Set List – Arts, Beats & Eats, Sept 3
I’ve been hoping to play AB&E for a long time, and my gig offer came in an usual way when an organizer caught my set in Port Huron. I’ve been nervous that the new record might not work for outside gigs, but yesterday felt like a good pace.
Sept 3- Arts, Beats, & Eats, Royal Oak, MI
Damn Fine Day
I Just Want to Be Your Last
Don’t Mess Around with Jim (Croce)
A World That’s Bigger
One Way Road
[Record Player] —> Burning Bright
Big Yellow Taxi (Joni)
Ghostwriter
Little Drum
Change the World (Clapton/Simms)
We’re Not Here Anymore
Girl on the Mountain, Boy on the Beach
Lots of “firsts” yesterday: I had a wonderful time playing at my first Holler Fest 2016. The set list was the first time I played every song from the new record coming out in October; and the first time I got through “Those Shoes” without tearing up; and the rain cleared right when I started.
Set list for August 27, 2016 – Holler Fest
1. Damn Fine Day
2. Ghostwriter
3. Girl on the Mountain, Boy on the Beach
4. One Way Road
5. A World That’s Bigger
6. [record player] –> Burning Bright
7. I Just Want to Be Your Last
8. Little Drum
9. Those Shoes
10. Big Yellow Taxi (JoniMitchell.com cover)
11. We’re Not Here Anymore
PS: Preorders the new record, and I’ll email you an advance download code: mikevial.bandcamp.com
PPS: Go catch Mike Gentry Music‘s Holler set at 2 PM today! (Yep, that Gentry who helped record my new record.)
PPPS: Big thanks to Spencer Michaud and Tanya Andrews, Alex Mendenall, the Appleseed Collective cast, Bob Hofbaurer from FARM, and more who made the muddy walk to the Holler cabin to catch my set.
Ginny’s first press conference: Arts, Beats & Eats
Just announced! I’m playing Arts, Beats & Eats 2016 on Saturday, Sept. 3. Acoustic stage, 2 PM in Royal Oak, MI.
Ginny came to the press release. She danced to the band and played her trumpet.
The story about “Ghostwriter,” and my performance tonight at the Acorn Songwriting Competition
I’m proud that my song “Ghostwriter” made it to the 2016 Acorn Theater Singer Songwriter Competition! Art isn’t a competition, but it feels warm and fuzzy to receive some affirmation during the crazy roller-caster of giglife.
I’m performing the song tonight at the beautiful Acorn Theater, along side some wonderful songwriters from the area.
I wrote “Ghostwriter” after learning how to play Joni Mitchell tunes and exploring the open tunings she used on the guitar. (“Ghostwriter” is in open-D, for the curious guitarist.)
I was also binge listening to both Drake and Nick Drake (not joking). Last summer, I was contemplating the music news reports that Drake was using ghostwriters (remember that silly controversy?) and how Nick Drake died assuming he was musical failure; yet now more people like to Nick Drake on Spotify many months than Jim Croce, Cats Stevens and other songwriters from his era. The music industry doesn’t make any sense.
I was also in a spiral of anxiety about my own challenges with the music industry and what decisions I needed to make for 2016 as a father, husband, and traveling musician.
And then this song emerged: “You don’t need that ghostwriter, you’ve got something to say./Let the words spill out of you in a suicide note, or a long-form love letter…”
I’m going to sing it tonight, thinking of Nick Drake.
Thanks to Ryan Stanton for posting a video of me singing this song at the Yellow Barn in May:
The brightest star in the house, Julie Plawecki
Update 1: Service Announcements: read here
There are visitations on Thursday and Friday at Santeui Funeral Home and the funeral is Saturday at the Church of Divine Child at 10 AM. You can get the times and addresses here at Santeui’s website.
Update 2:
Thanks for the Michigan Democrats for putting together this video reel of my Aunt Julie. No matter where you stand on the aisle, Julie was an example of honorable public service, and she was so active in the communities.
* * * * Natalie’s post, June 28, 2016 * * *
[My wife posted a touching piece about Julie on Facebook. I’m reposting below.]
It’s been a difficult week for Mike and his family. Many of you may have heard about the sudden passing of State Rep. Julie Plawecki in the news. At our house, she was known as Aunt Julie.
Her public service was extraordinary, but so was her role in Mike’s family. She organized the cousin pierogi party every year. She would quietly tuck a gift card into all our hands each Christmas even though the cousins had outgrown the gift giving ritual. Back when I was a newcomer, Julie went out of her way to make me feel welcome. When I told her I was nervous about how the rest of the family might react to the release of my not G-rated book, her eyes got wide, she smiled, and said, “Now I’m *really* excited to read it.”
Julie made everyone feel valued and loved in her family and — clearly, from the outpouring of sorrow we’ve seen over the past several days — everyone who had the pleasure to meet her as well. We were so lucky to have her in our lives, and we will miss her so, so much.
* * * * My first post – June 27, 2016 * * *
I attempted to write something about my aunt Julie Plawecki many times yesterday, and I couldn’t find the words.
But then I saw post after post of kind tributes on my Facebook news feed, from one of Julie’s colleagues in Lansing, one of her former students, a family member, a Divine Child parishioner, a Senator from Michigan, or a person in the community who worked with her during her first term in the legislature representing District 11; your words have brought comfort.
- Read Hometownlife’s article: click here
She was the brightest star in my family’s homes, too. We are missing her just as much on Monday as we did on Sunday.
And to my Uncle Mark, cousins Rachel, Lauren, and Monica, we are thinking of you so much.
Photo Credits: Richard Brown
“There is a sad tradition of the Michigan House of Representatives which occurs when a member passes away while in office.”
