May 2005

St. Andrew's Music CD "Praze" is now available! Cost is $10 and can be purchased from the main office any day of the week or on Sunday mornings in the Link at the church. Michael is featured with the Praise Band on three tunes and two solo pieces: "In The Garden" and the ever-popular "I'll Fly Away". "In The Garden" was recorded with four acoustic guitars, one Ebow electric guitar track and one electric guitar with volume swell technique. "I'll Fly Away" was recorded with 3 acoustic guitar tracks. Both were produced in Michael's home studio and they sound great!

The first FWAC Sampler CD is in final production stages now, and will feature an unreleased version (alternate take) of "(The Only Good) Fire Ant…" as opposed to the original idea of releasing "Re-Surface", both from Michael's CD "Surface Tension".

Michael's second CD was coming along nicely. With his recent acquisition of a Yamaha Acoustic Stomp microphone modeling device the background noise issue in his recording room is a thing of the past. However, his Taylor 514ce had a loose brace on the top, causing severe rattling sounds that ended up on the recorded tracks. The noise was masked by the music, for the most part, but when listened to carefully… ugh! Start over!

Michael's Taylor 514ce has been re-fretted finally. Very fat, very tall bass guitar frets were used and though the action on the guitar looks high, it plays like butter. Ft. Worth luthier Mark Seganero did the work. He also repaired the loose brace. Thanks, Mark.

March 2005

St. Andrew's Music CD will be available in late March. Michael has recorded two solo pieces for this release, "In The Garden" and the ever-popular "I'll Fly Away".

The first FWAC Sampler CD is in production now, and will feature an unreleased version (alternate take) of "Re-Surface" from Michael's CD "Surface Tension". This alternate take is the guitar alone, no percussion and a different mix and master.

Michael's second CD is coming along nicely. With his recent acquisition of a Yamaha Acoustic Stomp microphone modeling device the background noise issue in his recording room is a thing of the past. Since the first CD was released in late 2001 and it's now 2005 Michael is toying with the idea of sarcastically titling the new CD "…and furthermore…"

Michael's website is being updated more frequently (no, really!). Please check out the new "News!" section, which will be updated every time a possible activity will take place. There is also a link on the front page to the recent Ft. Worth Star-Telegram article about Michael's repair business and music career.

Michael is going to set up an email list to let folks know when changes are made to the website. If you want to be on this list just write your email address on a sheet of paper and drop it in the tip jar.

Would anyone be interested in Michael setting up a "message board" at his website?

If anyone is interested in writing a review of "Surface Tension" for Michael's CDBaby page, please do. Even if you hate the CD. All reviews are posted to the site after a short waiting period, and it helps CD sales, especially when folks are considering parting with their hard earned money for a CD from a performer they've never heard of. It helps seal the deal if there are a lot of reviews. Just go to CDBaby and type in "Michael Earhart" or just "Earhart" in the search engine and his page will come up. Just follow the links to add your review. Thank you. Thank you very much.

February 2005

• Hi!
• To Have And To Hold
• Paper Tag
• The Scorpion…
• Brother Terry
• I Come To The Garden
• Surface

Michael is still writing songs for this CD and he's also toying with the idea of making it multimedia with short video introductions of each tune containing explanations of how the songs came about, anecdotes about the recording process and technical/guitar information. And he's still waiting on Bruce Cockburn's people for the okay to record "Creation Dream".

So, hang in there!

In the meantime, Michael has been tapped to provide acoustic guitar on two projects headed up by Dede Jones, the Worship Arts Director of St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, where Michael is a member and assistant to Dede. The first CD project will begin recording in February and will feature Michael on guitar accompanying the Praise Band. By popular demand, the CD will feature Michael's solo rendition of "I'll Fly Away", a finger-style instrumental extravaganza. The second CD project is a Christmas production and will begin mid-year.

Speaking of CD projects, Fort Worth Arts Consortium (FWAC), an organization Michael joined in December, is planning a sampler CD of 14 tracks by 14 artists. Michael was honored by a request to provide a tune for this CD, and a previously unreleased version of "(Re)Surface" from his album "Surface Tension" will be on it.

The next FWAC meeting will feature a local artist displaying work and Michael Earhart on guitar! Details such as who the artist is, when and where the meeting will be held are coming soon. Stay tuned.

Michael will be one of three judges at the Arlington store for Guitar Center's 2005 Guitarmaggedon! Michael was a 2002 Guitarmageddon Regional Champion and went on to the National Finals at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. This year's competition begins March 1, and continues every Tuesday night in March from 7 p.m. until around 10:00 (or when everyone is finished for the evening). If you are a guitarist with aspirations of greatness, venture out to Guitar Center Arlington and sign up to compete. Or just come on out and listen to what Tarrant County's local guitar slingers are capable of. Say hello to Michael while you're at it.

On March 6th, Michael will perform for Tsunami Relief. FWAC is co-sponsoring three nights of music at the Wreck Room, March 4th, 5th & 6th to help those affected by the tsunami in South Asia. Numerous local bands and solo artists have generously offered their talents in order to raise much needed funds. There has been an overwhelming response from FWAC members wanting to participate and it is inspiring to see the artistic community come together for such a worthy cause. Currently, there is still a need for acoustic acts, if you are interested in playing please go to the FWAC home page www.fwac.net and follow the links. All proceeds will benefit the International Red Cross. Please join us in supporting this invaluable organization.

Michael was contacted by a reporter for The Fort Worth Star Telegram on February 4, 2005. An interview and photo shoot has been scheduled at Michael's shop (Earhart Electronics) where Michael will discuss his amplifier repair business and his musical career. The article will be in the Sunday NE Tarrant Careers section, February 13th. Michael's going to buy a new shirt for the interview. And shave his head.

Well he finally did it. Michael got his return authorization number from Taylor Guitars to have his 514CE re-fretted and the saddle buzz issues resolved. Which means he is going to be without his favorite guitar for at least a month. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

When Michael was a teenager one of his favorite groups was Bloodrock, a band from Fort Worth, Texas who recorded on Capitol Records and toured the world with Grand Funk Railroad. Their lead guitarist, Lee Pickens, was one of Michael's earliest influences. Bloodrock's on-line biography "American Burn" can be found at www.utopia2000.org. This is an amazing story by author Barry Stoller, who has exhumed nearly impossible to find details about this underrated group of musicians. A quote by Michael has been included in the biography. Here is the link to that page http://www.utopia2000.org/part8.html but please, read the whole story. Bloodrock is re-uniting for one show only at the Ridglea Theatre, March 12, 2005. Seating is limited. Check them out. Loud, obnoxious rock and roll at it's finest.