WEDNESDAY's WORDS .. MISSION's MAIN-MAN WAYNE HUSSEY on BIC!

 

In 2010 MGT played cupid and put me in contact with Michael Ciravolo at Schecter Guitars. Michael very kindly offered to build me a signature electric 12 string guitar for the Mission 25th (25th!!!) anniversary shows that were scheduled for late 2011. It was the start of a beautiful friendship. It transpired that Michael and I had an awful lot in common in terms of taste in music. And guitars. And guitarists. And Michael could play guitar….really well! Who would’ve thought the CEO of a major guitar manufacturing company could actually play guitar? Michael also has a fabulous bass playing wife in Tish. And Tish makes guitars for girls, Daisy Rock Guitars. Together they make beautiful music. 

It wasn’t until The Mission’s US tour of 2013 when we played in LA at the Nokia Centre that I first actually met Michael and Tish. Fabulously lovely people, I immediately felt very at home in their company. Like long lost friends I hadn’t seen in years. Michael and I kept in touch and then in July 2016, whilst I was in Austin, Texas, to mix the Mission album, Another Fall From Grace, with my old cohort, Tim Palmer, Michael flew out from LA to see me. And we spent a couple of days hanging out, eating Mexican, and staying up late drinking and playing music too loud in a hotel room. Michael mentioned that he was thinking of making a solo album and I said he should and offered to sing on a song or two - if he wanted, of course. Fast forward less than a year and Michael had sent me two backing tracks that he’d recorded that he thought would suit my voice. 

I was thoroughly creatively burnt out by the Mission album so was thinking I would struggle writing lyrics for Michael’s tunes. Not so. When I heard the two tracks they both immediately suggested vocal ideas and the lyrics came surprisingly quickly and easily. That’s all it needed to get the creative juices flowing again - a couple of top tunes. And they are. And it’s been a privilege working with Michael, and the other Michael (Rozon), and Tish. And to cap it all, Michael persuaded our mutual friend, Simon Gallup, my 2nd ever favourite bass player, to play bass on Man Of Faith. Simon and I had been threatening to make music together for years and, and like most good ideas born out of a shared bottle or three, just one of those things we hadn’t yet gotten around to doing. It’s taken Michael to make it happen. And who’s not to say there won’t be more music by the three of us in the future. I hope so, time and schedules permitting. 

And both songs that I’ve been involved with were mixed by Tim Palmer so there is a lovely symmetry to it all. And sounds fabulous, as you’d expect with Tim at the helm.  (NOTE: Tim's mixes of Man Of Faith and The Long Goodbye will be featured on our BEAUTY RE-ENVISIONED release, due early 2019)

I’m so happy for Michael that he’s made this Beauty In Chaos album, I gotta say it’s about bloody time. And now Michael’s done this, Tish, get that book written, eh…….    x Wayne