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Sundowner Is Here! (On The Internet)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:17:00 -0400

Hello Friends!

Today is the day. At 12:01am this morning our new record went LIVE on iTunes and AmazonMP3. We hope you enjoy it, we put a lot of work into it and we think it shows. Thank you for your support leading up to this record. We have plenty more to come. This is just the beginning of the party, we hope you stick around a while, grab a drink, grab a plate, settle in and have a great time.

Jason Ferguson for the Orlando Weekly might have said it best (so far) in regards to Sundowner:

“First up: go buy the new CD by Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England. It’s called Sundowner and it’s about a perfect representation of what American roots rock sounds like when filtered through a Central Florida haze.”

Thank you and we hope you enjoy Sundowner!

Purchase on iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/sundowneritunes
Purchase on AmazonMP3: http://tinyurl.com/sundowneramazon

Preview Sundowner: http://myspace.com/mdtkone

FREE Download of Princeton: http://mdtkone.bandcamp.com

Best Regards,
Mike Dunn & The Kings Of New England

http://www.mdtkone.com
http://www.twitter.com/mdtkone
http://www.myspace.com/mdtkone
http://www.tinyurl.com/mdtkonefacebook

Mike's Tour Blog: Vol. IV Issue III

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:37:00 -0400

These are all from CJ’s Phone, he’s a weird/awesome dude.

See more at flickr.com/mdtkone

Mike's Tour Blog: Vol. IV Issue II

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:19:00 -0400

This is our friend John Ralston.

I remember back in 2002 my old band got to open for a band he fronted called Legends of Rodeo. Their CD was on sale at Park Ave CDs JR. for 4 bucks. I bought most of the music I own from the used section at that little CD store on my college campus. It was where we would hang between classes, I remember rooting around in the free bin to find all types of promotional junk. The same promotional junk that well be sending to local record stores soon enough. “Is is cool if I have this?” I’d ask as I took some posters from the bin. My wall was decorated, plastered, some bands I didn’t even like. I remember the ones I did. That Hey Mercedes poster from Every Night Fireworks, I remember really liking that photo, same goes for Saves The Day, that 2nd LP they had, the Dashboard Confessional one too. I have a bag full of buttons and stickers of failed bands, the ones that got the major label deal and flopped a couple months after. Little pinback artifacts.

Ralston’s CD didn’t quite reach the dollar bin but it was severely discounted, 4 bucks. The disc is called 1000 Friday Nights, I listened to it over and over again. Our friend Toby Brown was the go to promoter in town, pretty much every local show happened through him. When I saw LOR were coming through I wrote Toby and we got on the bill, opening for the Kick and Legends of Rodeo. I didn’t know anyone in either band, they’re all now some of my best friends. It’s weird, one night.

I still think that was a great CD and kind of ahead of it’s time as far as what would become popular a couple years later (see Lucero), it’s also an important part of what my band is as well. There were some elements in both of the bands we played with that night that I loved and that made me think about what I wanted to be as a musician.

For this tour we’ve been acting as John Ralston’s backing band along with Dan Bonebrake on bass. It’s been the most musically rewarding experience I’ve had in a long time. We all learned John’s songs in about a week, I have a little cheat sheet taped to the Nord Electro 2 I’ve been played. Show after show I get to look up a little more but it’s still there. Legends of Rodeo’s hit, at least among the fans, has always been the Flags and at a couple shows we’ve been playing it. Every time I slide up to that first C I remember that night at Wills Pub in 2002 (maybe 2003) and remember how lucky I am to be able to do what I’m doing.

Here’s a version of the Flags with some of our friends from Lake Worth.

Mike's Tour Blog: Vol. IV Issue I

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:09:06 -0400

I’m sitting in a club out of DC and I’ve had my first bit of solid internet for a day or two, it is nice. I have a couple minutes until soundcheck, just enough to check in. We’ve had an amazing time so far. If you haven’t seen us on the tour yet, we’ve been doing this one a little differently.

For the length of the tour we will and have been acting as John Ralston’s backing band with the addition of Mr. Dan Bonebrake on Bass. We’ve been switching back and forth on which band will be closing the evening, either way, we’re up there for double the time we usually are and it feels great. For people that love playing music (seriously, all the other stuff is awesome and secondary) this is a dream come true.

Boring advice for band dudes alert: You can save a lot of money this way too, we’re all traveling together, splitting everything evenly, staying in the same room, etc.

Other than that, I’m on the road with my best friends and the van is holding up, I am happy.

Here’s a couple quick snaps of the past couple days, hopefully more pics/videos/stories to follow.

Oh yeah, Jacob has a new nickname, Jacob “Mud” Kaplan, call him that now and forever.

You can check out our photos as we update at: http://flickr.com/mdtkone

Bad Reception

Learning Ralston Songs

I Don’t Think They Want To Buy Anything

Jayson calls “Merch” “Merc”

Jacob “Mud” Kaplan

Professional Hobo John Ralston

Smart CJ

Our Drummer - Dr. Wizard

Our Tour Manager - Jaybird Fuhlbruk

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:53:00 -0400

Sundowner

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:52:00 -0400

1. The Promised Land
2. Princeton
3. Marietta
4. Dusty Photographs
5. Jealous Head
6. The Sunshine State
7. Don’t Your Dare
8. All My Love
9. Cigarette
10. Crooked Tooth Grin
11. Sundowner

There it is folks! My email to our manager and label went something like “is it cool if I put this up?”, I got the official “why not” about 30 minutes ago. This is the first of a bunch of things we’ve got to share with you in the next couple weeks. Let me tell you a little about the cover.

Brian Manley has become a good friend of ours over the last year. He made a couple great merch designs for us in trade for a Big Blue Buffalo Burger at Vortex. He is a solid dude and a talented one to boot. When we made the EP I had a very specific vision of what I wanted for a cover, everything you see on there I set up in my old living room on New England Ave. Also, that think you think is a bong is just a vase. Our friend Emily Smith took the shot and it captured it really well. I did all the design and layout myself, I thought it was pretty good for a not quite professional/not quite amatuer.

This time around I needed to step outside of what I thought the record should be and Brian was the right guy to give that duty. I love this cover. To me it feels the way the record sounds and I think that’s the most you can ask for. We went up to Atlanta to hang out with Brian and take a bunch of photos, we ended up with around 700 including a shot of Jacob holding a burned DVD of Cool Runnings he found near a train track. Read that sentence a couple times.

We have about 10 versions of this cover but we kept coming back to this one. This is the cover for Sundowner, Brian Manley is the dude that made it happen. Check him out: funwithrobots.com

Now! Tracklisting. Lets talk about that. This is something everyone was bound to have an opinion on, to me this listing is how this record should be listened to, from start to finish. I don’t know if a lot of people do that any more, I know I do. I know one of the best compliments I hear about the first record is when people call it their “driving record”, most trips are around 20-25 minutes, it works. I hope I hear the same about this record, it’s a longer trip and I think it’s a more open road, we’ll see. We’ve done our part for now.

Oh and for you songwriters out there, only one song is over 4 minutes long.

There’s a lot going on with us right now, we’re gearing up for a run with John Ralston, redo-ing and figuring out all of this online stuff, getting everything in order for this release. But whenever I get caught up in all of this behind the scenes stuff I remind myself the reason why we do it is to connect with other people and I hope all of this just adds up to a means to do that a little better.

Check out our dates at our myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mdtkone

If you are 20.9 years old and you really want to get into a 21+ show then email me: mikedunncontact@gmail.com

We will be announcing the release date in the next couple days, stay tuned!

Preparing For A Tour

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:33:14 -0400

Mike: you cj and i should get computers out and message and plan and delegate responsibilities
Jacob: you drive. i play bass. cj says awkward stuff. responsibilities. delgated
Mike: haha, sounds about right

In Defense of a Quote

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:09:23 -0400

Joseph Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 31, 1987)

“I think the person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave.”

That’s something this fine and stylish gentleman above said, and I (equally importantly) Retweeted. This is one of Campbell’s more controversial quotes, it’s not as touchy feely as the one he’s best know for, the concise and eloquent: “follow your bliss”. I can see the poster right next to your kitten on a branch framed “hang in there”. I think this quote is more important though because it’s the reality of most of our lives, it is the flip side of “follow your bliss” it is the “this is what happens when you don’t follow your bliss”. I had the pleasure of teaching existentialism to game design students this month, yes you can read that sentence again. I would say for the most part they were more receptive to discussing this idea than my creative friends, the musicians, the photographers, the film makers. People are down right insulted by this quote, I’d like to talk about why I think that is.

(Please be aware it is very possible that I can and could have always been completely wrong about everything)

People hate being called a slave.

It’s a harsh word, but it probably wouldn’t have sounded as snappy if Mr. Campbell used the term “indentured servant”. For our purposes, we’ll make that line a little hazy. The truth is we give away our freedom, our choices, all of the time. We live in constant compromise, not only by the laws that govern our society, but by our social norms and the expectations of those we give authority to, parents, spouses, bosses, God(s) etc. It needs to be clear though that we freely give away these freedoms even when we are not aware of it. At the same time, and this is the most important part for the people that get really upset at this quote, most of the time we give ourselves away for right, just, and noble things. To take a job you don’t love to support your family, the ones you love, to put their needs above your own is a noble thing. Your family is your bliss.

A lot of people with a dream, or as I will refer to them for the remainder of this blog, PWADs, need to take a job to pay their bills, I was going to put “pay their bills” in quotations but I thought that might throw too many of you off… wait.

But lets talk about bills. I think what we spend our money on is a true measure of what we desire, it is measureable and finite. I’ve found that in my life and in the live’s of other PWADs, we often put a high value on our own comfort. These comforts are often justified to ourselves as necessities. A couple examples, when we turn our air conditioner on we are in effect saying that the money it will cost us to power that air conditioning to make us feel cooler and more comfortable is more important than using that money in the persuit of your D… D is dream… I’m just going to say “dream” from now on. When we need cable so we can see the premiere of Dexter and Curb Your Enthusiasm, we are saying that our comfort and enjoyment is worth more. When I order the Outback Special medium rare, I am saying that wonderful and delicious steak is worth more. If I really thought about how much I spend on things to make me more comfortable, it would probably be about half of my income. If we really believe in our dreams then why don’t we treat them better?

I think, for the most part it is because we are deathly afraid of suffering. Next to that we are deathly afraid of others perception of our success. Think about what people ask you about your job, “Are you making good money?”, “I’m comfortable”. The most decietful thing about comfort is that it not embues a false sense of success but that it discourages and often downright impedes growth. Viktor Frankl (wikipedia that dude) is one of the founder’s of existential psychology, known for logotherapy or purpose therapy. His story is incredible and so is his message, a recap here wont do it justice. But! He says “What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.” I think this is very different from our standard mode of operation, do we seek tension?

If you think about this even a little bit, it’s probably a positive thing, if you are suffering there is good and change waiting for you, but you will still suffer and it’s not a bad thing. The only failure in my book is inaction, in denying your bliss. Call it bad faith, call it laziness, it is only all too common. But what upsets me the most is that our conditioning will cause many of you to view this a negative thing, as an indictment of the way you live your life rather than a means to empower or at least consider what true happiness is.

So do I practice what I preach? Big NO. If you told me you were going to Outback Steakhouse tonight, I probably couldn’t turn it down, yet. But I’m trying to be better and more considerate of the things I value. That’s all.

In closing, a quote from the greatest philosophers I have yet to mention:

“If you wanna live life on your own terms. Gotta be willing to - CRASH AND BURN!”

- Motley Crue (1981 - Eternity)

funwithrobots: Gettin’ er DUNN today.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:34:38 -0400

funwithrobots:

Gettin’ er DUNN today.

Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England: “Paper...

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:12:47 -0400

Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England: “Paper Candy”

Live in Nashville @ 12th and Porter

June 18th, 2009

Over the next couple days I’ll be blogging about our...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:56:05 -0400

Over the next couple days I’ll be blogging about our latest run through the Southeast, for now dig on one of the tracks off the new record “Dusty Photographs”. Jeff said we should open with it, I think he was right.

Louis: Dude I'm pumped to hear the sundowner

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:46:07 -0400

Louis: Dude I'm pumped to hear the sundowner
Louis: It's like Chinese democracy years in the making ha ha
Me: Haha yes but with more electro brakes and braided wigs
Louis: It's gonna rule I'll work them on the radio tomorrow

Polarize : June 2009

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:24:09 -0400

Shows

Wed, 27 May 2009 13:10:00 -0400

This is going to be a fun summer, hope to see some old & new friends in the coming weeks!

5.30.09 | LAKE WORTH, FL | Propaganda (w/ Blackfinger)

6.18.09 | NASHVILLE, TN | 12th & Porter (w/ Rick Brantley)

6.19.09 | ATLANTA, GA | The Vinyl (w/ Rick Brantley)

6.20.09 | ATHENS, GA | Tasty World (w/ Richard Sherfey & All God’s Children)

7.02.09 | TAMPA, FL | New World Brewery (w/ Rick Brantley)

7.03.09 | ORLANDO, FL | Redlight Redlight (w/ Rick Brantley and more)

7.04.09 | LAKE WORTH, FL | Propaganda (w/ Rick Brantley)

7.11.09 | TAMPA, FL | Skippers Smokehouse (WMNF Americana Music Festival)

7.31.09 | COCOA BEACH, FL | Paddy Cassidy’s

8.01.09 | COCOA BEACH, FL |Paddy Cassidy’s

Photo

Wed, 20 May 2009 18:55:08 -0400

I watched this special on PBS this afternoon that I really...

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:37:00 -0400

I watched this special on PBS this afternoon that I really loved, I think this orignally aired on the BBC. I had heard of Hugh Everett before but I did know his son was the lead singer of the Eels. It’s a cool short documentary, a personal journey but pretty universal as well and it’s remarkable to watch ~~someone~~ anyone with a desire to learn. Some people aren’t into ideas like this, I have always been, even when it doesn’t make sense immediately (it may never). Anything that makes you consider your place in the world and possibilities outside of your day to day existence is a good thing in my book.

MDRB

Tue, 19 May 2009 15:13:00 -0400

Polarize

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:27:00 -0400

My buddy Lou shared this iPhone App with me that turns you little low light camera pictures into sweet polaroids, I’m a fan.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelpdunn/

Mike's Blog: May 15th, 2009

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:52:10 -0400

This morning our good friend Matt Malpass is mixing the final track of our new LP, the title track, Sundowner.

I remember wrapping up the EP we did completely with Matt. We were only supposed to spend four days on the record, it turned into five or six. We were having a good time. It was the first thing I recorded professionally, I was still learning my own voice. I don’t think it was until we recorded Breathe In that I learned what was working for me. All of the guys that worked on that record did a great job and were so supportive for something new, untested. Learning came very quick.

I remember recording the final track American Dreaming, literally 10 minutes before we were supposed to head back to Orlando. We did that track on Matt’s porch, with Louis walking around hitting a tambourine randomly hoping for something cool to happen in the distance. Dogs barking, car doors slamming, sidewalk conversation. It worked in the sense that it was immediate and you don’t have too much opportunity to lie or second guess yourself when you are in your moment, when you don’t have time for a second chance.

Recording American Dreaming 2006 (photo by Alterna180)

We have been equally blessed with this record and the approach couldn’t be more different. We spent a long time on this record, almost a year and a half, and we probably could have spent more. When I listen to the record I know that it is the record we wanted to make. It’s big and lush.

If anyone calls us an indie band it’s only because we don’t make very much money.

I’m calm listening to this record though because we followed our rules, it just so happens those rules fit into a tradition pretty well.

*At this point in my blog writting I got sidetracked by Matt showing me some amazing pop songs he wrote.

Anyways, it keeps coming back to these simple things to me. Be honest with your self, be honest with you fans and have absolutely as much fun as humanly possible. Jacob and I watched this Hold Steady documentary yesterday and it was very refreshing to watch their interviews to see them echo the same things we care about. There’s so much indie rock moping and rock box posturing, it breaks my heart, but slowly I think there are a lot of people coming around, letting loose a little bit, learning to have a good time again. That DVD was a bit of an affirmation of that, that counts as fuel for bands like us. Check it out if you have the cash.

The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage DVD

We’re heading out on the road this summer for a couple dates, things are picking up, times are getting tougher, we’re just trying to get better.

Mike's Tour Blog: Vol. III Issue III

Thu, 07 May 2009 13:44:51 -0400

Saturday in New York made me think about changes in scenery.

You know sometimes when you’re all alone on a big stretch of highway you play mind games or maybe the other way around. If you think hard enough, and this can only happen on those big desert stretchs where nothing much changes, you start to feel like you car is stationary and the world is just spinning under it. After all the world is spinning, 1000 miles and hour or something like that. That may or may not have everything or nothing to do with our trip to New York City.

Our Saturday in New York was surreal.

Instead of taking little shopping trips down St. Marks, or taking pictures in front of that cool Joe Stummer memorial, or seeing the sights, we went to a BBQ competition in South Brooklyn. I thought about how everyone has to have their niche and how maybe competition is inherent in wanting to be good at something even if it is just marinating and grilling meats. We spent a couple hours at the windy competition and were sent home with a 20 pound bag full of all kinds of good stuff. We were starving by the time we got to our subway stop. The lamb was the first to go, they looked like little meat lollipops, delicious.

By the time we got back to Rob’s place it was time to head down to the venue, Daniel was still recovering on the couch. We made a couple plates, ate and piled back in the van and across the Williamsburg bridge. It didn’t seem as intimating this time.

As we loaded into the Mercury Lounge we said some long due hellos to the Damnwells and met a great band from Louisiana called Sons of William. Can’t wait to play some shows with them, easy guys to get along with and very talented. Turns out their guitar player used to play with Butch Walker as well, were definitely coming from the same place. I caught up with Alex breifly before their crew headed off to grab some food.

I absolutely loved the sound of the venue, one of the best. My guitar tone felt a little off for some reason but other than that the set felt great, I loved having Nathan play guitar with us, it just felt right. The guy is a professional and an official king, we’re hoping you will see more of him in the future. Here’s a couple videos our friend Gilly took of our set, apologies to Reel Big Fish, I really do love your band… I don’t know why I say things sometimes…

The rest of the night was a celebration. We downed every shot the good folks in NYC brought us, pal’d around with some old friends and some new ones and finally saw the Damnwells play.