Vinny Golia Large Ensemble 4/9/14

Played an incredibly fun, sold-out show with Orkestar MEZE on Friday at Golden Road Brewery in LA. Great crowd, great beer and food, and tons of new music...the proceeds will help us to finish our new album, which will hopefully be out this Summer. You can check out some pics by visiting this link to MEZE's Facebook page. We will definitely be putting on some more shows at Golden Road, so if you couldn't make this one, keep your eyes open for the next one and get those tix before they sell out!

Vinny Golia

On Wednesday, April 9 I'm honored to be joining the Vinny Golia Large Ensemble at the REDCAT Theater in downtown LA. I have been able to play a couple of times at REDCAT (attached to Disney Hall) and it is a fantastic venue. More importantly, performing with Vinny is always a unique pleasure and challenge; he was one of my mentors when I attended CalArts, and a huge part of my development as a clarinet/bass clarinet player. I will be playing clarinet on Wednesday in his Large Ensemble, an amazing semi-orchestral group of over 40 musicians, with Vinny at the helm playing a multitude of woodwinds and the great Marc Lowenstein conducting. You can find all the information here.

Many Thanks

The Michael Mull Octet crowdfunding campaign has ended and we ended up exceeding our goal…the session was followed by a whirlwind couple of weeks, so I wanted to take a moment and write here on the blog a belated but enormous THANK YOU! Those of you who follow on Facebook may have already been inundated with this, but I am truly beyond grateful to all the support we received to kick the project into gear.

The session went incredibly well, even better than I could have hoped, and I am going back to the studio to begin mixing this Friday. There are still many steps and many hours ahead, but I will have this album finished and ready as soon as possible without sacrificing an ounce of quality. Still settling in on artwork/design ideas, as well as a name for the album…stay tuned.

Speaking of new albums, Orkestar MEZE is returning for a monstrous party in a few weeks, on Friday, April 4th - we are posting up at the Golden Road Brewery for a funky dance party fueled by the freshest beer in LA! I'll post more details soon, but that should be enough info for now…you can get presale tickets for only $10 on our website: http://orkestarmeze.com/concerts/. This one is going to sell out fast (already over 70 peasants attending!) so grab your ticket while you can!

Into the Studio Tomorrow

The Michael Mull Octet is heading into the studio to begin recording our debut album! We are honored and excited to have so much support so far for our IndieGoGo campaign, and the project is 76% funded. The campaign continues until next Wednesday night 3/5, so if you haven't reserved your copy, now is the time! Visit www.igg.me/at/mm8tet to donate and share.

Trio at Vitello's 2/16/14

In the midst of all this Michael Mull Octet madness, I'm pleased to take a quick detour this Sunday 2/16 to play a Trio set Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City at 8pm. This is a really nice venue overall; great sound, warm-vibey room, and tasty Italian food (I recommend especially the flat, crispy pizzas or desserts).

I had played at Vitello's a few times with the Trio and other groups around 2009, and more recently with Connor McElwain, and I'm excited bring in a new configuration of the Trio, specifically for this show. As usual, I'll be playing alto saxophone and bass clarinet, and will be joined by Cameron Hicks on drums. On Sunday we will be joined by tuba player Stefan Kac, covering the bass chair for Ben Shepherd. Stefan is an amazing player that will get you re-thinking the tuba.

Michael Mull Trio feat. Stefan Kac (tuba)
Sunday, February 16th
Upstairs at Vitello's
4349 Tujunga Ave, Studio City

8pm, one long set
$15 cover + 2 item minimum (food or drink), at the door or presale
All Ages
Valet parking available, or plenty in the surrounding neighborhoods
RSVP on Facebook

Come see us put it all together on Sunday night! If you haven't heard the Trio before, you can play the video below of my composition "Israfel", performed at Barclay's Coffee and Tea in Northridge.

IndieGoGo Update Video #1

Hi everyone, forgot to post this here. Here's an update to our crowdfunding campaign (via IndieGoGo) to raise money for recording the Michael Mull Octet album! Please share with your friends and help us spread the word, we've got 22 days left! You can forward this simple link:

igg.me/at/mm8tet

Anyway, here's the video of me having some fun and "interviewing" Will and Tim from the Octet about the upcoming album:

IndieGoGo + 2 Shows

Happy 2014! I bring big news all around! Firstly, I'm very excited to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the Michael Mull Octet's first album, via IndieGoGo. If you are unfamiliar with crowdfunding, it works as a modern-day patronage system for artists, entrepreneurs, and activists; people from all over the world can check out your project idea and contribute to help make it a reality! Best of all, those who contribute to our campaign can choose from all kinds of great rewards...you can see a full list on the campaign page. Watch the launch video below, and stay tuned for updates throughout the campaign:



Next, I'm joining trumpeter/composer Connor McElwain on Monday night, 1/20, at Vitello's in Studio City. He always writes interesting music, and this is my first time to play on the frontline with him. Here is the event on Facebook with all the details.

Finally, a week from today I am performing a much-anticipated concert with the Michael Mull Octet and the Rowan-Baba Large Ensemble, whose music you really have to hear to believe. The concert is taking place at ArtShareLA, a versatile and relatively young venue in Downtown LA, and I'm honored to be a part of both ensembles! As you may know, larger ensembles like these don't get to perform all the time, so catch us while you can. This will actually be the Octet's first ALL AGES concert, so come one and all! Only $10, 8pm. Check it out on Facebook.

Hidden Remedies 12/18/13

I had a great rehearsal this morning with Frank Silva, Dave Tranchina and Mike Lockwood for a show at the Blue Whale on Wednesday, December 18th. We are stretching out on a lot of Frank's original compositions, one from Mike Lockwood, and a couple of mine as well. The concert is a triple party: not only a show, but a CD release of Hidden Remedies, recorded in April this year and now a finished product for you to hear! It's also Frank's birthday...so come celebrate with us, we're hanging late! Get those details on facebook here.

Mike, Dave, Frank and me. It took all four of us to screw in that lightbulb.

The quartet show is looking like my last show of 2013, but January will be full of Michael Mull Octet performances as we gear up for our recording session in February. We will be playing in Woodland Hills, a house concert in Highland Park, and sharing what promises to be an amazing night at ArtShareLA with the Baba-Rowan Large Ensemble on January 24th! Dates for the first two shows are TBD, so stay in touch here and follow the Octet on facebook. We will be kicking off the new year with a crowd-funding campaign to help us make the recording, so think about maybe buying yourself a late Christmas present...? Details and more exciting news coming soon!

Video from Blue Whale 10/25/13

I compiled some memorable moments from the last Michael Mull Octet show, featuring the soloists of the evening. Stay in touch at www.facebook.com/MichaelMullOctet as we near recording our first album in February 2014!

The Works

Wanted to share some news blurbs:

- Michael Mull Octet show at the Blue Whale 10/25 went great, with our friends KROM making the first set a memorable one; it was there last show after a few weeks on the road, so they were tight! I'm compiling some video of the Octet from the show and will slap it up here as soon as I can.

- The following weekend, I found myself playing on my Central Coast home turf with Orkestar MEZE, and then up a bit farther in San Jose. Great crowds for both events, much line-dancing and get-downing, trash-talking (in the van), and gracious hosting in both locales. We'll be back, and next time with the new record in tow (due out in early 2014)!

- Speaking of new records, there is going to be a CD release for a quartet led by tenor saxo-blaster Frank Silva (of Octet fame....?) on December 18th at the Blue Whale. The group is currently in name-limbo.

- Speaking of new records (is there a tape-delay in here?), I'm hitting it hard and getting ready to record the Michael Mull Octet early next year. I will be setting up a fan-funding campaign about a month beforehand (January-ish), so if you like us and you know it, clap your hands (over your wallet)! But seriously folks, it's going to be a doozy...stay on top of things here, and like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter if you're into that sort of thing. We love ya!

October Heat

Been off the ol' Blogger for a bit, sorry to be elusive. A quick update of happened and happening:

I got to help out my good friend and Michael Mull Octet bandmate Tim Fischer on a DMA lecture recital as he completes his Doctorate at USC. Luckily, for me that translated to playing great tunes with an even greater band that included Octet bassist Emilio Terranova and the illustrious Joe LaBarbera on drums! Tim's lecture focused on the music of Miles Davis's first great quintet, styles in which Joe is an expert, not to mention being "two degrees of separation" from Miles himself --- it's hard to describe, but playing with a tight group like that is so "easy"!

Beginning at the end of August, I am fortunate to be teaching Jazz Arranging and coach "combo class" at Cal State University Northridge this semester, and it has been a rewarding experience so far. This is my first time teaching in a full classroom setting, so I'm really trying to do it right and give the students a good balance of structure and freedom.

Continuing the higher education trend, the Michael Mull Octet had the pleasure of doing a masterclass at CalArts, where I did my graduate work. This was an excellent experience all around, playing some new and older music and fielding thoughtful questions from both students and faculty. It was especially interesting for me to answer some of their questions, thinking and trying to describe aspects of my music and writing process for the Octet that I had never really sat down and considered, recognizing some of the reasons for my musical choices. Thank you to David Roitstein and Larry Koonse for hookin' it up, and to the students for being fantastic - hope to see you at a show soon!

SPEAKING OF OCTET SHOWS WHATSTHATYOUSAY? Yes, the Michael Mull Octet is going to de-blubber the Blue Whale once again on Friday, October 25th, this time with the help of NYC-based trio KROM. They play some remarkable and fresh music, so this is a date to make if at all possible! Mark them calendars and cave walls, more details to come. In the near October future:

Fri 10/18 - River Song and Walsh Set Trio @ ArtistShare LA (I'm not in this but GO SEE IT and thank me later) 8pm https://www.facebook.com/events/367428453387824/

Sat 10/19 - Orkestar MEZE @ 4th Annual CalArts Wild Beast Concert Series: In other words, a FREE dance party...https://www.facebook.com/events/515180121898672/ 6:00pm

Thurs 10/24 - Mahadev @ The Crest Bar in La Crescenta: also featuring Fumosonic and Bubbeleh, 8pm (Mahadev around 10pm)

Fri 10/25 - Michael Mull Octet and KROM @ Blue Whale: 9pm, 21+ and only $10 for both sets, no minimum. Check back here soon or on facebook for more details.