Micki Free is a “mixed-blood Cherokee/Comanche” Native American, adopted by LaNora Parker, the great granddaughter, and Comanche direct decendant of the last great Comanche Chief; Quanah Parker of the most POWERFUL INDIAN Tribe in American History…the Comanche! Micki is a “Three Time Grammy Award Nominee, Grammy Award Winner & Five Time Native American Music Award Winner”. Discovered initially by KISS Super Star and frontman Gene Simmons and managed by Diana Ross. Micki has gone on to an “unprecedented” career in the entertainment business. Micki was also chosen to perform in full Native American Comanche regalia as the opening act for Jay Leno in Flagstaff Arizona at NAU early in his career.
Micki Free has three award winning Native American Flute CD’s: “The Sun Chaser”; Micki’s first love song flute CD written about his trails, hopes and loves through his travels on his Native American Flutes.
“Sedona Free”; Written about the “sacred spiritual red earth” and Native American ancestors/people of Sedona Arizona. A magical recording of Sedona’s heartfelt aura and vortex…the big skies, and its monsoon winds…the animals and hauntingly beautiful sounds!
“Comanche”; Micki’s Native American flute CD dedicated to his family and The Comanche people.
INTRODUCING 2016…Micki’s latest Native American flute release on Mysterium Music entitled; “The Native American Flute as Therapy”, WRITTEN, PRODUCED, ARRANGED AND PERFORMED BY MICKI FREE
I want to thank all the critics/reviewers for the “generous accolades” they are sending forth for my latest CD…but let’s go back to the beginning of my journey with these songs.
Sedona, late 2005: The Sun Chaser (my first flute cd), a performance in full regalia…a lady asked me if the Native American flute could “cure cancer”…thus it ALL began. I wanted to write a flute CD with “spiritually, therapy, and healing” in mind with my flutes. Most ALL the songs were written around that time period, and the CD title name as well, but things went a different way for me soon after; I started performing and touring as a “blues based rock-guitarist, and the flutes fell silent…well that’s what I was anyway…right?!
Time flew by quickly, and I woke up one fateful night in February of the year of our Lord 2016, performing in Detroit at The Filmore as a “celebrity guest” on a benefit appearance along with Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and Derek St. Holmes — all for guitar legend Dick Wagner — and had a chance meeting with a very talented Hammond organist named Paul Brown, of the famed band The Water Boys. We connected on a music and spiritual level, as I had decided to perform an “honor song” for those attending the event, the band, the organizers and his wife April Brown, who he explained to me was diagnosed with cancer. I asked Paul to join me on Native American honor drum, but it didn’t arrive in time so we used my pow-wow bells instead…to say the least it was a “powerful connection” with Paul and everyone attending…perhaps a “bit of magic” one could and did say.We talked about my idea of doing a new flute album, and he told me about a lady named Trish Bowden and her small label called Mysterium Music, which he thought would be PERFECT for my music, as he had just released a cd called “Elders & Ancestors” on the label. NOTE: his CD and its spiritual healing sounds and energy, would become the “lighting rod” to set in motion my interest to visit his “Ocean Soul” studios in Nashville, TN, where I wanted to cut a few tracks to see if I liked the room.
The rest is history, as they say, and Paul joined me on my journey “through light, healing and love” on Hammond organ and Fender Suitcase…it was a ride I will never forget. We recorded a song a day, people, from start to finish, as I had written them all years before, and had them stashed in my “own little vault”…with me performing all basic tracks from vocals, chants, guitars, pow-wow, bells, shakers, deer-toes…all authentic Native American-made instruments.
Brother Paul, as I soon knew him, then “danced and sprinkled” his magic throughout the tracks in a most “mesmerizing manner,” recording and mixing the record as we traveled through time and space, along with “purple covered tears” during my emotional flute solos in “Lavender Kiss”, dedicated to Prince. Paul’s energy and skill can be heard throughout the CD, and he also is credited with Co-Producer, as well as co-writer credit on a few songs.
Hey now!…in short, the magic, blood, sweat and tears is rolled up into my album: The Native American Flute as Therapy…out NOW on Trish Bowden’s Mysterium Music! GET IT NOW!
P.S. Thank you brother Jamie Burton Chamberlin and Black Dahlia Films for the amazing vids and Neil Young, for your song “Down by The River” which I covered on the CD, and Niko Bolas for the remix…”free your mind and meet me…Down By The River”.
Light and love my people…ALWAYS.
Immediate Release-Micki Free –The Native American Flute as Therapy – Offers Rockin’ Music for Relaxation, Solace, and Music for Wellbeing.
GRAMMY®-winning and multiple NAMA award-winning Guitarist and Flutist Micki Free shares a soulful side in his new Native American flute album, releasing via Mysterium Music. 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.
Media Contact: Beth Ann Hilton m: 310-560-8390 BethHilton@TheBCompany.com
GRAMMY®-winning and multiple NAMA award-winning Guitarist and Flutist Micki Free shares a soulful side in his new Native American flute album, releasing via Mysterium Music. 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. Sedona, AZ (October 28, 2016) — Who does Gene Simmons, Diana Ross, Prince, Charlie & Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Little Steven Van Zant, Cheap Trick, Carlos Santana, and all have in common? Micki Free. Rock ‘n’ Roll careers can take their toll on musicians as we’ve seen all too often, and with his intimate new album, Free seems to say “Let’s slow down for a moment, breathe, relax and chill out.” 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. Today, Mysterium Music of Hanover, PA released 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 via all common online sites (iTunes: https://itun.es/us/c9Jafb / Amazon: https://amzn.com/B01M1KDN4O). Free was already 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”, “Positive Energy”, “Feet & Toes”, “Essential Oils”, “Jasmine Rain”, “Sacred Sage”, “Heart Release (Peregrine Lane)”, “Down 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 co-produced, recorded, engineered and mixed at Ocean Soul Studios in Nashville by Grammy-nominated producer Brother Paul Brown (keyboardist, The Waterboys), who also performed Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes on various tracks. The album also includes his inspiring wife April Brown, who recorded a stunning flute duet with 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. 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’. 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!” Brother Paul Brown adds, “This could quite possibly be the first album of its kind that pairs the Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes Suitcase with The Native American Flute.” Free, Brown and Bowden will perform songs from the new album at Retreat from Cancer hosted by “Say Yes to Hope.org” in Canton, TX, November 11-13, 2016. Free recently played several concerts in support of the new album, including Morongo Casino, The Micki Free Experience show at Anton’s in Austin, TX with Brother Paul Brown, Kenny Gradney and Peter Young; a performance at Loyola Marymount University’s groundbreaking “Yoga Day” on September 19, and debuted the new album live in a sold-out concert 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 Comanche 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 Prince) was parodied by Dave Chappelle in his Chappelle’s Show sketch “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories: Prince: 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 (https://youtu.be/VTpocUB_vUI), VH-1’s Unsung Heroes, The Undefeated, VladTV, and many more. 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 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. For additional information, concert dates, and music, visit www.mickifreenativeamericanflute.com/ and www.MysteriumMusic.com. Wholesale and online distribution requests for the album may be directed to Tim Shove of IDLA Associated Label Distribution at tim.shove@idla.ca; the suggested retail price is $16.98. Contact for media review copies & interviews: Beth Ann Hilton, m: 310-560-8390 or BethHilton@TheBCompany.com Radio Promotion Contact: Dark Idol Music, LLC., via e-mail request to: mickifree2@gmail.com Micki Free Booking: cherokeefreesagency@gmail.com Track List: 1. White Candle Light 2. The Healing Bath 3. Lavender Kiss 4. The Native American Flute As Therapy* 5. Positive Energy* 6. Feet & Toes* 7. Essential Oils 8. Jasmine Rain 9. Sacred Sage* 10. Heart Release (Peregrine Lane) 11. Down By The River* 12. BONUS MIX: Heartbeat Meditation Yoga Mix All Songs Written, Produced, Arranged and Performed by Micki Free (except *otherwise noted); “Down By The River” written by Neil Young.
Live Native American Flute Performanc by Micki Free with hammond organist Paul Brown of The Water Boys!
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