Mike Dawes
Dawes performing in 2018
Background information
Born (1989-07-21) 21 July 1989
Guildford, Surrey, England
OriginEngland
GenresInstrumental rock
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • guitar teacher
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active2012–present
LabelsCandyRat, Qten Records
Member ofNik Mystery
Websitemikedawes.co.uk

Mike Dawes (born 21 July 1989) is an English fingerstyle guitar player known for composing, arranging, and performing multiple parts simultaneously on the guitar.

Career

Dawes experimented with keyboards before picking up his first electric guitar, at age twelve.[1] He switched to steel-string acoustic guitar in 2008.[2]

From late 2008 to late 2011, Dawes performed instrumental concerts at venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom, both solo and with a concert harp player. During this time, he performed alongside musicians including Seth Lakeman, Tommy Emmanuel, and Newton Faulkner.[3] In 2009, he released an independent EP titled Reflections as well as gaining features on two discs in the Acoustic Guitar Forum franchise.[4]

In 2012, Dawes signed with Wisconsin-based CandyRat Records.[5] He released a technically virtuosic arrangement of "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye on 19 June.[5] MSN News and Reddit featured him on the front page of their websites. Gotye himself publicly praised the arrangement: "It's a really beautiful piece of music. It's wonderfully arranged. It's just a fantastic piece of music. I also like the instrumental interpretation because it gives a different perspective on the musical arrangement. It's not about how somebody's voice transmits the story of the relationship."[6]

Dawes in 2014

Dawes' next release was another Candyrat single, this time dual-released with an independent collaborative remix featuring Helsinki-based guitarist Petteri Sariola and Adam "Nolly" Getgood from the American band Periphery.[7] Ten per cent of the proceeds of all independent releases went to FAB Projects, a Kenyan charity providing food, aid, and building projects[8] in the region.[8][9] His What Just Happened? world tour visited over thirty countries on five continents, including performances on the Great Wall of China and the Troubadour in Los Angeles, as well as the first fingerstyle guitar concert in Lebanon's history.

2016 saw Dawes become the first acoustic artist signed by DiMarzio,[10] sharing a roster with the likes of John Petrucci, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani, as he co-designed the Black Angel magnetic soundhole pickup with Larry Dimarzio and Nick Benjamin.[11] He began a monthly video and print column with Guitar World in the US and taught as a special guest mentor on season 2 of Sky TV's Guitar Star.[12][13]

ERA, his second album, was released independently on Dawes' own QTEN Records imprint (King Records in Japan, C&L Music in South Korea) in September 2017.[14] The lead single, a one-man cover of Metallica's "One", gained around forty million clicks in its first fortnight online through Metal Hammer, Viral Thread, and Dawes' own YouTube channel.[15] The single also got the attention of the progressive metal community worldwide, a fanbase often present at Dawes' concerts. He was also featured on AMC's Better Call Saul, playing percussion and additional guitar on "Cold Feet", a song created in a session with Fink.[16]

The 2018 Moody Blues Cruise saw Dawes share the stage with Cathy Richardson of Jefferson Starship while opening for the Orchestra featuring members of ELO.[17]

In addition to playing as a solo artist, Dawes also plays guitar in the synth-pop group Nik Mystery, together with Spencer Sotelo (Periphery) and Jukka Backlund.

Influences and gear

Dawes is heavily influenced by folk, pop, and rock music as well as other fingerstyle players such as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan,[7] and Eric Roche. In 2017, he performed using Andreas Cuntz and Nick Benjamin guitars.[18] He uses #100 and #138 Benjamin guitars.[19] He also uses D'Addario strings,[20] DiMarzio pickups,[10] G7th capos,[21] and the Tonewood Amp device.

Tuition

Dawes has produced numerous tuition aids for guitarists looking to learn his style of playing. These include four iOS tuition apps for Apple devices, regular workshops, guitar tabs, and magazine columns for Acoustic magazine and Guitar World.[22]

Awards

Late 2017 saw Dawes named as the Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World Right Now by MusicRadar and Total Guitar's end-of-year poll. He won the title again in 2018.[23]

Discography

Mike Dawes discography
Studio albums3
Live albums1
EPs1
Singles17
Collaboration albums1
Other appearances5

Studio albums

Solo

Title Album details
What Just Happened?
Era
  • Released: 15 September 2017
  • Label: Qten
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Collaborations

Title Album details
Accomplice Series, Vol. 3
(Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes)
  • Released: 23 September 2022
  • Label: CGP Sounds
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Live albums

Title Album details
Shows and Distancing: Live in the USA
  • Released: 23 October 2020
  • Label: Qten
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

EPs

Title Details
Reflections
  • Released: 1 January 2009
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

Title Year Album
"Somebody That I Used To Know" 2012 What Just Happened?
"The Impossible"
"The Impossible 2.0"
(featuring Petteri Sariola and Adam "Nolly" Getgood)		 2014 Non-album single
"William Shatner's Pants" 2020
"Somebody That I Used to Know (Live)" Shows and Distancing: Live in the USA
"Ecomium" (Live)"
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room (Live)"
"Boogie Shred (Live)"
"The Impossible (Live)"
"One (Live)"
(featuring Quist)
"Jump" Non-album single
"Push"
(featuring Jake Gardiner and Plini) /
"Push (Solo Version)"		 Push[upper-alpha 1]
"Somebody That I Used to Know"
(with Tommy Emmanuel)		 2021 Accomplice Series, Vol. 3
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
(with Tommy Emmanuel)
"Fields of Gold"
(with Tommy Emmanuel)
"Until I Found You"
(featuring Guus Dielissen)		 2023 Non-album singles
"Hallelujah
(featuring Edward Ong)

Other appearances

Title Year Credited artist(s) Album
"The Impossible" 2008 Mike Dawes Acoustic Guitar Forum No. 2
"Clocks" 2010 Mike Dawes Acoustic Guitar Forum No. 3
"Scotch Pancake" Mike Dawes Acoustic Guitar Forum No. 4
"Melancholia" 2017 Flux Conduct
(featuring Mike Dawes)		 Yetzer Hara
"Boogie Slam" 2019 Mike Dawes Acoustic Guitar Forum No. 5

Notes

  1. ↑ Push is the name of a two-song single.

Guest appearances

  • Live in Clearwater DVD/Blu-ray (Justin Hayward) September 2016: Dawes performs electric and acoustic guitars.[24]
  • The Story Behind Nights in White Satin DVD/Blu-ray (Justin Hayward) February 2015: Dawes performs acoustic guitar.[24]
  • Spirits Live in Atlanta DVD/Blu-ray (Justin Hayward) August 2014: Dawes performs electric and acoustic guitar; additional clips of original music. "Spirits... Live" entered the US Billboard charts at #2.

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Dawes | Fingerstyle Guitarist". Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mike Dawes: Candyrat's acoustic archer!". Truthinshredding.com. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Acoustic Magazine Issue 70
  4. ↑ "Acoustic Gallery - Home". Acousticgallery.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Home – CandyRat Records". Candyrat.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "LMG Interview with Gotye | Featured Interviews". Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Interview with Mike Dawes – New Wave of Acoustic Guitar". Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 "FAB Projects – Home – Charity for Food, Aid, Building, and Water Projects, Kenya". Fabprojects.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "MIKE DAWES Reveals 'Scarlet' Periphery Cover Video As Charity Single – Circuit Sweet". Circuitsweet.co.uk. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  10. 1 2 "DiMarzio – DiMarzio.com". Dimarzio.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "Mike Dawes". Facebook.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Guitar World". Guitarworld.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Telecom, Manx. "Sky Arts Guitar Star mentor to lead Masterclass for Island's guitarists at GuitarFest 2016 – Isle of Man News – Manx.net". Manx.net. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Home – QTEN RECORDS". Qtenrecords.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Mike Dawes plays all of Metallica's parts for One on one guitar". Teamrock.com. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Mike on Better Call Saul (thanks to Fink) – Mike Dawes". Mikedawes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  17. ↑ "Moody Blues Cruise". Facebook.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  18. ↑ "Mike Dawes Plays This". Playsthis.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "Benjamin Guitars: Acoustic Guitars Handmade by Luthier Nick Benjamin". Benjaminguitars.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "D'Addario". Daddario.com.
  21. ↑ "G7th, The Capo Company". G7th.com.
  22. ↑ "Tuition – Mike Dawes". Mikedawes.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "The 12 best acoustic guitarists in the world right now". Musicradar.com. 3 December 2018.
  24. 1 2 "Justin Hayward – Official Site". Justinhayward.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
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