As co-founder/singer/songwriter/guitarist (along with Rusty Squeezebox) of BABY LEMONADE, one of California’s coolest and busiest bands, MIKE RANDLE has recorded a number of albums, EPs and singles, and played live in virtually every major city in the US and Europe (including an ongoing role as lead guitarist in “Love” backing the legendary Arthur Lee!).
His second solo record will be released this summer on Wild Honey Music.
Here's a All Music Guide review of the first solo LP.
My Music Loves You (Even If I Don't) Review
04/22/2005 5:16 AM, AMG
Marry some of the most bittersweet melodies with one of the sweetest voices in the world of rock & roll and you get Mike Randle's wonderful debut solo album. The packaging mimics Leonard Cohen's equally revered and reviled 1977 collaboration with Phil Spector, Death of a Ladies Man, but there is nothing to be ambivalent about regarding My Music Loves You (Even If I Don't). As one of the masterminds behind the great Los Angeles rock band Baby Lemonade, Randle's tunesmithery is well established, but nothing his full-time pursuit released up to this point could have prepared listeners for the departure that the album represents. It is a graceful and reflective daydream, an oasis of wispy summer songs. Each song sounds fantastically different from the next one, whether it is the loping banjo-trombone-accordion rag "Wrote This Just for You," the breezy bossa nova of "Flat by the Sea," the hazy croon of "Day in the Sun," or the Steely Dan sheen of "Desert Waiting for the Rain." The tribute to friend "Danny McGough" has a Gallic accordion trim that somehow captures both early-century Paris cafes and the sly bohemian gait of Tom Waits, for whom McGough plays keyboards. Producer Eric Carter even pulls out canned rhythms and odd synthesizer textures for the title track that are apropos, working a smooth groove up into a Quiet Storm. It is certainly miles away from the clamor of Baby Lemonade, but just as endearing in its own softhearted way. Randle shows a tremendously eclectic range of songcraft. There is sleek garage-rock ("Ingrid") with quasi-cheesy Hammond organ that recalls early Love and the Doors but also "96 Tears," or the choked cabaret of "Out of My League," with its rain-soaked sentiment straight out of the boozy after hours of any lounge. And strains of vintage Prince even show up in "Island View Inn." These are insatiably guileless songs, entirely attuned to the wild pangs and beatings of the softest hearts, feelings that extend to old girlfriends and new crushes, city streets and surreal sunsets. They are idyllic tunes, full of all the panoramic faces of Los Angeles, both the actual city and its spiritual shadow, which follows anyone who lives there no matter where they are at that moment, Sunset Boulevard or Stockholm. It is an ode of sorts to the starry-eyed nature of the city that Randle calls home, but it reveals the easygoing mood that runs beneath L.A.'s shiny exterior, the warmth that courses through its veins. In a way the whole album is a collection of odes and serenades, songs about the delicate desires of the heart. My Music Loves You is a gorgeous, lazy late-afternoon record, music to fall in love to. Music to be in love with. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide
Thanks for the add Mike. I discovered your music a couple years ago through my ex-husband and really love it. I could listen to your CDs all day long and at least a few songs are always on my i-Pod!
Bartlett Bear says - "I've taken over Paula's computer and wanted to say it's been awhile, but I miss ya, dude, and hope you are doing well. Have a safe and fun Happy New Year's Eve!!!!"
Come on by and download our new Christmas prank, Home Visit From Santa! Hope you have a great holiday, and remember...we're always as close as your phone! Yer' pals--The Wipper Brothers
LITTLE STEVEN VAN ZANDT (of The Sopranos and Springsteen fame) and THE UNDERGROUND GARAGE say: "THE MOCKERS have one of the COOLEST SONGS IN THE WORLD!" Get the CD now!
Mr. Randle! Man, it's been too long since seeing you at Arthur's show in Virginia. We had a great time hanging with you guys. Next time I'm in LA (probably in January to record with Robbie), let's get together for a drink or two (or three...)!
We've got your number... ...and we will be contacting you shortly! Yer' pals--THE WIPPER BROTHERS
So it's a capital 'T' that's been hanging you up? Don't worry, it's only paint. And paint is easy to remove. If I was your mother and you were my daughter, you would be sleeping already. I wear these pajamas only on weekends. And you think that's healthy? People don't listen to their body until it's too late. I am not dramatic, I am merely being practical.
If ever you log into here again Mike please remove that dreadful graphic comment below that says it's from me. My 'myspace' was hacked and all my friends got one (most thought I'd gone mad sending out such nonsense).
Hope you and Hannah are great? Be good to see you play over here again one day?
Caryne
xxx
Hey all I just got myself a $1,000 gift card to Macy's I just thought I'd share this with everyone else! CLICK ON IMAGE TO GET YOURS BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!
After last night's lecture, someone commented to me that I must be an army brat because I had such fantastic teeth. Such teeth, he said, could only be the result of good breeding and access to the finest dental care. I explained that though I descend from a long line of Bulgarian nobility, when I was a boy people were still having infected teeth removed by a donkey tied to a rope. Happenstance, I explained to him, is the main reason behind Mustafio's distinguished countenance.
Hi there Mike
We have new songs on our page that we hope you will enjoy listening to.
Also at deepwilson.com there are more songs for free download.
Deep Wilson.
Hope all is well, thought you and..or your friends might be interested about knowing of our upcoming Southern California shows in the Los Angeles area in Santa Monica at the Temple Bar & San Diego area in Escondido-Hidden Valley at the Universal Temple of Higher Consciousness...
