

I also recorded a 4 song EP earlier this month with my main band, Little Brave. We tracked at Test Tube Audio here in Austin. Kevin Butler, owner of Test Tube Audio, engineered the record and Matt Novesky, bassist for the band Blue October, produced it. It should be released some time this Summer, and a tour should begin in the Fall.

Looking back on the month, I played 15 shows for seven different artists, and spent four of those days in the studio tracking for upcoming releases. Mental gymnastics are definitely in effect.

One show in particular during SXSW became quite memorable when to my surprise, Kenny Aronoff, of John Mellencamp/Jon Fogerty/Smashing Pumpkins fame had played an earlier set on the same stage I was about to play. He stayed and talked with fans backstage during our set; I was playing drums for an Austin songwriter named Justin Black that night. As I was leaving I stopped just to say hey to Kenny and foud him to be an incredibly nice guy and he was complimentary about my playing. Come to find out, his gig was a last minute kind of opportunity and he had to learn the drum parts on his flight to the show. No big deal..

Behold..

Well it appears some eye rubbing is in order as well as a few stretches. It's been quiet on the dot com door step these months past.. the site was silent, and we'd just become a familiar face, frozen in time.

I've returned to warm the waters and begin anew..

I'll begin by opening the video valve and flooding your vision with a couple choice videos of bands I'm currently drumming for: Little Brave and Josh Grider.

As an added eye candy treat, a new video has been added to the Tomfoolery Theater collection.. Simply click this here link and feast upon ye morsels >> feast! <<

There's also been an outtake from the Weekly Woodshed series added where I discuss Home Depot and it's power to test a man's worth; dare I say his mettle. I escaped to tell the tale; forever changed; wiser than the day before, and other things of that nature. >> HomeDepot! <<

>>I've also added myself to the flock o' twits and got my very own Twitter account.. I extend the branch to you .. @Mike_Xmas <<

Alright, alright Texas.. we get it.. you're hot. You've proved your point.. can we move on now..?

So for those who don't live in this hell on Earth.. Texas has been pretty brutal these past months. It's pretty much a guarantee that the weather report will say 100 degrees and sunny.. until probably.. ohh let's say, December.

The drought that's going on has been dubbed 'exceptional' by the Weather Service.. and I actually find that mildly curious. I suppose there's a certain point when you go from bad to worse to exceptional. I guess it's a dedication thing.. so after years of half-hearted attempts, Texas has decided to really go for it this year and be all it can be. Its secret ambition to become the biggest desert in the continental US, is slowly coming to fruition. Good job Texas.. yeah sure.. nobody will mess with you then.. when we're all sun dried skeletons, you'll have Texas all to yourself.

But despite my state's affinity for the all day 'wake and bake'.. I've managed to find some oases in this desert. The most notable at the moment will be coming on July 29th when I head up to Fort Worth and record a live album at the world famous honky-tonk bar, Billy Bob's. A band I was sub-drumming for won a contest and the prize was a free live record.. and free country swag. (Cowboy boots.. uh.. hell yes!)

The video of our performance that won the contest is below. And for those who don't know, Billy Bob's is one of the premiere country venues in the country. A lot of notable country stars have done their live albums at Billy Bob's.. like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, David Allan Coe, Randy Rogers, Tanya Tucker, Kevin Fowler.. So it's a definite honor to be in that company.

In other band news.. my main group, Little Brave, has continued their climb to notoriety in Austin. We've been playing pretty regularly around town and the buzz has been growing bit by bit. Our lead singer/songwriter, Stephanie Briggs will be featured on an upcoming TV series called Troubadour,TX. The series begins in September and can be seen on the CW network. For more info about the band go here y'all.. www.littlebravemusic.com  (the tv series website is .. troubadourtx.com)

And I know you're asking, "What about the Weekly Woodshed series..?" Well folks, it's been out at the video editor's place and will be in my hands in less than a week. The first episode will be a feature on me.. because I am the huge ego-maniac you always thought I was.. deal with it.

And finally.. I'd like to say 'Happy Anniversary' to me.. I recently past my three year mark as an official Texan. I have no regrets at this time.. and I'm looking forward to more musical progress and the joyous day when I no longer have any other job other than music and all things associated with that intangibly incredible item it is.  

March.. Let it be known that the month that will be forever known as the month that introduced the world to the one that would come to be known as the one that is known as Michael Christmas, has now passed us..... and the calendar page falls slowly to the ground. 

Revealing to us a new month, a bright and shiny thing called April.. and she's bringing flowers and sunshine.

Well alright then... looks like it's about time to dust off the Speedos and get ready for the beach and/or nearest outdoor area.

There is a high probability that I may indeed burst into flames after my first prolonged exposure to the bright circle spot in the sky.. or, what you less intellectually inclined folk refer to as, 'the Sun.'

As a precaution, I will be travelling with a small fire extinguisher in a fanny pack as I stroll around the outdoorsy parts.. never be too careful they say.

I've also managed to train a small wayward falcon to hover around me carrying a small bucket of water.. just in case the fire extinguisher fails.

I had a birthday, but have decided to flip the script on you guys and instead... give YOU presents.. awww shucks.. I know.. I know.

I've added some songs.. some videos.. some photos.. AND some show dates.. and there's more on the way.

Hello Spring.. let's blossom.