May 5, 04: W.C. HANDY WEEK "(at the Marriott) ...Trolley Stop Bar for the jam hosted by Memphis' own Billy Gibson Band. ...Michele Lundeen from San Diego (and editor of the Blues Festival Guide) ...showed (she has) what it takes in the vocal department. (I enjoyed backing Michele on guitar at the Rum Boogie Café the following Sunday with Billy Gibson.) ... T-Bone Erickson Editor at www.Blueswax.com on coverage of the 25th W.C. Handy week
P.S. T-Bone, who is also a contributing writer for Blues Wax and Blues Review, was quite a tasty guitarist himself! Thanks T... ml
- Jan 2007: SONG INSIDE ME in "TOP 50" on national "BLUES ROOTS" CHARTS for 10 weeks.
- Nov 18, 2006: 1st NATIONAL WOMEN IN BLUES FESTIVAL Michele headlines this festival in Wilmington, North Carolina, The event is to feature women Blues performers and address women's issues.
- Sept 18, 2006: San Diego, CA 2006 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS "BEST BLUES" NOMINEE Michele is an SDMA 2006 Nominee with Candye Kane, Nathan James & Ben Hernandez, Bill Magee Blues Band, Sue Palmer, Len Rainey & The Midnight Players, Ruf Records recording artist Candye Kane is chosen as winner September 18. Congratulations to all these most deserving nominees and to pal Candye. www.SanDiegoMusicAwards.com
- July 8, 2006: San Diego, CA ELDORADO BBQ, BREWS & BLUES Michele, Johnny V Vernazza (guitars), Len Rainey (bass), Guy Cariglio (drums), John Shipley (keys) and Cheri Shipley (background vocals) tear it up in downtown Reno for this11th annual event that featured artists like Elvin Bishop, Shane Dwight, Lowrider Band (formally WAR), Candye Kane. "...from where I was standing on Virginia Street it sounded to me like the best band of the day was Michele Lundeen and Blues Streak." (Roger Slugg Blues host on KUNR)
FOR BLUES FOUNDATION'S "BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD" Michele's debut CD, make the Final 3 out of over 100 entries along with Steamy: Heaven Davis (Atlanta Blues Society); Wet My Beak: Alvin Jett and the Phat Noiz Blues Band (MO Blues Association. Back In Bluesville by Roxy Perry (New Jersey Jazz & Blues Society) wins the top honors. (read more).
- Nov-Dec 15, 05: SONG INSIDE ME GIVEAWAY AS FEATURED PRIZE IN WORLDWIDE CONTEST SONG INSIDE ME is one of the 50 prizes to be given away at a worldwide contest at www.bluesfestivalguide.com . Michele's debut is among CD's by artists Bobby Rush, Eddie Cotton and Ruf Records Blues Guitar Women!
- Nov 1st, 05: SONG INSIDE ME NOMINATED FOR "BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD" Milestone Music is proud to announce ... Michele Lundeen's debut CD SONG INSIDE ME was chosen by the Reno Blues Society to be submitted in the Blues Foundation's "Best Self-Produced CD" contest. The CD features 9 originals of 12 tracks. Three rounds of finalists will be chosen out of the 33 entrants submitted by Foundation affiliates. The winner will be announced at the International Blues Challenge, Jan 28, 2006 See IBC info here
Song Inside Me has been receiving airplay across the USA and around the world The CD has been featured 2x on syndicated program "Blues Deluxe", landed on the "2004 Essential 100" list in San Diego's KPRI after its Nov 04 release, has been in the Top 10 and 25 of a variety of radio station Playlists and has been reported to the Living Blues charts from USA, Canada, and Australia and Ireland stations.
Michele began her music career in 1980 in Reno, NV before relocating to San Diego, CA in 1997. She is a founding member of the Reno Blues Society (RBS), a former Board Director and has been the RBS Editor since 1993.
- Aug-Sept 05: SONG INSIDE ME NOMINATED FOR "BEST BLUES ALBUM" 2005 San Diego Music Awards I want to THANK YOU ALL for your support of my debut CD . It's been so wonderful to finally share my passions far and wide. SONG INSIDE ME has being added to radio station Playlists across the US, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Holland, Spain, Italy, Belgrade & more!! Positive press has showed up in the San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego CityBeat and the Reno Gazette Journal and reviews in Blues Revue magazine (Jun/July 05), Southland Blues (Jan 05, Blues In Britain (3/5), Blues & Rhythm (Britain 4/05), www.mary4music.com, Crossroads (France), Phoenix Blues Society, Big City Blues and more plus and online at Blues Bytes ... ONWARD!
- Jan 29, 05: SONG INSIDE ME CD RELEASE PARTY
A full house, standing room only crowd made this one of the most special nights of my musical career. I finally did it folks...after all these years. It was so rewarding and more than I could ever imagine. Players were Charles Burton (guitar). Tim Cash and Coco Meza (bass), Aristotle Georgio (harmonica), Ric Lee (drums), John Chambers and Sue Palmer (keys), Carlos Serrano (trumpet), Albert Cisneros (sax), April West (trombone) and Jessica Stull (rubboard). My heartfelt thanks go out to all those that helped make it happen behind the scenes (Nancy Porter, Mary Ann Haskell, Karen Gibbs-Lee), attended and bought ALL of my CD's (thanks to Zach Cole, Mary Ann and Howard Anderson)! I love you all!! xo
- Nov 24, 04: SONG INSIDE ME - DEBUT CD RELEASED I'm thrilled to announce that my first full-length CD project, SONG INSIDE ME, has arrived. I'm SO excited and I know you're all gonna dig it! It features a variety of soulful, funky, down-home, rockin' new originals and a few choice covers by B.B. King LaVelle White and 60's soulster O.V. Wright. They arrived Thanksgiving week and I had some shipped to Reno right off while I was there for the holiday. Over a hundred sold in just a week. I did a live interview on Reno's KUNR 88.7 FM Saturday "Take Names Later" Blues show and the folks at Reno's KTHX the "X" 100.1 FM dropped me a note saying they dug it and will play some cuts! Cool! Many fans have let me know they're hearing my songs in regular rotation as well as on their Saturday night Blues show. In Reno, NV find SONG INSIDE ME at Soundwave CD's (Moana Ln.) and Tower Records. Long standing Blues DJ "T" at San Diego's KSDS 88.3 FM now has one as does KPRI 102.1 FM. Call and request something! In San Diego, SONG INSIDE ME will be at Tower and Lou's Records, etc. You can always order one by emailing me here.
- Spring-Summer 04: The Recording Saga...
Up until June 04 I had been traveling back and forth to Route 44 Studio in No. Cal. I met Bay Area native the legendary slide and lead guitarist, Johnny "V" Vernazza (Elvin Bishop alumni currently with Norton Buffalo) her in the San Diego area this past year and asked if he'd be interesting in helping me arrange and playing a few cuts on my CD. Subsequently Johnny not only helped me arrange and play but ended up co-producing! He's been so fabulous ... what a guy! Johnny's main contacts are in the Bay Area and I'm originally from Oakland, CA so it felt perfect to go back to my roots and record in No. Cal. PLUS... Johnny lined up some hot pals who just happened to be some of the finest Bay Area cats ...many I've long admired. The No. Cal tracks feature the killer backline of Johnny "V", Steve Evans on bass (currently with Coco Montoya), Gary "Smacky" Silva on drums, Austin Delone on organ and piano (Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Dan Hicks, Norton Buffalo, etc.) and more! Special guest slide-master Roy Rogers appears on one of my down-home tunes, ALL DAY BLUES. Whew! Ed Early (Elvin Bishop Band) add his smooth chops to my campy swing tune "NO MONEY NO HONEY". Two fine Bay Area singers Vernell Anders and Gail Muldrow added a killer dimension to "YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY"... PLUS...trumpet man Tom Poole (Etta James) and a fab saxman Dave Stone made magic on "BLUES IS A FEELING" and "I'M STILL LAUGHING". Route 44 Engineer Harry Gale was a gem as well. (www.michelelundeen.photosite.com for session pics)
Travel and time logistics had forced me to bring the project down here to San Diego to wrap up. I used fab engineer, Ben Moore, who came highly recommended and we wrapped the final, finals at the new Audio Design studios owned by Jeff Kelly. Ben is also a tremendous organ player and laid down a few title track "SONG INSIDE ME" and "STARTING ALL OVER" with my cool, seasoned local band... the talented crew of Charles Burton on tasty guitar, Tim Cash bass, Ric Lee drums and Aristotle Georgio laid down a smokin' harmonica solo on "BLUES IS A FEELING". I was also thrilled to have my friend, the fab Queen of Boogie-Woogie Sue Palmer come in a lay down a track on one of my rockin'-boogie tune, "FREE AT LAST"!
September 20, pal Nancy Porter and I spent the day in Hollywood at mastering studio Digi Prep with Dan Hersch! Dan was a total pro and hilarious to boot. We had a wonderful experience and then, after a dinner with old friends Min & Wes, we popped the mastered CD into the car's player and drove back to San Diego so excited that the project had come this far and sounded so great! The last step was to have DiscMakers duplicate and package them and did a fabulous job. Start spreading the news and get these puppies in CD players around the globe!!
I THINK YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!! GET YOUR COPY NOW!
