Mick Hayes Band
Buffalo, New York, United States | AFM
Music
Press
“Mick Hayes is the real thing! Awesome voice, great groove--What we need more of in this world!”
Billy Sheehan - Legendary Bassist
David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Steve Vai
“In my humbled opinion Mick Hayes is the real deal and I'm a Texan to the bone. This boy got gut-bucket of skills and it's a pleasure listening to him. Rock on Mick Hayes! I would love play a shuffle or two with ya'”
Herman Matthews - Drummer
Tower of Power, Tom Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal
That band is the real deal. Mick Hayes plays the blues like it wants to be played. I gotta' find out what amp he's running through. The coolest stuff I've heard in a while. Feels real good. Love it,
Bill Champlin - Grammy Award Winning B3 Organist
Chicago and Sons Of Champlin
“A sizzling unit who will not disappoint. The rill dill...”
Mike Finnigan – B3 Organist
Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Ringo Starr Etta James
“Great guitar playing, reminiscent of bluesmasters past. Singing"s great too...If Mick Hayes comes to my town.... you can bet I'll be there!"
Lee Roy Parnell – Guitarist Singer Songwriter
Solo, Trisha Yearwood, Mary Chapin Carpenter
“One of my favorite blues guitarists on the scene today! Soulful, clean, swingin' and groovy. A lethal combination of the best elements a performer can have. A bright future awaits.”
Jeff Schaller - Drummer
The Jimmie Van Zant Band
“The first time I caught Mick Hayes Band I knew I found an excellent band with Heart & Soul. There's a LOT of TALENT & Feeling going into every song they play. It was a bittersweet feeling to see them come back to the area Because I felt they should have been scooped up by a Major record label & shot around the world to spread their talent & music. On the other hand, it's GREAT to see the Mick Hayes Band Back in Buffalo Because Mick is as GOOD as GOOD gets! ANYBODY that doesn't book this band has NO CLUE how to book live entertainment. Call me if you want to know more. (Monday thru Friday 3 to 7 PM 716-644-9797)”
Carl Russo - 97 Rock
Legendary Radio Personality
"If you like hard-edged blues rock, the Mick Hayes band is a rock solid aggregation that plays with a versatility that runs the gamut from the pensive "About Forever" to the bar hopping rocker "Witchdoctor."
Jim Santella - WBFO 88.7 FM
Legendary Radio Personality
"Hard blues. Stellar musicianship, beaucoup soul! Elements of classic power trios (Cream, SRV & Double Trouble) on display. Old school blues, too, of the Chicago electric variety. Jump-swing is in there, as well. Some visceral, virtuoso soloing and seasoned interplay between musicians!”
Jeff Miers
The Buffalo News
- N/A
A lot of things come to mind when you think of the Southtowns; one thing you normally would not think of is music. Well, believe it or not, we have some pretty talented musicians residing in the Southtowns. One of those musicians is blues guitarist Mick Hayes.
Hayes has lived all over the country, but says he loves being home in the Southtowns the most. “Living in the area, to me, is the greatest rush of all. The whole time I was away I would talk about being home. Other towns are so big and people are not as friendly as they are here,” says Hayes. He has lived and played in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Hayes adds, “In a local bar in Atlanta where I was, there was little chance of striking up conversation with the guy pouring the beers, let alone the guy sitting next to you.”
Hayes currently lives in Wanakah. “I love it when I am in the yard and neighbors walking back from the beach wave hello. I know most of my neighbors,” says Hayes.
Like I said, Hayes has played everywhere from Atlanta and Nashville, to Los Angeles, and every where in between, including a stop in San Antonio with a tryout for American Idol.
His trek started out in Atlanta, through connections he had there. “Everything came unglued in Atlanta. The band, my relationship with the most amazing woman to date, and worse yet, my relationship with my family was growing out of touch.”
That’s when he was approached with a deal he thought would change his life. “When this all was coming to a close someone approached me and said they would sponsor my trip if I wanted to audition for American Idol. I agreed and signed an investment contract with him and we were off.”
Due to scheduling constraints, Hayes found himself traveling to San Antonio to try his hand at the popular competition. “They confine you in a room and slap a contract in front of you that reads like a life sentence. I asked for legal representation and they basically said sign it now or go home. So why bother reading it right?” He thought he was to move right on to round two, but he was wrong. “Round two is in two weeks. They said goodbye, we’ll see you then. It was so costly, what with all the traveling and the hotels.” Finally, he got his chance in round two, but he was not who they were looking for.
Mick Hayes: A Local Boy and Damn Proud of ItHayes packed his bags and hit the West Coast, namely Los Angeles. He had a few connections there, so he decided to see if he could make the best of it. “I went to every open mike night I could find, and even entered karaoke contests.” Unfortunately for him, nothing was materializing, so his stay in LA was short lived. He headed back to Atlanta.
His next stop was Nashville, where he stayed with Grammy award-winning musician and former Sons of Champlin/Chicago guitarist, Bill Champlin, and his son Will. “There was so much music and vibe there. Mostly I looked up to Bill and Tamara (Bill’s wife), asking them for advice and guidance. I also spent a lot of time gawking at Bill’s Grammys for “Turn Your Love Around” and “After the Love is Gone.”
With nothing really to show for his travels, Hayes gathered his things and headed back home to the Southtowns. “It is hard to make a name for yourself here.” And that’s just what Hayes is attempting to do. Along with his band he played 132 live shows last year in just ten months. “My best show to date is a little tough to pin point, but it’s most likely the night we recorded a live CD at the Lafayette Tap Room during the Thursday in the Square concert series on August 25, 2005.”
He isn’t ready to throw in the towel and move away like a lot of musicians I know; he is willing to make the sacrifices and do the work necessary to make it big out of the place he loves and calls home. “If I were to be signed to a record label out of the Southtowns, you would see the biggest party on the block at my house. Truthfully I would never leave again. I would just buy a bigger house on Route 5 somewhere where I can have a studio in my house. I would tour once a year and still be the guy hanging out at Route Five.”
He also has not lost faith in the music scene around these parts, and is doing everything in his power to make people aware of it. “The music scene here in the Southtowns is great. I used to do a show once a year called the ‘Southtowns Heavyweights.’ Man, those we some great shows.” He believes some of the best musicians in the country are here, so why would he leave again? “The musicians here, as opposed to other cities, will take risks on stage, and to me that’s what true entertainment is. Southtowns musicians can look at each other and say, ‘Hey do you all know this song,’ and play it without any rehearsal at all!”
Mick Hayes: A Local Boy and Damn Proud of ItHayes would like nothing more than to have people take notice of his music, since to him music is everything. “Music to me is the only thing that ever understood me. It was with me through everything; break ups, car accidents and everything else! It has been the only way I know how to express myself. Due to my growing up in a musical family I have always felt that music is something that should be shared through friends and family.” You can easily tell how sincere Hayes is about his convictions.
Mick Hayes is a guy who is good at what he does. His musical influences range from Chris Cornell and Chris Robinson to Jimmie Vaughn and Billy Gibbons. His music is a fluid blend of blues, pop, rock, and R&B. His band can sound like anything from Marvin Gaye to Jimi Hendrix. He plays soaring guitar riffs, and has a collection of personal, relatable songs.
“I would like to see the music scene in the Southtowns revert back to real passionate playing, honest real life song content, and true vocal conviction.” - Buffalo @ Home.com
Hard blues. Elements of classic power trios (Cream, SRV & Double Trouble) on display. Oldschool blues, too, of the Chicago electric variety. Jump-swing is in there, as well. Some visceral, virtuoso soloing and seasoned, subtle interplay between the musicians.
Vibe: Chill. A sparse Tuesday night crowd, but those who came made their presence known. Fantastic live sound. (“That’s just how great the band sounds, man –I hardly had to do anything!” claims the in-house sound engineer. Just false humility? Both band and engineer knew how to do their jobs.)
Hayes and band played songs from a new self-titled disc, including a pair –“Sugary” and “Women Who Drink” –that gave Hayes an opportunity to really let it rip. Authentic, but not mired in cliches. Killer modern blues. - Buffalo News
Discography
EP: Segue 2003
LP: Mick Hayes Band 2009
LIVE: 8.25.05 @ The Lafayette Tap Room
Single:
Notebook Full Of Goodbyes
Discovery Divine
Careless Lust
Recovery
Just Like A Fool
Various Warner - Brothers TV shows and Indie films
Photos
Bio
Opening Act For: Dickie Betts, Robin Trower, Peter Frampton, Los Lonely Boys, Dave Mason, The Nighthawks, Jeff Healy and Hill Country Review.
Close your eyes when you’re listening to Mick Hayes and you’ll never think you’re listening to a 30 year-old from East Aurora, NY – you’ll swear you’ve been transported to 1950’s Chicago. With guitar playing so soulful, so melodic, so downright dirty, and with a voice reflecting the experiences of pain and exultation of bluesmen far his senior, it will become clear that this is no ordinary blues musician.
Mick began his career at age 7, when he was given his first guitar by his parents, who were both accomplished musicians in their own right. Largely self-taught by accompanying his family’s diverse record collection, Mick developed a love for the blues and began crafting his unique style.
Mick joined the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame group Only Humen at the ripe age of 20, and it was with this band where he began to learn his trademark showmanship and a 4 gig per-week worth ethic. As a member of Only Humen, he opened for Marshall Tucker and Molly Hatchet, and contributed on four songs of Only Humen’s release, Slightly Twisted Fiction. After three years with Only Humen, Mick decided to form the Mick Hayes Band in 2003. Acclaim arrived quickly in the Trio’s first year, with Mick earning a People’s Choice Award for Best Blues Guitarist, and placing 10th in the USA International Blues Challenge in Memphis.
The Trio kept chugging along in 2004, picking up five Peoples Choice Awards for Best Blues Band, Best Blues Bassist, Best Blues Drummer, Best Blues Male Vocalist, and Best Blues Guitarist. 2005 proved to be a busy one – between playing over 125 gigs in five months, Mick released a solo acoustic album, Michael…The Other Side of Me, and went on a Canadian Tour in support of Nigel Mack and the Blues Attack. Fueled by their success, the Trio returned to the studio to begin work on their first full-length release, and decided to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia in September 2004.
The Atlanta phase was an interesting one for the Trio. On one hand, they toured the Southwest and recorded Notebook Full Of Goodbyes with engineer/producer Jimmy Daniel (The Killers, Nickelback, Dave Matthews, Lenny Kravitz, Brad Paisley). The previous Buffalo recording sessions resulted in a six-song EP, Segue, which sold 3,000 copies. On the other hand, Atlanta was where, in Mick’s words, ‘it all came unglued’. The Trio had fallen apart, and Mick broke out as a solo artist, spending time in Los Angeles, Orlando, San Antonio (for three rounds on American Idol), and Nashville, where he stayed at the home of two-time Grammy-winning Chicago guitarist Bill Champlin.
With the life-changing southern venture behind him, Mick returned home to Western New York. The first order of business was to put together another band and take the area by storm once again. It didn’t take long to settle on the current lineup of bassist Dave Frost and drummer Todd Mazurek. Instantly, the newly formed Mick Hayes Band meshed and created a modern blues sound. Once again, the awards came fast and furious – the Band earned Buffalo Music Awards for Best Blues Guitarist and Best Crossover Blues Band in 2007; and Best Blues Guitarist, Best Blues Male Vocalist, Best Blues Bassist, Best Blues Drummer, and Best Crossover Blues Band in 2008. The gigs were plentiful too – highlighted by opening for Traffic’s Dave Mason in 2007 and Robin Trower in 2008. A July, 2008 gig in support of Allman Brothers co-founder Dickie Betts and Great Southern ended with the headliners applauding Mick and the Band off to the side of the stage, a flattering moment indeed.
The current lineup released a self-titled album, Mick Hayes Band, in December, 2008. The album is an accurate snapshot of the Band’s diverse talents – from the Setzer-like swing of Women Who Drink (Way Too Much), to the country-inspired lyrics of The Honeymoon is Over, to the modern blues style of Poor Excuse for a Man – it is clear the Mick Hayes Band is spreading its wings and poised to make some noise on the charts. Mick capped off 2008, and kicked off 2009, as he was asked to be a feature performer by former Raven members Tony Galla, Gary Mallaber (Van Morrison, Steve Miller Band), and Jim Calire (America) in a series of shows called The Buffalo Sound: Yesterday and Today. Fittingly, that show title concisely describes the Mick Hayes Band.
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