REUNION!

This Wednesday at Flaco’s, we’re bringing you a reunion! My long-time buddy and former band-mate Jeff Shephard will travel all the way from ATLANTA to be with us! Most of you have not heard of the first band I was in, Pruce. I joined the band in 10th grade as the drummer and Jeff was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Pruce has since disbanded and we’ve all gone on to be in other bands.

Jeff and I kept playing together in the summer of ‘06 with friend of Flaco’s Wednesdays, Johnny “Cougar” King, as Cotton Pocket (click the link to hear songs from my very poppy past). WE’RE BRINGING IT BACK! We’ll try to remember as much Cotton Pocket music as we can. Together, Johnny and Jeff will drive 14 hours round-trip to be here. Let’s make it worth their while!

Jeff continues to play as Jeff Shephard Band. He’s also going to play a set of his songs. He and the band have been playing around Atlanta as much as possible, building hype. This will be his first Gainesville show.

OH YEAH: this will be Michael Claytor & His Friends’ last Flaco’s Wednesday for the next three weeks, as I will be touring with Austin Lucas and the Choir!

AND EVER AND EVER,

me’n'thefriends

WHAT A WEEK! First of all, tremendous thanks to everyone who came out and supported us last week at any of our shows. It was ridiculously busy but well worth it. Between Monday and Saturday, I played 7 shows with 4 bands.

On Monday night, I joined Coffee Project on stage at 1982 for the song that I recorded with them for their upcoming album release. We played with our good friends, Greenland is Melting, and rising songwriter sensation, Frank Turner. Check him out…

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Michael Claytor and His Friends trekked across the north half of Florida with Paleface, Lauris Vidal, Andy Zipf and Damion Suomi. These three nights, I enjoyed some of the best shows I’ve ever been a part of musically! Paleface is the most original, unique folk-core band I’ve EVER seen. After three nights in a row watching them, I wished I were on tour with them for a month. I’ve been humming his songs ever since. We’ll see ‘em again at Harvest of Hope Fest, thank God! Maybe this will give you some idea of what they’re like:

Friday night, Umoja Orchestra and The Babylonians held a benefit concert for Haiti relief at our trumpet player, Zach Tetreault’s house. It’s a good thing he has a huge backyard… Supposedly, about 550 people donated to get into the show and Gators United for Haiti raised thousands of dollars.

With Austin Lucas and the Choir, we played a free bluegrass festival in the middle of nowhere outside of Ocala. We drove for two or three miles down a dirt road to get to this place and once we arrived, we discovered that the festival was a benefit to pave the road we drove in on! Needless to say, we saw some great music and met some really friendly people.

That night, we played our first headline club show as “Austin Lucas and the Choir” with Greenland is Melting and The Enablers (back in action!). What a great farewell-for-now to Gainesville as we prepare for our first tour together.

Thanks for a great week, everyone! We’ll see you back at Flaco’s this Wednesday!

<3 Michael and the Friends

Austin Lucas

Earlier this year, I began playing music with Austin Lucas and Jason Hedges (of Company Man, and many other bands) and together we formed “Austin Lucas and the Choir.” We’ve played a couple of times at Flaco’s and at a few other smallish places. This Saturday, though, we’re debuting our sound at the Atlantic– our first not-smallish show. We will have the pleasure of sharing the stage with our friends in Greenland is Melting and The Enablers.

That show will also serve as an informal kick-off to our first tour together beginning March 3rd in Atlanta. While we are still in the process of booking some shows, the confirmed dates are as follows:

• 2/20: Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
• 3/3: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
• 3/4: Asheville, NC @ Static Age Records
• 3/5: Richmond, VA — House Show
• 3/6: Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
• 3/8: Mt. Pleasant, SC @ The Village Tavern
• 3/10: Valdosta, GA– House Show
• 3/11: Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
• 3/12-3/14: St. Augustine @ Harvest of Hope Fest
• 3/16: Houston, TX– House Show
• 3/17-3/21: Austin, TX @ TBA
• 3/24: Little Rock, AR @ White Water Tavern

We’re getting pretty excited for this, so come out and see us wherever you can! I’ll post the remaining dates as soon as I get them.

Thanks for reading, and come see the band that brought the Friends and I together, Umoja Orchestra, this Friday (2/19) at 1215 NW 5th Avenue for a Haiti relief benefit show with Micah Shalom and the Babylonians! HOUSE PARTY!!!!

LOVE,

BIG NEWS

This coming Tuesday, the Friends and I will embark on a miniature tour with our dear friend, Lauris Vidal and soon-to-be friends, Paleface, Damien Suomi and Andy Zipf. That’s a lot of new friends. We’ll be playing Tuesday, 2/16 at the Engine Room in Tallahassee, Wednesday, 2/17 at Will’s Pub in Orlando and Thursday, 2/18 at Durty Nelly’s in Gainesville.

If you’ve never heard of Paleface, read this:

Paleface

“Fun-lovin and high energy Indie-Folk duo featuring Paleface himself and darling drummer Monica “Mo” Samalot on a US tour in support of their Ramseur Records debut, The Show Is On The Road, which features guest performances by labelmates The Avett Brothers -”songs you’d be glad to hum for the rest of the day” PASTE. Schooled personally by friend Daniel Johnston, Paleface was discovered at an NYC open mic by the legendary Danny Fields (The Stooges, The Ramones, MC5), 1990. He’s released over a dozen records including two major label releases (Polydor Records, Sire Records). He’s toured with the likes of The Breeders and Billy Bragg, and he’s been a mjor influence on artists such as Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches and Beck…”A great songwriter, a generous friend and a big influence on my early stuff” says Beck of Paleface in Annie Leibovitz’s book ‘American Music’.”

–Blurb from the Engine Room’s website

Wow… I didn’t know that until i just googled him. Come check us out, and tell your friends if they live in any of those cities.

Also, for all of you Gainesvillians, come check us out tonight at Spin Cycle for a Haiti relief benefit show at 8:00 and later at Common Grounds with The Takers and outlaw country singer Willie Heath Neal!

<3 Me ‘n’ the Friends

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This week, we have  a TREMENDOUS lineup.

For those of you who haven’t heard of Gainesville’s folk-punk darlings, Greenland is Melting, why haven’t you been watching the Gainesville folk-punk charts?? Having recently signed to Paper and Plastick records, these guys are going places. They’re also the nicest dudes I’ve known to ever kick a suitcase.

If you get a chance, pick up their album.^

Also playing this week, we have Detroit Muscle, whom I haven’t heard since The Fest last October. The Gainesville Sun has described Matthew McCagg and Detroit Muscle as “an acoustic songwriter formerly known as For He Who Hung The Moon who has a passion for folk and abrasively strummed country much like Langhorne Slim.” Whatever that means.

Since F.H.W.H.T.M., McCagg and company have revamped their sound, adding drums, bass and electric instruments. One thing that we can count on sticking around, though, is quality songwriting. Also, every time I’ve seen Detroit Muscle, I’ve heard impeccable cover songs. Who knows what they have planned this week.

Oh yeah, and….

THUNDER

Evan will be 23 at midnight. RUCKUS!

and ever,

michael&thefriends

If you’ve read the post before this (scroll down), you may have heard that I play drums with a band called Brewster Baker. If you read the Gainesville Sun yesterday (2/4), you may have noticed that I play shekere with Brewster Baker and that we’re Gainesville’s “first legit super-group.”

Now, if there’s anything to show for what Brewster Baker has done so far, it’s really just hype. We have no recordings, photos, videos or merchandise. So, I don’t want to kill any of that hype that this article may have created right before our show (tonight at Common Grounds), so I just won’t say anything. I won’t say anything mainly because I don’t know what super-groups or shekeres are. Read it!

Super-group Brewster Baker, live music, Gainesville scene, Beatles | Gainesville.com

"Singer/songwriter Michael Claytor performs with Brewster Baker, a new band some are calling 'Gainesville's first super-group'."

Thanks to Dante Lima (and apparently Chris Hillman) for the write-up!

In other press news, INsite Magazine of Gainesville just published an interview that I did with them in their February edition. They haven’t posted that interview online, but grab a copy next time you’re at the newsstand!

Until next time…

Michael&Evan&Michael&Aaron&Sam

FRIENDS,

This Flaco’s Wednesday, we’re keeping it simple. Sure, we’ll be hosting Rob and Jade, or Mama, or whatever they decide to be called (see last week’s lineup), but other than that we’re keeping it to the regulars.

That’s right, the AdBo Thunderband, Michael Claytor & His Friends and Devon Stuart will all play long, healthy sets reminiscent of ye olde days– the days when Devon and I would do tag-team sets and play the same 6 songs 4 times each… Hopefully we each know a couple more songs two years later.

Also, I’ll see if I can coordinate this, and don’t hold me to it, but perhaps we’ll be able to have a Brewster Baker pre-Friday-blowout-with-the-Shitty-Beatles-spectacular teaser. For those of you who haven’t heard of

“The Next Great Gainesville Band”,

-Joel Mora

THIS should tell you what you need to know.

Kenny Rogers=Brewster Baker

It’s a rock’n'roll band featuring members of The Takers, Giuseppe, The Shitty Beatles and Michael Claytor & His Friends. Come and check us out Wednesday for a lil’ taste, and Friday at Common Grounds for the real thing.

Solidarity forever,

M&F