October Music news 🎵👻🎃💀🎶

Wizards, Androids, and Autumn Drives

Hey, Friend!

Happy spooktober! This past weekend was the first time it really felt like Fall, and I’m here for it. You’ll probably notice that this newsletter’s coming later in the month than it normally does. Usually I might try to include some reasonable excuse for why it’s late, but I decided that life’s too short to worry about overdue homework, so I’m going to let this one slide… I hope you’ll do the same? 😉

You may recall a few months back I mentioned a fundraiser for a project my partner & I were hoping to build for Ingenuity Fest this year. In case you’re not familiar, Ingenuity Fest is a 3-day arts, music, and technology festival that happens in early fall every year in Cleveland. It was an honor to both exhibit, help curate a stage, and perform at this year’s event. If you contributed to the fundraiser for the Zen Soundscapes project, THANK YOU. Here’s an album documenting the entire build process, from the initial sketches and renderings to the final installation at the festival!

The same weekend as Ingenuity Fest, I released a new Hello Headrush single; while still a part of the dystopian science-fiction saga that is the Hello Headrush universe, this one has a bit more melodic turn to it than the first two singles. It’s called “The Long Winter” and can be found wherever online music is served. The rest of the debut EP is already recorded, so you can expect more of the Hello Headrush story coming your way over the coming months!

Last year in this same month, I dove head-first into creating two-dimensional art for the first time in a decade, and used “Inktober” – a series of one-word drawing prompts, one for every day in October – as a catalyst for that. I’ve since had the opportunity to show my artwork at events all over the country, which was an unexpected but not unwelcome result. I decided to try my hand at Inktober again this year, and I’ve found it equal parts rewarding and challenging. One thing I’ve been pushing myself to do is to work on completing “sets” of images I’ve previously started, and matching the styles of those; there are several Game of Thrones portraits I did last year, and I’ve had the opportunity to add to collection. I also added companion images from Young Frankenstein, Lord of the Rings, and there are several more coming up! You can follow along the rest of the month on my Instagram art account.

Speaking of showing my artwork, next weekend I’ll be at Wizard World Columbus, playing music and showing my art. You’ll be able to catch me on stage at 4PM Friday, 1PM Saturday, and 10AM Sunday, and my art will be on display all weekend long in Artist Alley!

I’ve got a few other regional shows coming up before the end of the month, including one with my full band The Mess Makers. you’ll be able to catch us at the 5 O’Clock Lounge on the 25th, along with our friends in The Boom Shakalakas and Brian Hager & the Sky Rockets. If you’re in the greater Cleveland area, I hope you’ll join us!

I know I’m packing a lot into this newsletter, but one last cool thing I wanted to mention! I had the honor of curating a “Mixtape Playlist” for Cleveland Magazine, as part of the ListenCLE project. When selecting songs, I had in mind a drive through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, leaving at dusk and arriving home after dark. You can check out the article here, and find all the ListenCLE playlists here!

Over the next few months, my show schedule may be a little sparser, because I’m working on new music, both for Hello Headrush and as Michael McFarland. Expect some studio updates soon! I won’t be totally absent from the stage, though… Here’s what I’ve got lined up for the immediate future:

As always, there’s a chance I might end up picking up a few more shows over the coming weeks, so be sure to like my various social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and keep an eye on the Tour Dates page to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Once again, thank you for taking this journey with me. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Cheers,
Michael