Michael Knott Tribute Released

Around 4 years ago I recorded a song for a tribute to Michael Knott. It has finally been released! I submitted one of my favorites "I Can't Wait". Man, I wore that tape out back in the 80s. What an honor to be on this and very cool to be able to say go over to Blonde Vinyl and check out my song! Michael Knott has been a huge influence on me musically since I was a kid and he still delivers. Thanks to my partners in crime and good friends Eddie Parrino and Monty Leblanc for playing along.

https://blondevinyl.bandcamp.com/track/i-cant-wait

Video For Right Beside You

Dw. Dunphy made a cool video for the last song from "The Moment Before You Arrive". It's sort of an apocalyptic love song. It's called "Right Beside You".

Review From Down The Line

(Mike Indest - The Moment Before You Arrive)

Mike Indest – The Moment Before You Arrive

April 10, 2015

By Matt Crosslin

Mike Indest: poet, prophet, musician, theologian, podcaster, tour guider… the man of many hats. He kind of has his own sound that is easy to recognize once you start listening to his music. Alternative / indie / folk / melancholy / deep – if all of that rolled into one was a thing. This time around he has teamed up with Dw Dunphy as producer to add a new direction to his sound that is different but still Indestian. Not sure what they are feeding these DTL Collective peeps (especially since we don’t pay them anything, not even peanuts), But it seems they are all turning in personal best recordings recently. Of course, the glue behind the collective is Indest and his podcast, so it only makes sense that the man that has driven many of the Collective to take it up a notch has stepped things up himself. Here’s the deal: you can listen or download this album for free at BandCamp, so all I am really trying to convince you to do is go give it a spin. I’m pretty sure that you will love it once you try it. But I get it – the problem is that you have so much to do that you need something to convince you to click the play button. You see, Indest and Dunphy are fans of many of the bands we cover here at DTL. They (and the Collective) would be the bands and artists getting signed to the labels we all used to hold dear if they were still around. They have the talent and the song writing ability to prove it. They just need you to give them a shot. So click the link below and click the play button, and then download it once you love it. Download counts really do matter to these indie BandCamp bands.

Indest and Dunphy Take a Moment to Discuss the Moment Before You Arrive

Dunphy produces Indest's latest recording under the Introverse Media production banner.

Red Bank, NJ, February 27, 2015 --(PR.com)-- The proposition for the EP The Moment Before You Arrive was for seven songs. Not eight, not six. Mike Indest has a purpose behind that specific numerology, but at the moment he’s not revealing it.

The songs speak of love and grace, but there are many ways to look at both. You can look at them from the shoreline, breathing a huge sigh of relief that you are there. You can look at them in the middle of the river, paddling for your life. Still love, still grace, just with vastly different perspectives attached to them.

“I try not the record the same project twice and since I had recently released 3 self produced EP’s with the same band, I knew it was time to do something really different,” Indest said. “I have been a fan of Dw Dunphy’s songwriting and producing (under the Introverse Music Ltd. banner) for a while and I thought it would be interesting and possibly dangerous the see where he could take my songs.”


At first, the combination might have seemed an ill fit. Indest, known for working with combos and for playing live; Dunphy as very much a solo artist who writes and records autonomously, and rarely performs in public. Yet the songs dictated the process, and things clicked instantaneously. “This group of songs was a perfect batch to let Dw loose with since in some ways they are a growth for me and I wanted that to show in the production as well,” Indest said. “Every song he sent me back to listen to was the exact opposite of what I would have done and they sounded great!”

The other defining aspect of The Moment Before You Arrive is that it is, very loosely, a concept recording. That required giving each song its own look and feel so the narrative would not become too heavy, as Indest noted: “These songs also fit together in a different way than most of my other projects that were very linear musically and lyrically. This project is kinda sad, kinda funny and encompasses more of the whole of life than I have dealt with before, and Dw’s production skills and arrangement gives each of these tunes their independence but it holds together very well.”

Indest wrote the songs -- music and words -- sang and played the ukelele. Then he digitally sent them from their home in New Orleans, Louisiana to the Garden State of New Jersey. There, producer Dw Dunphy added his musical instrument of choice: the kitchen sink. It was not without major reservations.

“Mike’s songs were already there. I didn’t really have to do much to them,” said Dunphy. “But I will recall those albums from when I was younger that, after they were over, I’d just start them back up again from track one. I’d listen on that loop for weeks, and each time I listened a little harder, I heard something more. Mike’s positive attitude and expressive lyrics allowed me the chance to do that with whatever additions I provided. I hope that people will be listening to the collection in ten years like they will in 2015. Longevity really is the goal.”

“The album, I think, is about hope,” Dunphy added. “It is about faith in something that will reveal itself when it is required, but it isn’t cheap and it doesn’t come just anytime. It’s not a gumball machine where you drop in requests and out comes candy, on a whim.” He backtracks and says, “But it is also about volume and energy. You will feel good once the last song is done and, if we’ve done our part right, you’ll start it all up again right after.”

Indest concluded, “Depending how you count it, this is #10 for me and I think this will be the one I will have to try to beat from here on out.”

The Moment Before You Arrive is due in the spring of 2015.

About The Co-Op

The Co-Op is an artist-supported collective devoted to shifting the balance of opportunities toward independent musicians. Presented as a subsidiary of Introverse Media, Ltd., The Co-Op maintains that the "underground" is just as vital, interesting, and unique as it has ever been and needs a bullhorn to make that statement clear.

The Waterboys Modern Blues Review

(The Waterboys Modern Blues)

One of my musical highlights last year was seeing The Waterboys live for the first time. They were on the Fisherman's Blues box set tour. The live set jammed in as many classics as they could and they played one new song. The songs was called "Still a Freak", a straight up blues number. With their new album called "Modern Blues" it seemed like they were making no bones about where this record was going musically. 

The second song I heard from Modern Blues was the first song they promoted which I assume is the first single, "November Tale".  This is not a blues song and in fact only a few songs on the album are bluesy. Most of the album is middle of the road rock and roll (think "Only Love Can Set Me Free" from The Alarm). If you were hoping for The Waterboys to retread old territory there's really none of that here.  Lyrically it's a bit different as well. Lot's of words making it seem like the lyrics were written and then added to the music. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just different.

Overall the production is tight and after about 4 listens there are a few hooks that I just can't get out of my head. Standout tracks so far are "Destinies Entwined", "November Tale" and "The Girl Who Slept For Scotland". 

I just found out they are going to be in my area again soon touring "Modern Blues" and I can't wait to see them again.

The February Issue Of Down The Line Is Out!

The new issue of Down The Line is out with a cool new layout. This issue features a review of "Barely There" and an interview I did with Brian Godawa. It's free, grab your copy here.

January News

Very excited to have Dw. Dunphy  produce my new record. Here's a preview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL6PirNql20

We had a great time playing at the opening of The Courtyard Brewery 1.24.15.

(Dwight, Eddie and I)

(Eddie Parrino and I)