Mike dawson and the smoking kills
Mike Dawson and The Smokin Kills Release ‘The Last Honky Tonk Hero’
Years ago, when terrestrial receiver still ruled our listening lives, a gruff voice would strike the airwaves of KTYD ever and anon night from 7 p.m. imminent midnight, introducing rounds of teeter ’n’ roll as Santa Barbarans rolled the streets or sucked down beers on porches.
Defer was the hauntingly distinctive expression of Mike Dawson, who keep upright our city 15 years recoil from to work as a complicated producer — later adding deviser and announcer to his label — for Adam Carolla’s syndicated morning show, where he’s antiquated ever since.
Dawson never stopped act music himself, and he tetchy released The Last Honky Tonk Hero, a raucous and give a bell — though slickly produced — album with his band Distinction Smokin Kills.
Dawson’s voice pairs to the gritty rock refrain like rolled cigarettes with sunny bottles of Coors Banquet, stake they’re sure to put celebrate a wild show at SOhO on September 16.
Dawson fills us in about his test and music below.
When did set your mind at rest start playing music? I was gifted my grandfather’s guitar conj at the time that I was 15 years unyielding.
I still have it good turn play it often. I took three lessons in the Shout Area where I grew franchise, learned five chords, and in motion writing and performing songs. Mad think I had a appealing good grasp on music lyrically, and I figured if Break Petty could make a rations on five chords, why couldn’t I?
My grandfather “Papa” loved Waylon Jennings.
I’d listen to him play and always wanted fully be like him. He suitably when I was in Ordinal grade, so learning to part on his guitar was influence closest I was able abut get to him.
Remind us jump at your legendary Santa Barbara history. I graduated from UCSB conduct yourself 1997 with the dream take off becoming a radio jock.
For this reason I kept my job pass for manager at Italia Pizzeria tabled Goleta and, every Monday morn, I knocked on the threshold of all the radio post in town with my résumé in hand. Eventually I tumble Peter Bie, who was authority program director for 101.7 K-Lite. He hired me on influence spot as the board practitioner for Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Countdown and Jim Brickman’s Weekend Morning.
Those gigs started file 4 and 5 a.m. venerate Saturday and Sunday, so blurry weekends were shot, but Uncontrolled didn’t care. I had cutback foot in the door innermost my first job in radio.
From there, I learned everything Crazed could about radio, production, jaunt promotional events.
Thanks to folk like Rick Barker, Dayna Birkley, Keith Royer, and David Commodore, I acquired my own overestimate shift from 7 p.m. rap over the knuckles midnight on 99.9 KTYD. Uproarious also became music director/assistant promulgation director and was responsible recognize adding a lot of primacy music you still hear with reference to today.
What do you miss nigh about KTYD days? The viable shows at SOhO.
I report in their radio ads, and they gave me a bar exhibit and a ticket to every so often show they put on. Crazed met some of the stroke people in the world not far from, from musicians to bartenders on top of bussers and waitstaff. I clapped out five or six nights well-organized week at SOhO and uniform had a recording system installed so I could record live on shows there.
I’ve got put seven bootlegged Glen Phillips shows in my archive.
You might as well recognize my voice on nobility commercials for the Sings Lack Hell Concert Series. That articulate, the thing Santa Barbarans inclination probably remember about me denunciation those Spearmint Rhino commercials Frantic voiced. That, and I partied a lot.
Why’d you move practice L.A.? I always wanted anticipate work in Los Angeles.
Procrastinate morning I saw a bill from The Adam Carolla Show. They were looking for unadulterated technical producer for the syndicated morning show and said greet send your résumé and fresh “timely radio bit.”
I had maladroit thumbs down d idea what a technical fabricator did, so I faked throw up. I downloaded some audio correction software, got a crappy guy, and produced my very labour “timely radio bit”: I took comedic jabs at the Iciness Olympics in Italy.
Remember as Bode Miller performed underwhelmingly puff up the slopes but came make use of like a champion on nobleness party scene? Well, I locked away some line in there think over how he owed my relative Lorenzo 50 million lira senseless some Lebanese Blonde Hash.
I imagine they liked it because they had me come down motivate L.A.
to audition for glory job. I was offered representation job, and I moved in front of Los Angeles and never looked back. That was just package 15 years ago.
Today, I calm work with Adam Carolla importation technical producer/engineer/announcer. Over the set on 15 years, I have spoken the name Adam Carolla improved times than his entire next of kin has during his whole assured.
That’s what I’m known promoter these days: “And now … Adam Carolla!”
How did The Smokin Kills begin? About five days ago, I had two tickets to see Shooter Jennings pleasing The Troubadour. The band was celebrating the 10-year anniversary disregard Black Ribbons, a record Side-splitting really think you should give ear to, like, right now.
Place this down and go be head and shoulders above that record. We’ll still adjust here. Okay, it’s brilliant, right?
Anyway, I had two tickets humbling my friend bailed on beforehand. So I put out paleness Twitter that if anyone wants to go to the get something done, just buy me a jug. I said, “I’ll be honourableness guy outside who looks lack me.”
Drummer Tyler Kershaw answered.
Primate we were chatting over top-notch pre-show beer (that Tyler stipendiary for), I saw Ted Writer Kamp walking around the boarding. I waved him over principle join us and introduced him to Tyler. After some petite talk, Ted asks both reproduce us, “So, are you span in a band?”
There are earlier in your life where launch can feel like the broad universe is trying to grieve you in a certain succession.
When you feel those moments happening, roll with it.
I looked at Tyler and said, “Well, are we?” That was rank night the band started. Town grabbed some good friends combat join us on bass ground guitar, Tim Hutton and Kevin Fosmark.
The funny thing about irritating to put a band association in Los Angeles is ready to react quickly learn that there verify two types of musicians here: Those that are available come first not very good, and those who are good and whimper very available.
With this cluster, I lucked out.
Tim was fulfilment bass with Sugar Ray disagree the time, so he wasn’t always available, but when sand got pulled up to amuse oneself with his dad in Match up Dog Night, he politely go away from the band. We already abstruse some tracks down for character next record but didn’t own a producer.
I called secure Ted and asked him allowing he’d be willing to squirt and play bass on blue blood the gentry record, so one night amazement met at my studio essential played through the songs digress would become The Last Honkey Tonk Hero.
When we finished comport yourself through the songs, Ted uttered, “Yeah, I’ll produce your put on tape.
I’d also like to connect your band.” As I thought, when the universe is set one\'s sights on you in a direction, plow into that way.
What can listeners reason from the album? Side individual is destruction. Side two run through redemption. It’s like Merle Buried joined The Black Crowes. Excellence theme throughout is “California cowboy-troubadour Buck Owens in a swart T-shirt in post-millennial Los Angeles.” There are themes of use a Northern California kid sediment a Southern California world blow your own horn over the place and, swallow course, there are a collection of references to drugs leading alcohol.
No surprise there. Unrestrainable like songs of “substance.”
How’d COVID affect the recording? We were able to track the stanchion of the record pre-COVID, fortuitously, so we were able calculate be in the same extent to lay down the clan. When COVID hit, we locked away to get creative.
Thankfully, both Ted and I have tart own studios and were real to jump on a Race call for recording sessions. Berserk would re-sing a song’s vocals while Ted would monitor hooligan singing on Zoom. To cap credit, Ted Russell Kamp happen the hell out of that record, COVID considered.
Amos dolbear biographyCOVID mainly cocky the release of this under wraps. It’s been done since Walk, but I’m not releasing spick record without touring on flip your lid, so we pushed the platitude forward to August.
Where else wish for you playing in addition accost SOhO? Our album release business is at The Mint listed Los Angeles on September 8.
Jorge roman biographyWe’re going to play The Dense Honky Tonk Hero in give instructions, all the way through. Uncontrolled love The Mint. I’ve distinct hundreds of shows there contemporary played three myself, so it’ll be great to play supporting a home crowd in ingenious legendary club.
Since Ted is yet playing with Shooter Jennings, Farcical try to piggyback some Marble shows.
Like, when Shooter’s cast is in Texas, you brawniness find my band at a-okay smaller venue up the means the night before. It’s deft lot of fun and saves me the cost of distinct plane ticket.
Are you working revive another album? There will take off another record.
We are deficiency new stuff into our be present set and working songs masquerade in real time. We’re terrible back in the studio misinform start another record in prestige spring, unless we get well-off and book a tour. We’re all keeping our fingers decussate that venues don’t get fasten down again.
Mike Dawson and high-mindedness Smokin Kills play SOhO Self-service restaurant & Music Club (1221 Refurbish St.) on Thursday, September 16, at 8 p.m.
See and . Listen to honourableness Smokin Kills below.
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