MICK THOMAS’ ROVING COMMISSION – the ARIA-Award winning former Weddings Parties Anything singer/songwriter and his band of fellow travelers – have an announced a new album, a new tour, and even a short tour of record store in-stores appearances in the lead up to the album’s release.
The new album GoComeBack is out October 31 on Coolin’ By Sound Records. It follows the recent EP First Step in a Homeward Direction, the title track of which served as the new album’s first single and set the album’s thematic concerns. The album was recorded in in Auckland at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios with award-winning producer Steven Scram.
GoComeBack is the name of the album.
GoTourComeBack is the name of the tour as Mick and the full Roving Commission line-up head around the country with their new record – made in Auckland at Neil Finn’s Roundhead studios with award winning producer Steven Schram. “First Step in a Homeward Direction” is the first single from the album – entering the AIR Chart at #1 in June, followed by a sold out national tour. The new bunch of songs are set to slot in seamlessly beside the old faves that have been part of Christmas celebration for so many, for so long.
And to kick it all off Mick and select band members are heading ‘round the country for a quick in-store/promo run in October. And of course it’s called….
GoIn-StoreComeBack
… to your local record shop!
So forget the graveyard of online streaming and the deserts of commercial radio – through October they’ll be be at your local radio station or at your local record store. This is a hand-to-mouth, pasture-to-plate affair. They’ll be playing a few tunes and hanging out with the punters who will get the chance to buy the record directly from the players who made it.
Interspersed amongst the in-stores are a number of intimate shows in towns that won’t be reached by the main tour.
Fri Oct 3 – Toowoomba Volcanic Brewery w/ Nine Year Sister (ticketed show) QLD
Sat Oct 4 – Sonic Sherpa Brisbane 4.00 QLD (in-store)
Sat Oct -11 Clarity Adelaide 4.00 SA (in-store)
Sun Oct 12 – Three Brothers Arms Adelaide Hills w/ Jacob Jake (ticketed show) SA
Sat Oct 18 – Egg Records Sydney 4.00 NSW (in-store)
Fri Oct 24- Dodges Ferry Hotel (ticketed show) TAS
Sat Oct 25 – Tommy Gun Records Hobart 4.00 TAS (in-store)
Sun Nov 20 invite only listening party at the Merri Creek Tavern MELB
GoTourComeBack
Mick and the band are proud to announce all shows w/ Hana and Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits (except ***)
Fri Nov 7 Shiraz Republic Cornella VIC
Sat Nov 8 Young St Tavern Frankston VIC
Sun Nov 9 Memo Healesville VIC
Fri Nov 14 Birregurra Hall VIC
Sat Nov 15 Eureka Geelong VIC *** w/ The Ferriters
Sun Nov 16 Burrinja Upwey VIC
Fri Nov 21 Kings Beach Tavern Kings Beach QLD
Sat Nov 22 Wallaby Hotel Mudgereeba QLD
Sun Nov 23 Lefty’s Brisbane QLD
Thu Nov 27 Smiths Alternative ACT
Fri Nov 28 The Servo Port Kembla NSW
Sat Nov 29 Marrickville Bowlo NSW
Sun Nov 30 Full Throttle Ranch Buttai Valley NSW
Fri Dec 5 Murray Delta Juke Joint Goolwa SA
Sat Dec 6 (x2) Wheatsheaf Adelaide SA
Sun Dec 7 Wheatsheaf Adelaide SA
Fri Dec 12 The River Margaret River WA
Sat Dec 13 & Sun Dec 14 Oxford Hotel Leederville WA
Thu Dec 18 Arco Bar Heatherton VIC
Fri Dec 19 Theatre Royal Castlemaine VIC
Sat Dec 20 Corner Hotel Richmond VIC + Jules Sheldon and the Boundary Riders
Thu Jan 1 Archies Creek VIC + Danny Walsh Banned + TBA + M.C. Ian Bland
Tickets available through http://www.mickthomas.com
GoComeBack. It’s a trip.
GoComeBack – it’s a pidgin Indonesian term for return journey. Recorded in Auckland at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studio with award winning producer Steven Schram (Crowded House, Paul Kelly, Sans Cisco etc) it’s is a simple but effective concept for a song cycle.
Go is side one – it takes you away, leaves you in a far off place. You catch a bus at dawn, by a submerged island you hear distant voices, you marvel at how mundane a supposedly exotic place can be, and how exotic a functional entity needs to be. You catch up with a band who went a-touring and never came back, you get your nails done by someone who wishes they were far away.
ComeBack is side two – it tries to see beauty in the everyday. A tram ride through a divided city, some wild birds in the airport food hall, a sculpture by the river and a small child in a Vietnamese restaurant. Mick sits on a pier in an obscure seaside town and wonders how he got there while some artists try their bohemian best to pretend their domicile is anywhere but a work-a-day Melbourne suburb.
GoComeBack is the full Roving Commission six piece line-up captured by an in form producer/engineer in a fine studio setting. It’s Dave Foley (Tex Perkins, The Killjoys) and Ben Franz (the Waifs, Matt Walker, Tim Rogers) working the rhythm effectively and stylishly, Ben takes a guitar solo on a Memphis originating banger and Dave pounds relentlessly as Steven Schram drives them hard over an eight day session. Jen Anderson sculpts the violin arrangements dodging and weaving around the ever present understated keys and accordions of Mark Squeezebox Wally. Mick sings with the tonal grit and sincerity we have come to expect – supported and complimented by the spirited counterpoint of Brooke Taylor – whose confidence soars with each subsequent foray into the studio. Her lead vocal on Dirt Under Your Nails is understated but magnificent. The violins on First Step are a highlight. Ben Salter’s lyrical contribution on a couple the tracks is undeniable. And the songs take you away and then get you where you live.
The album cover itself is an elaborate production. Did they need to get eminent book illustrator Coral Tulloch to construct two hand drawn maps for the gatefold sleeve? Or get author Jock Serong for the liner notes? Did they even need to go all the way to another country to make such a record in the first place? Possibly not – but like the album’s title would suggest – it’s a trip.
Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission’s new album GoComeBack is out October 31 on Coolin’ by Sound
Single & EP “First Step in a Homeward Direction” out now
https://mickthomas.bandcamp.com
COOLIN' BY SOUND 
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