The Gig Cartel - Artist profiles: Mike And The Mechanics

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Mike And The Mechanics

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The Changing Face Of
Mike Rutherford, a founding member of one of the most successful groups of all time, Genesis, formed Mike + The Mechanics in 1984 and created a side project that would go on to sell over 10 million records worldwide. The band originally started with vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young (formerly of Sad Café).

The band’s debut record in 1985 titled “Mike + The Mechanics” produced two Top Ten hit singles, Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) and All I Need Is a Miracle.  Both tracks went top 40 in America. In the UK, the bands debut single Silent Running shot to number 6.

In 1988 Mike + The Mechanics released the “The Living Years” an album that achieved massive global success, spawning the hit single The Living Years a worldwide number one single that became the eighteenth best selling single that year.

Two further albums followed 1991’s “Word of Mouth” and 1995’s “Beggar on a Beach of Gold” continuing to cement the band’s reputations as one of the most respected contemporary melodic rock bands. Both albums produced a series of massive airplay hits including, Word Of Mouth, Over My Shoulder, Another Cup Of Coffee and Beggar On A Beach Of Gold. Releasing the "Hits" album in 1996, Mike + The Mechanics took to the road for an enormously successful UK tour, where venues such as Sheffield City Hall, Manchester Apollo and London Shepherds Bush Empire were sold out night after night.

Mike & The Mechanics returned to the studio in 1999 to record "Mike & The Mechanics (aka M6)" adding to the mix Genesis producer, Nick Davis, and newcomer Matthew Vaughan as producers. However, in July 2000, the sad news came that vocalist Paul Young had died.

Over the years the name Mike + the Mechanics has clearly defined the chameleon nature of the group and will also be able to encompass the past and the future as the band return for 2011.

December 2009 marked the moment that Mike Rutherford revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that he was currently working on new material for Mike + The Mechanics. A year later and a new generation of Mike + The Mechanics are ready to be unleashed with a brand new record deal with Arista, and a brand new album due next spring featuring two new faces.

Both co-writing and taking to the mic on the new album is one of the most successful UK R& B acts of the 90’s Andrew Roachford. Breaking into the UK music scene in his early twenties, Roachford stormed the UK Charts with the anthem ‘Cuddly Toy’ and became Columbia’s biggest selling UK act for ten years. Tunes like ‘Only To Be With You’ to ‘The Way That I Feel’ became international hits and gave Roachford the opportunity to tour the world and hone his talent – becoming the truly great entertainer that he is today. Throughout his career he has organically blended different sounds and genres from rock to soul music and has become a prolific songwriter.
Joining Roachford and sharing the vocal duties is Tim Howar, a Canadian actor/singer who came to the UK 10 years ago to start a band in the country where his icons were born. He formed and toured with Vantramp supporting the likes of Rod Stewart, Paulo Nutini, the Sugarbabes and Newton Faulkner. Vantramp’s debut album was released to critical acclaim. Additionally Howar's acting career has seen him starring on Broadway and the West End as well as touring the US and Canada and saw Tim take the starring role as Rod Stewart in the show ‘Tonight’s The Night’. Despite all the exciting things he has done to date, reforming The Mechanics over the past year has been the most fun, exciting project he has worked on to date.

Mike + The Mechanics will return in Spring 2011.


 

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