Harold Mike Sizemore

Blimey, someone else who thinks that two names aren’t enough. But unlike the blues rock up above, this is rootsy, introspective Americana. And it’s a concept (ish) album.

Mr Sizemore has spent the last five years putting together a song cycle about his father, and the relationship he had with him, following the death of his father in 2009. Now my Dad died when I was still at the school, so I only have vague memories of him, so it must be a comforting feeling to be able to put down in words and music how you feel about your father.

And he has a good way with a lyric and a melody, which is as much akin to the singer / songwriters of the early seventies, as it is anything else. There’s certainly a handful of tunes well worth your attention, with the best being ‘Hell for Certain’, ‘Think About Memphis’ and ‘Driving Drunk’, all of them topped off with a very listenable voice. - Stuart Hamilton- The Rocker

Out of Cincinnati, Ohio comes Harold Mike Sizemore, a strong singer/songwriter with a superb melodic voice and a bunch of great songs on his latest album That old man and me. He played in a band called Strange Acquaintance at the end of the 1990s, but eventually ended up as a solo act throughout the 2000s. The material he creates sits nicely between Jackson Browne and a stripped American southern rock and roll band (Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd), while here and there sounding like a true Americana record. Highlights are Hell for Certain and Dark Haired Young Dream, but actually each song is enjoyable to listen to. Singer/songwriter at it’s very best is what you basically get hear and especially the lyrics are interesting, because Harold lost his father to a heart attack on November 1, 2009 and he spent the next 5 years constructing a musical tribute to his father, which is now available in the form of this beautiful record That old man and me. Without a doubt, a must-have for any fan of real and honest quality music. Check out all on him at: http://www.haroldmikesizemore.com/bio.html

(Points: 8.2 out of 10) - GABOR KLEINBLOESEM - Strutter Magizine (Mar 5, 2015)

HAROLD MIKE SIZEMORE One of These Days
Haroldmikesizemrore.com
E-mail: Haroldmikesizemore@yahoo.com
Label: Own Management
CD Baby
Some artists don’t have the appearance to make it in the pop world. The idealized image of the rough and tough singer generally gives way to the slick flat promotional preference of the big labels which peddle their product to the critical pop market. The image of Harold Mike Sizemore does not satisfy this at all. His family name and his clothes might not make him a canaidate to be hung over your puberty teen’s bed. Thus this artist must have other qualities such as wonderful music and text in his songs on top of a beautiful voice. Sizemore grew his musical roots from his parents who live in Cincinnati, Ohio. Where he was exposed to country and bluegrass music. For ten years he has wrote his own songs and played with band like "Strange Acquaintance" from Columbus Ohio. He now plays clubs and rooms doing solo acoustic performances where he can count on assistance from the listening public. He is also the producer of a radio show for truckers on a radio station in Ohio.
The songs on his debut album "One or these Days" is sincerely and targeted and his soulful voice gives the those songs an extra cachet. With only spare accompaniment "Could we be lovers?" has an intimate sound. One of the most beautiful songs on this album must be "Imagination". It appears that Harold Mike Sizemore has a splendid voice and is a blessed songwriter of American sounding songs. Broken hearts and feelings of loneliness are poured entirely into this simple sound. The "Experience life" would fit in well on an album like "Harvest" by Neil Young. Not unimportant is that the auditor can identify himself easily with the contents of the song texts. Also the number "wrong" is the last advancement of emotional outlet . With very few instruments Sizemore delivers a beautiful and full sound. Once again: simplicity and uprightness can be particularly beautiful. This is a text book example.(valsam)

This is a tranlation on this review:
HAROLD MIKE SIZEMORE
ONE OF THESE DAYS
myspace
Mail: haroldmikesizemore@yahoo.com
Label : Eigen Beheer
CD Baby





Sommige artiesten hebben van moeder natuur hun uiterlijk niet meegekregen om het bijvoorbeeld in de popwereld te maken. Het ideaalbeeld van de volslanke, ruige en viriele zanger draagt meestal toch de voorkeur weg van de gladde platenlabel-promotiejongens die hun product aan de kritische muziekliefhebbers moeten proberen te slijten. Aan dat ideaalbeeld voldoet Harold Mike Sizemore dus helemaal niet. Zijn familienaam indachtig moet hij bij het kopen van kleding altijd uitkijken naar één (of meerdere) maatje(s) meer en zijn foto zal je niet meteen terugvinden boven het bed van je puberende tienerdochter. Dus moet deze artiest het vooral hebben van andere kwaliteiten zoals oerdegelijke muziek en teksten in zijn liedjes en daar bovenop een mooie stem. Sizemore kreeg de muziek met de paplepel binnen via zijn ouders die in Cincinatti, Ohio woonden. Muzikaal wordt hij in zijn jeugd sterk beïnvloed door de country- en bluegrassliedjes die in dat gedeelte van Amerika tot de verplichte dagelijkse kost behoren. Een tiental jaren geleden begon hij zijn eigen liedjes te schrijven en trad hij op met een bandje genaamd “Strange Acquaintance”. Na die periode schuimt hij alle clubs en zalen af met een solo akoestische performance waarbij hij op veel bijval van het luisterende publiek kan rekenen. Hij is overigens ook de producer van een radioshow voor truckers op een lokaal radiostation in Ohio. De liefdesliedjes op het debuutalbum “One Of These Days” zijn oprecht en doelgericht en zijn soulvolle stem geeft die liedjes een extra cachet mee. Met enkel gitaarbegeleiding krijgt “Could We Be Lovers?” een indringend en intimistisch geluid mee. Bij de mooiste liedjes op dit album moet zeker ook “Imagination” gerekend worden. Hierop blijkt dat Harold Mike Sizemore over een prachtig stemgeluid beschikt en ook een begenadigde songschrijver is van erg Amerikaans klinkende liedjes. Gebroken harten en gevoelens van eenzaamheid worden op een geheel eigen wijze in tekstvorm gegoten en spreken voornamelijk aan door hun eenvoud. Het met gitaar en mondharmonica gebrachte “Experience Life” zou helemaal niet misstaan op “Harvest” van Neil Young. Niet onbelangrijk is dat de luisteraar zich gemakkelijk kan vereenzelvigen met de inhoud van de liedjesteksten. Ook het nummer “Wrong” is beklijvend van opbouw en emotionaliteit. Met ontzettend weinig instrumenten weet Sizemore toch een mooi en vol geluid aan zijn liedjes toe te kennen. Nogmaals: eenvoud en oprechtheid kunnen bijzonder mooi zijn. Deze plaat is daarvan een schoolvoorbeeld. Proficiat aan de schepper van al dat moois.
(valsam)
- Rootstime.be

Playlist MOJO DREAMS 28 juni 2007.

Stepping Stone Harold Mike Sizemore :” One Of These Days” (www.cdbaby.com)

I Will Love You Anyway Robi Zonca and his Band :” You Already Know” (www.robizonca.cjb.net)

Naggin’ On Herman Brock Jr. & The Eurocasters :”Coco Loco” (www.eurocasters.net)

Croc Talkin’ Poppa Dawg :” Same Dog New Suit” (www.blues-promotion.be)

Close Your Eyes, Maria Ted Russell Kamp :” Divisadero” (www.tedrussellkamp.com)

Angelina Jeff Kanzler :” Black Top Road” (www.jeffkanzler.com)

Anti-Hero Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream On Mondays :” Little Films” (www.vanessapeters.com)

Car Outside Jimmy LaFave :” Cimarron Manifesto” (www.musicwords.nl)

When The World Was Still Big Mike Marino & His Restless Soul :” Out Of The Darkness” (www.restlesssoul.com)

Seems To Me Jason Plumb and The Willing :” Beauty In This World” (www.jasonplumb.com)

Crooked Smile Stefanie Fix :” Crooked Smile” (www.stefaniefix.com)

Cloudspitter Alastair Moock :” Fortune Street” (www.corazong.com)

Life Is Flyin’ Peppertown :” Firefly” (www.peppertownmusic.com)


- RADIO ZRO 106.2 FM Belgium

RADIO ZRO

106.2 FM BELGIUM

SAMENSTELLING / COMPILED BY :

MARK VERBERT

PO BOX 61

B 2070 ZWIJNDRECHT

BELGIUM

Email : hogtown@pandora.be

Website http://hogtown.project1440.com

Playlist MOJO DREAMS 7 juni 2007.

Cigarettes And Beer René West :” This Town” (www.renewest.net)

Don’t Ask Me Jimmy LaFave :” Cimarron Manifesto” (www.musicwords.nl)

Wrong Harold Mike Sizemore :” One Of These Days” (www.cdbaby.com)

- Playlist June 7th

Play Some Skynyrd

It seems I was just telling someone the other day that I was sick of local bands. Not to say that there is a shortage of quality bands in the area, but the scene is definitely dominated by either one of two genres-- The hippie Phish wannabes or the flavor-of-the-month cover bands dishing out such sure-bet future classics as BRITNEY SPEARS' "Baby, One more time" (unfortunatley, there is actully a band that includes this song in their set-- I won't name names). Save for the occasional interesting punk/power pop band, the local scene has been dragging.

Enter Strange Acquitance, Just recently starting to gain momentum, Strange Acquitance brings to Columbus a sound that has been missing for years: classic rock. A recent gig at the Bourbon Street Cafe, performed to just over a half-full house, showcased the band's ability to do devastatingly accurate covers of such seldom sampled songs as THE ALLMAN BROTHERS' "Whipping Post" while delivering catchy, retro-rock originals of their own like "When your so far away" and "I know you don't," both penned by guitarist Mike Sizemore.

Strange Acquitance revels in covering songs that have become rock cliches that no one dares to touch. They've included both "Stairway to Heaven" and "Freebird" in their sets and actully pull them off effectively-- to the delight of their audiences-- led by Sizemore's Slick guitar work, along with his and fellow lead singer/drummer Rich All's gravelly baritones.

To watch these guys on stage is an event in itself, as they refuse to take themselves too seriously, from bassist Jared Mills's(formerly of the popular Toledo- based quintet Black Vice) propensity to wear his pajamas onstage to the entire groups's mindless, self-depreciating banter that is omnipresent throughout their shows, STRANGE ACQUITANCE does best to make their shows, if nothing else, fun to watch.

Their gigs have been few -- Keyboardist Blaine Furukawa, an intregal part of the band's sound, lives in Cincinnati making it difficult to play consistantly -- but they've mastered their style like seasoned veterans. It's hard to tell how fara 70's influenced band can go as we near the millennium, but one thing is for certain: for the time being, STRANGE ACQUITANCE is breathing some much needed new life into a stagnating Columbus music scene.

-- Jackson Buehrer
MTV.com local Stringer(August 4, 1999)
Jackson Buehrer - MTV Local Stringer - MTV.com August 4th 1999 (Aug 4, 1999)

This is an old review from an old band I was in.
- MTV.com August 4th 1999

Cincinnati, Ohio – Harold Mike Sizemore is thrilled to announce the release of his latest album, That Old Man N Me, available everywhere on October 10, 2014.

That Old Man N Me is Harold Mike Sizemore’s tribute to his late father who passed away in 2009. It’s a follow up to his critical acclaimed debut “One of These Days”.

The new release is an Americana album that details the relationship between a boy and his father. The complications of growing up in the shadow of a larger than life father and a son’s battle to stop the circle of life from becoming full circle.

“The record is more than just a tribute to my father, it’s the understanding of our complicated relationship and the unique story of our lives.” Says Harold Mike Sizemore. “It’s was a great period in my life and one that people really should be able to relate too.”

The official CD release party will be held at Wunderbar in Covington Kentucky on October 10, 2014. Other acts scheduled to appear that night will be Black Mountain Throwdown and Lonesome Jared Schaedle from Lonesome Jared and the Heart Attacks. - Haroldmikesizemore.com