Booking Mike & Amy – Choices
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Stage Plots – Band | Duo
Booking: Rainy Peters, Northwind Records email |757.635.0240
Label: Northwind Records email | 757.635.0240
QUOTES
“The audience hooped and hollered and stomped their feet! “ – Ross Ragland Theater
“His songs might be tales off the beaten path, but he zeroes in on the universal truth clearly and quickly. His storytelling is subtle and he captures the atmosphere perfectly in the world of each song he sings. He sings what he means, and he means what he sings. (And Amy Aiken’s accompanying vocals only make it all sound that much sweeter.)” – G Victor, Parcbench Live
“Mike is something of a floating John Prine crossed with Ry Cooder.” -C. Doane, Sail Magazine
“Dude reminds me of Willie Nelson…and that’s the ultimate compliment.” – M Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly
“There are hundreds of sailing shanties, and there’s Christopher Cross’s “Sailing” and Jimmy Buffett’s “Take It Back” (the best and perhaps only America’s Cup rooting song). But nobody sings about the nautical life better than Aiken, and this simple ode (Chesapeake) to being on the water explains the appeal.”-Greg Kelly-Sports Illustrated (The Ultimate Play List WHAT ARE THE BEST SPORTS SONGS OF ALL TIME? IT’S TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC)
“Ceux qui ont pousse les portes se sont sentis teleportes au de l’ambiance folk et country d’un duo devoue corps et ame ace style musical bien de chez eux. De sa voix chaleureuse posee sur des accords de guitare subtils, Mike deroule son chapelet d’histoires et de portraits touchants et son epouse Amy l’accompagne vocalement tout en marquant la cadence avec divers instruments de percussion. Depaysant a souhait.” – Vosges Journal
TYPICAL VENUES
Shalin Liu Performance Center – Rockport, MA
Nash Theatre – Branchburg, NJ
MerleFest – Wilkesboro, NC
Jam in the Trees – Black Mountain, NC
Deltaville Maritime Museum – Deltaville, VA
Smithfield Little Theatre – Smithfield, VA
Bluebird Cafe – Nashville, TN
Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse – Dallas, TX
Anderson Fair – Houston, TX
Ross Ragland Theater – Klamath Falls, OR
Festival des Granges – Laimont, France
Studio Micro Climat – Épinal, France
The Vantage – Luxembourg
With a nod to Americana, Roots and Country…Mike & Amy deliver their honest tunes and tall tales with a distinctive ocean view. These life partners and sea captains have logged over 30,000 bluewater miles sailing their boat from Nova Scotia to Europe to the Caribbean and beyond. They have crossed the seas and crisscrossed countries sharing the music born of their experiences. Mike’s original songs and stories are a celebration of the independent spirit found in characters they’ve encountered.
Through their accomplished songwriting, storytelling and instrumentation, Mike and Amy’s uniquely personal performances invite audiences to share their lived adventure and their genuine humanity. Audiences invariably say ‘yes!”
On stage, Mike’s earthy voice and masterful work on assorted guitars are perfectly matched by Amy’s open heart, sweet harmonies and tasty percussion and drums. Whether performing as a duo, trio or full band, with or without video display, the Aikens have a way of turning audiences into friends and performance venues into their own back porch.
When not on the road, Mike turns his attention to songwriting with partners in Austin and Nashville. His travels have been well chronicled since 2005 in Americana Rhythm Magazine. Amy also heads Northwind Records, an Indie label since 2002.
Indoors, outdoors, festivals, their own festival, concert halls, intimate songwriter events – the Aikens performance entertains from the first tale to the last tune.
Together:
- Seven studio albums
- One first-round Grammy nomination
- #1 and #13 in Europe
- Five songs Top 25 US charts
- Founded the Aiken & Friends Fest, a music festival that benefits youth music education, running since 2005
- Out-reach / Residency add-ons
- Each is a licensed US Coast Guard Captain
- Each has sailed over 30,000 bluewater miles
- Each has logged countless miles on the road performing in North America and Europe
Mike’s stage setup speaks to the kind of musicality he delivers – acoustic guitars, mandolin, vintage Gretsch Tennessean, Danelectro baritone, harmonica. Amy, whose setup is also unique – snare and hi-hats, congas, rub-board, African gourd and assorted hand percussion. The full band consists of additional band members on upright bass, second guitar, and four-part harmony. Reviews have stated that ‘together they emit an aura of warmth and experience that transfers to the audience.’
Mike & Amy’s love for singing, songwriting and sailing has taken them all over the world. As a songwriter, Mike puts pen to paper and shares his colored and colorful life. As an artist who comes by his stories and Grammy nomination honestly, Aiken has definitely taken his place among well-respected songwriters and musicians.
