Michael Dean and the Timeless Band - Time for These Eight
Style/Influences:Michael Dean’s Pop/Rock sound is very American, but it wouldn’t exist without the Beatles and their American influences; such as traditional 1950’s country/rock swagger and Motown’s disciplined but soulful production style. In the same way that UK hard rock wouldn’t have come about without US Southern black blues, there are early and late period British Invasion vibes coming through his Creedence, Beach Boys and Tom Petty inflections. Additional Brit influences of his would be Squeeze, Crowded House and early Elvis Costello - all purveyors of me- lodic, structured pop songs, who in turn tap into the American zeitgeist. Biography:Michael Dean’s musical leanings came from early childhood exposure to the mu- sic and image of the Beatles. His desire to perform and sing was first channeled into being a regular cast member on the mid-70’s PBS children’s and teen’s TV show, ZOOM. For two years he performed skits and sang production numbers in front of the camera, and ultimately recorded a ZOOM album for A&M Records of popular songs familiar to the audience from watching the show. After being a ZOOMer, Michael pursued guitar and bass playing, using the latter to support his lead singing in a series of grade school and high school covers-and- originals bands. This led to his joining working all-originals bands in Boston after graduating from high school in the early 80’s: The Runes, Battery Park, King Sound, and DeepDark. In these bands, Michael continued bass playing and sing- ing, while practicing guitar playing and song writing, eventually compiling a long list of original songs penned alone or with the help of a bandmate. Along the way, many of the songs were recorded as demos while all of them were performed as regular parts of the live shows. Michael remained focused on recording and writing while working as a sign- maker and selling his original oil paintings to make a living through the 90’s. Most recently, he was singing and performing his songs in Crosstown, a band made up from residents of his present neighborhood, the North End of Boston. They played a number of gigs featuring Michael’s songs but ultimately had to disband due to life commitments and rehearsal time constraints. This was the impetus for Michael to make his eight- song CD, using a trusted and experienced musician/producer from his past and a band composed of players who Michael and his co-producer had worked with and knew well. One of whom, John Sands, was the regular drummer for Aimee Mann’s touring and recording bands. The recordings took place at some of Boston’s well-known studios, including Q-Division, and employed the engineering help of renowned producer Mike Denneen (the Click Five; Fountains of Wayne). The bulk of the album, however, was done by just Michael and his co-producer, Larry Luddecke, at Straight Up Music, Larry’s own professional multi-track studio. They did the overdubs, the mixing and the mastering of the overall sound until Michael was satisfied that the recording reflected the roots of his influences and the commitment of his years that give the project its name: “Michael Dean and the Timeless Band - Time for These Eight”. Review Quotes:“The songs are at all times masterful examples of composition - at once both unique and comfortable.” Discography:“Come on and ZOOM” - (A&M Records, 1977) Contact Information:E-Mail: zoomboymike@gmail.com |