Americana rocker Mike Stinson performs at the Cinema Bar this week, so he told the News about what they have in store for Culver City…
When did you start playing and performing? When did the band form?
I’ve been in the trenches of beer joint warfare for forty years, starting as a teenager in Washington DC through eighteen years in Los Angeles, eleven years in Houston and my current residence in Austin Texas. I was a drummer in my early years, slowly switching over to singing, writing and playing guitar, and formed my first band playing my music under my own name in 2001. I still have a working band in Los Angeles but primarily work with my Texas band formed in 2009 when I moved to Houston. As far as how a band gets formed it happens through a multitude of nights hanging out in bars, meeting local players, tracking down referrals, auditioning, jamming, basically continuing to show up day after day trying to get it right with many successes and missteps along the way.
Describe your sound…
I describe my sound as my own hybrid of American roots music encompassing early rock, early blues, classic country and folk, emulating my heroes and drawing on influences varied enough to end up with a sound that isn’t easily classified but is unique and interesting.
What are your career highlights so far?
Career highlights include writing, recording and releasing numerous records and singles, having my songs recorded by other artists I admire like Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Gilkyson, Brian Whelan, Folk Uke (featuring Willie Nelson), Jesse Dayton, Rob Waller, Austin Hanks and others, having my songs used in films and television shows, performing in cool music venues in just about every state in the country and abroad, opening shows for some of my heroes including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Joe Ely, Dwight Yoakam, Mike Ness, Steve Forbert, Alejandro Escovedo, Chuck Prophet and plenty others, and most of all just plugging in with my musical brothers and making a joyful noise night after night thousands of times over the years.
What recorded music is available?
My full length record releases are Jack Of All Heartache, Last Fool At The Bar, The Jukebox In Your Heart, Hell And Half Of Georgia and most recently a collaboration I did with fellow songwriter and bandmate Johnny Irion titled Working My Way Down. There are also some singles floating around out there including Close Enough For Government Work and Rattling My Cage.
Have you performed at Cinema Bar before?
I have performed at The Cinema Bar hundreds of times, playing drums for Randy Weeks every other Saturday for seven years, many shows drumming for Ramsay Midwood, Tony Gilkyson and others, and doing my own monthly Friday night for quite a few years. Always a good time, great vibes in that room, fond memories include notable artists sitting in with us including Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Chris Gaffney, Lukas Nelson, Elliott Smith, Dave Gleason, Duane Jarvis, Lee Ving and numerous others.
What can we expect from the set this time?
I’ll be doing a duo show this time around with guitarist Lance Smith backing me up, a seventeen year veteran of my Texas band. We’ll be doing two sets from 4pm til 7pm. I’m always trying to fit in a solid chunk of my most well written songs while also coming up with some nice surprises for those audiences members who have seen me many times and also digging up some of my early years songs that my California friends remember.
What else do you have coming up?
We have a show in Tucson on this trip with my old songwriting buddy and killer country singer Mark Insley and a backyard house concert birthday party for my beloved Pamela Des Barres before racing back to Texas for a theater show at Lambert Hall in Houston, a fun Sunday afternoon at Cboys Heart and Soul in Austin, a show at legendary folk venue The Old Quarter in Galveston and generally barnstorming the roadhouses of Texas the only way I know how.
Mike Stinson performs at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 13 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the venue.
Elsewhere this week
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on Saturday, September 19, with the Benny Brydern Quartet. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.