GRAMMY®-winning and NAMA-winning Guitarist and Flutist Micki Free shares a soulful side in his new Native American flute album, releasing October 28, 2016 via Mysterium Music, and distributed worldwide by IDLA. The 2 CD-set also includes a DVD with two music videos – “Down by the River” and “Lavender Kiss” shot in the Grand Canyon by Black Dahlia Films.
What do Gene Simmons, Diana Ross, Prince, Charlie & Eddie Murphy, Shalamar, Dave Chappelle, Little Steven Van Zant, Cheap Trick, Carlos Santana, and Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) have in common?
Rock ‘n’ Roll careers can take their toll on musicians as we’ve seen all too often, and with his intimate new album, Micki Free seems to say “Let’s slow down for a moment, breathe, relax and chillout.” Free’s long career as a guitarist, solo artist and band member (American Horse Trio featuring Cindy Blackman-Santana, Shalamar, Crown of Thorns, Micki Free Electric Blues Experience) led him to this place of reflection and a new flute-based album that combines his rock roots with spoken word and healing intention. On October 28, 2016, Mysterium Music of Hanover, PA releases the album – titled Native American Flute as Therapy – which will be distributed by IDLA Associated Label Distribution under the label’s new exclusive worldwide distribution agreement with the distributor. It is available for pre-sale via major online retailers, and contains an immediate bonus track.
Free was in the midst of producing the album when he heard of his friend Prince’s death, which added an entirely new level of emotion to the album. One of the songs celebrating the soothing effects of the lavender herb was renamed “Lavender Kiss” in his honor. The flute music is enhanced by percussion and keyboards, and each song is introduced by Free’s sultry voice. Some may view his spiritual approach to the album as a perfect bridging of his eclectic musical and spiritual worlds.
Titles include “White Candle Light”, “The Healing Bath”, “Lavender Kiss”, “The Native American Flute as Therapy”, “P ositive Energy”, “Feet & Toes”, “Essential Oils”, “Jasmine Rain”, “Sacred Sage”, “Heart Release (Peregrine Lane)”, “D own By The River” and a bonus track titled “Heartbeat Meditation Yoga Mix.”
The album was written, produced, arranged and performed by Micki Free, with a few exceptions noted on the track list. It was recorded at Ocean Soul Studios in Tennessee, with Paul Brown contributing as keyboardist and Co-Producer, and includes his inspiring wife April Brown, who makes a stunning flute duet with Micki free on the track “ Sacred Sage.” Trisha Bowden, Founder of Mysterium Music, executive produced the album.
Speaking from his home in Sedona, AZ, Free said, “The Native American Flute as Therapy is my best Native American flute work to date…there is no doubt in my mind that my partnership with Trisha Bowden and Mysterium Music has inspired me to new heights. Spiritually, I have changed and I feel renewed; the entire album takes us on a positive spiritual journey: me, my Native American Flute and the listener.
Pre-Sales Link w/Bonus Track on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/native-american-flute-as…/id1157775170
He continues, “I am ‘super-charged’ to share the original songs I’ve written, especially my Native American flute cover of Neil Young’s smash hit ‘Down by The River’ re-mixed by my new friend, Niko Bolas, long-time producer for Neil Young. I have a series of shows coming up, so I feel blessed and excited to share these blissful songs in hi-quality audio formats, and in my LIVE Concerts!”
Free recently played several concerts in support of the new album, including The Micki Free Experience show at Anton’s in Austin, TX with Brother Paul Brown, Kenny Gradney and Peter Young on October 22; a performance at Loyola Marymount University’s groundbreaking “Yoga Day” on September 19, and debuted the new album live in a sold-out concert to on October 1 at Old Town Center for The Arts in Cottonwood AZ; Free also performed a sold-out fundraising concert for The Riordan Mansion in Flagstaff AZ on October 8th.
Free’s work is unique in its range, from his serious blues-rock chops to his uniquely authentic approach to Native American Flute, percussion and vocals. Authenticity imbues the music on Native American Flute as Therapy, which pulls from his Comanche/Cherokee heritage; Free is adopted by LaNora Parker, great granddaughter and direct descendent of Quanah Parker, the great Comanch e Chief). Free’s life as a rocker always drew media attention, but he became well-known to a younger audience in 2004, when his manner of dress and appearance during the late ’80s (and that of Pr ince) was parodied by Dave Chappelle in his Chappelle’s Show sketch “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prin ce: Uncensored.” The skit is included in many “Top 10 Best” comedy lists, and according to BILLBOARD (4/25/16) it was viewed over 600,000 times within days of Prince’s passing, generating new interest in the long-term friendship between Free and Prince followed by appearances on ESPN, VH-1’s Unsung Heroes, The Undefeated, VladTV, and many more. (ESPN – https://youtu.be/VTpocUB_vUI)
Over the past four decades, the GRAMMY® Award winner, three-time GRAMMY nominee, and five-time Native American Music Award winner’s eclectic muse has inspired him to find an artful cultural balance between the rock world and new age music as a renowned guitarist and flutist. Originally inspired by Jimi Hendrix, a teenage Free picked up the guitar for the first time, setting a multi-faceted course with musical destiny that would alternately embrace and conquer the distinct worlds of rock and roll, pop/R&B and Native American flute music.
As a young performer, he was discovered by Gene Simmons as a member of the Illinois-based band Smokehouse opened for KISS, Ted Nugent and REO Speedwagon; later, in 1984, Free joined funk-soul group Shalamar, and eventually launched a solo career and several bands. Along the way, he has performed and/or recorded with Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross (who also managed his career), Janet Jackson, Little Steven Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band), Prince, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Carlos Santana, Cindy Blackman-Santana, Cheap Trick, Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) and more. For Free’s full biography, visit http://www.mickifree.com.
Native American Flute as Therapy is the latest addition to an instrumental music catalog that includes The Sun Chase, Free’s first love song flute album written about his trials, hopes and loves through his travels on Native American Flutes; Sedona Free, written about the “sacred spiritual red earth” and Native American ancestors/peoples of Sedona, Arizona; and Comanche, which he dedicated to his family and the Comanche tribe.
