December 2011

This video clip of "Please Stay" was filmed at The Michael Des Barres Band's halloween concert at the Viper Room on October 29th, courtesy of the talented Carrie Lynn Certa.

Two more live videos from the halloween show are also up on Vimeo: Little Latin Lover and Sugar.

There are also two new videos from the August 6th show: Please Stay and Little Latin Lover.

As for the upcoming Silverhead concerts in Japan in April, rehearsals are well underway.

In a status update on Facebook on December 26th, the band said:

"Pre-production for the shows are underway, set list ready, rehearsals going great, ideas flowing, everyone happy and excited, happy new year to all our fans worldwide...not long now!!!"

And in a message to Japanese fans, Michael said:

"I have always felt that Silverhead came alive in Japan. We were a very young band when we arrived. On landing at Tokyo airport we were greeted by car loads of fans who followed us into the city. They gave us such love. We realised that Rock and Roll could bring people together and help celebrate each other. We left Japan a better band. Now we return and will play our hearts out for you...These songs mean as much to us today as they do to you....May you come forever....!!"

A limited number of presale tickets seem to be on sale now, through Vinyl Japan (phone: 03-3365-0910), while the regular ticket sale starts on March 12th. More info on the official event page on Facebook.

Michael shot a guest appearance on a new Fox TV show called The Finder this month. The episode will air sometime in the spring.

"I shall play this character, an assassin called Icepick on the new Fox show "The Finder". A wonderful role, somewhat similar to Murdoc, my favorite villain I ever played!! Killing people with an icepick on TV and playing Rock and Roll, what a life!!!", Michael says.

The Finder is a spin-off of another Fox show that Michael guest-starred on, Bones, and is described as "a quirky, one-hour procedural centering on a remarkable man with an eccentric personality and a unique gift to help others recover what they've lost".

UK's Fireworks Magazine (issue 49) features a lengthy interview with Michael this month, focusing on his time with Chequered Past in the 80s.

"It was a very collaborative bunch and when we were focussed, it was almost transcendental. Just amazing - you get Clem Burke and Steve Jones in the same room, it'll explode. And it did!", Michael tells interviewer James Gaden.

The whole interview is also available to read online at rocktopia.co.uk.

November 2011

Breaking news:

Silverhead are reuniting next year, exactly 40 years after the band was formed!

On 20 and 21 April 2012 the band will play two exclusive concerts at Shimokitazawa Garden in Tokyo, Japan, featuring the original (second) lineup of Michael Des Barres, Nigel Harrison, Rod Davies, Pete Thompson and Robbie Blunt.

This will be the first time they're playing together since July 1974.

"We all immediately agreed it would be perfect, since it will be the 40th year anniversary of the birth of the band. We are thrilled to play these songs together again!", Michael said in a comment.

More details about tickets etc. to be announced...

In the meantime, check out the new official Silverhead page on Facebook.

October 2011

The Michael Des Barres Band played their last show of the year at The Viper Room on October 29th.

The whole concert was streamed live online at livestream.com, and can be viewed again here.

Special guests this time were Jimmy Wood on harmonica and the unique BP Fallon. David Goodstein was not available for this concert, so Jimmy Paxson sat behind the drums instead.

The set included "White Light/White Heat", which Michael used to perform with The Power Station, and a rocking version of "Detective Man" from Detective's first album.

Here is the full setlist:

1. Forgive Me
2. Sugar
3. From Cloud 9 To Heartache
4. Hot and Sticky
5. Please Stay
6. Hoochie Coochie Man
7. Detective Man
8. Little Latin Lover
9. My Baby Saved My Ass
10. White Light/White Heat
11. Wild Thing

September 2011

The "Hot and Sticky" video clip above includes footage from a recent MDB Band rehearsal and was shot and edited by Karen Bullis.

On September 2nd, Michael appeared as a guest on the music show Focus in the Mix with host Denise Ames, which airs in the Los Angeles area.

The episode can also be seen online at focusinthemixwithdeniseames.com.

On September 3rd, Michael was a guest on The Crystal Telephone, a show on the online radio station Luxuria Music.

The interview included the premiere of a brand new song that Michael recently recorded with Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens; a big rock song called "Bad Is Good".

A podcast of the interview is available at luxuriamusic.com. It starts 54 minutes into part 1 and continues throughout part 2.

Following on from this month's concert at the Silverlake Lounge on September 8th, The Michael Des Barres Band has another show coming up at The Viper Room on October 29th - a special Halloween show.

For tickets and other info, please visit ViperRoom.com.

And check out the gallery page for a selection of great pictures from the previous Viper Room gig on August 6th, taken by Shannon Lilly.

August 2011

The above video clip of "Hoochie Coochie Man" (featuring Jimmy Wood on harmonica) is from the latest Michael Des Barres Band concert at The Viper Room on August 6th. There is also a clip of "Wild Thing" (featuring Steve Stevens on guitar) here.

Lina Lecaro writes about the show on LAweekly.com:

"(...)the evening turned out to be an epic celebration, thanks in largest part, to the bluesy rock stylings of headliner The Michael Des Barres Band. (...) As we discovered Saturday night, the silver head-turned-silver fox still knows how to command a stage as comfortably and charismatically as he does a small (or big) screen. MDB's band plays classic, soulful and dramatic rock n' roll with just the right amount of twang and a whole lotta balls."

And a selection of pictures from the show can be seen at photographer Heather Harris's blog.

There is a half-page interview with Michael in the latest issue of Classic Rock Magazine.

Asked about what inspired The MDB Band's recent recording sessions at the Village Recording Studios, Michael says:

"I'd just finished reading Keith Richard's book, and there was a paragraph in there where he says in the 60s the Stones went to Chess Studios and cut 16 songs in two days. And six of them were number ones! And I thought, of course, if you feel it, you do it. We rehearsed a couple of days and then did it. I had 30 songs ready. I write a song a day."

The whole interview can be found in the September 2011 issue of Classic Rock.

A couple of songs from those recording sessions at The Village can be heard below:

July 2011

Michael had the honour of receiving the Legends Award at the 2011 AOF International Film Festival in Pasadena on July 30th. The award was presented to him by longtime friend and director Allison Anders.

Here is an excerpt from the festival's website, announcing the award:

"The AOF is proud to present the 2011 Legends Award to British actor, rock singer, and Renaissance man Michael Des Barres for his triumphs thus far and what he is sure to accomplish in the future. (...) Throughout his career, Michael has demonstrated an unending tenacity born out of the desire to express himself as an artist and be loved. His multitudes of fans love him in return."

The whole announcement is available as a PDF file here.

Below is a selection of pictures from the award dinner on July 30th. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge:

Two new live versions recorded by The Michael Des Barres Band have recently been made available for listening on the UK website Tape to Tape; Little Latin Lover and Forgive Me.

Be also sure to check out the exciting remixes of the same two songs.

Michael was also busy with other things last month. On July 8th he once again teamed up with Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund to make a small appearance in the music video for "Moves Like Jagger" - the new single by Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera.

The finished video can now be viewed on YouTube.

June 2011

The Michael Des Barres Band did yet another concert at the Three Clubs in Hollywood on June 21st, this time featuring special guests Jimmy Woods on harmonica and Steve Stevens on guitar.

This was followed by taking part in a benefit concert for Friendly House LA at The Roxy on June 27th, appearing alongside the Pointer Sisters among others.

The band's next gig will be at The Satellite on 1717 Silverlake Boulevard with the Bellrays on Saturday, July 2nd.

Earlier in the month, on June 16th, Michael did a special solo performance for Poetry In Motion LA at the Beyond Baroque literary/arts center in Venice.

Michael commented on the performance afterwards:

"Never done it on my own..no band..just me and a guitar...Vulnerable and spectacular!! (...) Such an amazing experience not to have a barrage of amps and an army of musicians around me..to be able to create rythms and moods at one's own pace...Liberating...But i'm young still learning,ya know?"

Photographer Heather Harris has posted a report from this event on her Fast Film Blog.

One June 17th Michael was a guest on the radio show The Single Life with Sam Phillips on HotTalkLA.

In this uncensored and honest interview, Michael and the hosts touched on a variety of topics. He also brought his guitar and performed a few of his new songs. Listeners also got to hear a new MDB Band version of "Little Latin Lover".

A complete podcast of the whole show can be downloaded at HotTalkLA.com.

On the acting front, Michael has been shooting a movie this month with Robert Carlyle called California Solo. Carlyle plays a musician in a band, while Michael plays the manager. The movie is written and directed by Marshall Lewy and is expected to premiere sometime in 2012.

"It's a fantastic movie", Michael says.

This month Michael could also celebrate 30 years of sobriety. On June 19th he posted the following message on Facebook:

"30 years ago I staggered into a church hall in Beverly hills and declared myself a drug addict and alchoholic and it's been downhill ever since!! I kid! I am beginning to understand that love and compassion is as cool as James Dean's red jacket, as glorious as a Hendrix solo...as inspiring as the heroes who teach our children...and the love of a Father....One night at a time...."