Hi everyone,
It’s hard to believe we are a third of the way through July and nearing the halfway point of summer.
Gunshy loves watching Downtown Howell!
I haven’t been blogging much, partly because I’m still getting used to balancing rehearsal time with gig performances, but also because Natalie and I have been nursing our sick, beautiful boxer Gunshy, who is sadly in level three heart failure.
Gunshy’s health was noticeably off when he stopped eating one day in May. Nat’s father and step-sister at the Tawas Animal Hospital discovered that our dog had a kidney infection. With their help we cleared that up, but unfortunately we later discovered this was only the tip of the iceberg of ailments, from a heart infection, a worsening heart murmur, and scar tissue on his right ventricle.
In June and July we spent two eight hour days at Michigan Vetenary Specialists. We’ve given Gunshy some intense burritos of medication, which has helped stop the heart infection, but the impact on Gunshy’s heart is irreparable.
And it’s so hard to write this.Gunshy’s heart is simply giving out. Everyone who has met Gunshy will admit he has one of the most loving doggie hearts ever!
Suzy's baby Lilija has painted the best get well card!
It’s been a rough couple of days. I’ve been having a hard time enjoying the musical side of life as our dog continues to show worsening signs, but there is quite a bit of exciting musical news to share. Here are some things I have coming up soon:
- I’ll be appearing on the Pam Rossi show Tuesday, July 19th! More info here.
- I wrote a new song that I’ll be recording with Hannah Fralick on piano and vocals this month. The new song is called “I Know I’ve Made a Mess This Time,” and it sounds like a mixture of Dylan meeting the Civil Wars.
- I turn 30 on July 30! I will be celebrating with a special show at Stout Irish Pub in Brighton that day! Special guests will join me on stage and new songs will be shared. More info here.
- I am currently working on a goal of learning an additional 100 cover songs this summer! Feel free to make requests at the Facebook Event Page or by sending me an email: mikemvial@gmail.com.
Natalie and I appreciate all your support and prayers as we focus on spending as much time with Gunshy as we can this summer. I also wish you a belated Happy Fourth of July!
~Mike
Nap time on Gunshy's favorite Sesame Street blanket
The new Bon Iver record–I like it. It’s resonating deeply for me. Maybe because I’m leaving the familiar, embracing a new horizon soon and it’s apparent Justin Vernon has done the same musically with this collection of ten songs. There are quite a few new musical horizons to explore upon on a few first few listeners.
Stephen Thompson’s review on NPR’s First Listen today was a nice critique of the record, and I love his observation that this record “beckons you to get lost.” What are your first opinions?
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/09/136855313/first-listen-bon-iver-bon-iver
Have you heard about Sheik’s 80s covers?
- Web stream: http://www.duncansheik.com/listen.html
- NPR Podcast: http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/06/07/137029238/duncan-sheik-uncovers-hope-for-the-80s
I really like the compositions Sheik’s intelligently created. I think that the world was ready for some well done versions of 80s songs (minus XM’s redundant Coffeehouse).
I also like how DS is using SoundCloud and everyone can simply listen for free online, but why isn’t he giving these away for the cheap at Bandcamp or the like? Maybe the licensing was too expensive. Will anyone buy? (Seth Godin suggests no.)
Thank you to everyone who voted for my video “One Way Road,” which has made the top ten for the Music Man Songwriting Competition! Tomorrow, the Music Man will be hosting a little party where all ten participants will get to perform their songs, WHMI 93.5 will be radio broadcasting from the store, and the winner will get to play their song on the radio between 2:30-3PM! The event starts at 1 PM. Come join the fun!
Hi everyone! I’ve entered two videos in The Music Man‘s songwriting competition, and you can help me by voting for your favorite three videos (which may be mine)! You can view the videos at the link, and then email top3songs@aol.com to vote for your favorite three.http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Music-Man/179106630770?sk=app_2392950137
