Mike Brosnan New Zealand Album release: Beneath Southland Skies
April 21, 2006
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Mike Brosnan – New Zealand Album release: “Beneath Southland Skies”
New Zealand’s leading Roots/Americana artist Mike Brosnan will tour NZ in May-June 2006 to support the release there of his new album “Beneath Southland Skies.”
Darmstadt, Germany April 21, 2006 — With his latest release Beneath Southland Skies, Mike Brosnan continues to thrive and expand as a songwriter, storyteller and singer. Planned for NZ release in May 2006 on Flying Kiwi Records through Southbound Records (www.southbound.co.nz) Beneath Southland Skies brings Brosnan’s eye for lyrical detail and emotive delivery together with a newfound intimacy.
Assembling a small but crack band that included Brosnan on guitars, B3 and vocals, Recky Recky on 2nd guitar, Peter Treusch on drums, Christian Spohn on bass, Georg Schroeder on piano and Marc Breitfelder on harmonica, producer/engineer Reck and Brosnan set out with a mission; to capture the most honest and heartfelt performances they could find.
Recorded live in the studio, “Beneath Southland Skies” was made with minimal overdubs. The vocals were recorded live as the tracks were laid down with an effect of intimacy and immediacy mostly missing from today’s recordings. Without the fussiness and formality of layering the recording, something special was revealed - the heart of the songs.
Lyrically and musically, “Beneath Southland Skies” finds Mike Brosnan with his most personal group of songs yet. From the gritty, real-life details of “Another Song For The Road” to the dark poetry of “Be With You”, to the opening rocker “Letter To A Friend”, this group of songs stands as a testament to artistic self-revelation.
Growing up on the outskirts of New Zealand’s capital of Wellington, Brosnan was exposed to a surprising mix of musical influences. His father had a record collection that spanned from Irish ballads to Floyd Cramer and Bill Haley. Combined with that, as well as studying classical piano from an early age, Brosnan developed a extremely broad vision of music in general.
Performing in some of New Zealand’s seminal rock bands, initially as a keyboard player, and then as a guitarist, he brought these diverse influences into contemporary rock music.
Touring for many years on the international blues circuit, his early CD’s were very much in that genre. It was his 1998 release “Streets of Glass” that announced his arrival as a songwriter to be reckoned with. “Streets of Glass” was well received in NZ and Australia, where tracks are still playlisted on mainstream radio. Similarly in the US, where in 2003 it reached as high as #2 on Roots Music Radio without the help of hired radio promotion - a surprise to many in the industry.
2002’s “Wasted Time” displayed even finer skills as a writer and vocalist in a stripped-down, largely acoustic format, and was equally as well received.
“Beneath Southland Skies” is a fitting addition to the Flying Kiwi catalog and features some of Mike Brosnan’s sharpest writing and inspired singing to date.
Highly personal and fiercely honest in it’s delivery the new album is a brave new chapter in an unfolding story.
Mike Brosnan will perform a 22-concert solo NZ tour, beginning in North Hokianga on Tuesday 23 May 2006 and ending on Stewart Island on Tuesday 20 June. Full tour details can be found at Mike Brosnan’s website.