Cajun Mike + Musician in Birmingham, EN

ABOUT

Mike Seal has been an active musician for 40 years. He has worked as a musical director, composer, producer and engineer and has played hundreds of gigs across the world. He specialises in double bass, fretless and fretted bass, rhythm guitar and spoken word vocals. He can also play banjo, mandolin, dobro and most string instruments. He has played everything from Punk, Blues, Jazz. Ska, Country, Americana, Indy rock to pop - good music is what is important to him and consequently he seeks to 'serve the song'. Mike has played on over 40 albums and written over 250 songs. He co-wrote interlude music for several children’s programmes including the Beeps (48 episodes) and the theme music for Radio 4 programme 'X marks the spot'. Mike has a publishing deal with 'another planet music' (https://anotherplanetmusic.net), managed by Mark Stratford (Rough Trade, BMG Rights, Cherry Red, Windsong, EMI, Universal, President, PIAS).

Mike currently plays for a number of professional artists. He plays upright bass for blues artist Sean Taylor, and has done five UK and three European tours with him. Sean has a growing worldwide following and ten acclaimed albums to his credit. He has been nominated for 2023 Acoustic Artist of the year by the UK Blues Federation. Several of Sean's albums were produced in Texas by legendary producer Mark Hallman and received four-star reviews in Mojo, named americana album of the month, and have been played on BBC Radio 2. Sean has opened for Robert Cray, John Fogerty, John Mayall, Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Band Of Horses, Richard Thompson, Eric Bibb and many other legends. Mike plays on the recent Sean Taylor Band live album and on on the new album ‘Short Stories, where he co-wrote three songs.

Live reviews say ‘a duo that can only remind you of the halcyon days of John Martyn and Danny Thompson’. (Blues Matters)

‘Mike’s bass is solid and dependable and adds just the right amount of depth to emphasise Sean’s lyrics and guitar/ piano’ (RnR live album review)

Mike also upright bass with 'A Different Thread', a collaboration between Robert Jackson from Lichfield, England, and Alicia Best from Durham, North Carolina, USA. Following the release of their debut album ' On A Whim' they landed interviews and live sessions on both the BBC and NPR radio. They have garnered a loyal following across the UK, Europe, the US and Central America. Their second album 'Call of the Road', which Mike plays on, came out in August 2022.

He also plays upright bass and banjo for Farefeld )Caitlin Jones and Chris Elliot), who were described by 'Bright Young Folk' as experienced storytellers who bring timeless to their music'. Winners of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival newcomers award 2018 and the Cliff Wooley memorial award 2022. Their second album, which Mike plays on, ‘A game of two halves’, comes out in autumn 2023.

He has also played as a musician in dance, drama and theatre productions. The latest was Chain Stories 'an exciting site-specific performance telling the story of those who came to contact with the chains made in the Black Country''. involving dance companies from the Black Country, Ghana and Grenada. A documentary on the project has just been released.

In terms of his own projects, Mike plays with Lonesome Gods (Americana/Country) who are signed to Animal House Records. Their eponymous album came out in October 2020 and they are working on their second. He also plays for the Avant-Garde Jazz trio Told Americans. They feature an intense experimental sound with political overtones. Fatea reviewed them thus 'Told Americans possess an abundance of expert musicianship with energy, passion and a desire to truly experiment with preconceptions and push the artistic envelope... unusual, stimulating and most invigorating'. Mike also plays guitar with the Queen has Two Heads, an Americana/ soul 7 piece, who' s debut EP, Ready to Go, was released in late 2018 - they are now working on a post lockdown album and are playing festivals this summer. Mike is also a part of folk/ Americana/ electronica duo Manna, with Anna Reuben, who have released two albums on Nub Country records.

More recently Mike has been writing and co-writing spoken word pieces. This includes 'One Clear Mind' a recording with Kostas Bechlos (Told Americans, Dr Schwamp) featuring renowned free jazz sax player Bruce Coates. It is taken from a novel that Mike wrote about his experiences of working with homeless people over 25 years ago - the novel was abandoned, but at the start of each chapter was a rant based on characters Mike had met and worked with - these are these rants, still relevant today - difficult to hear, often misanthropic, narcissistic and challenging, but nevertheless one 'clear mind'. See https://oneclearmind.bandcamp.com/album/one-clear-mind. He is working on another spoken word dance album 'Normality is a Pathology', to be released this summer.

He played guitar and was co songwriter for Red Bird Sky (Folk Americana). They played across the UK and Canada. Their first album, released on Tree Top Records and produced by Paul Milner in Canada. Folk words described it thus 'This album reaches for you to ensure you share in the intensity of its songs and the potency of its melodies'. Their second album, The Unravelling', was given a four-star review by R2 and described as a 'scintillating experience'. Mike previously played double bass and was co-songwriter for Blue Soup who played at the Jazz Cafe, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Canterbury Jazz Festival, Ealing Jazz Festival and toured Europe twice. In 2012 they released 'Attention' on A Major Sounds produced by Paul Milner (Keith Richards, Eddy Grant, Sting) which was nominated for a Grammy.

Mike is available for session work, studio and live, dep work for covers bands and any interesting original music project. He has his own studio and can work remotely.

Outside of music Mike is a professor, author of 14 books, and a freelance educational consultant.

Screen name:

Cajun Mike

Member since:

Jun 06 2016

Active within 2 weeks

Level of commitment:

Touring

Years playing music:

40

Gigs played:

Over 100

Tend to practice:

2-3 times per week

Available to gig:

4-5 nights a week

Influences

Anything and everything - I have played in everything from Ska to Americana to free Jazz to Indie Rock - I just like playing good music and seek to 'serve the song or piece' as a player rather than demonstrate my instrumental prowess (unless that is what is required).

Instrument experience:

Bass Guitar:

Expert

Upright bass:

Expert

Rhythm Guitar:

Advanced

Acoustic Guitar:

Advanced

Banjo:

Advanced

Mandolin:

Advanced

Lead Guitar:

Moderate

Dobro:

Moderate

EQUIPMENT

Hand carved Ken Millar English double bass
Romanian Double bass
Bassix electric double bass
Brighton luthier foldable electric double bass
Warwick streamer fretless bass
Fender jazz
Fender jazz fretless
Gibson 335
Fender Stratocaster (American)
Gretsch 5422 12 string
Gretsch 5420T 6 string
Taylor 414ce
Taylor 414 baritone
Taylor 355ce (12 string)
original dobro
Fender banjo
Fender 12 String
Epiphone mandolin
Goldtone Regel Electric mandolin
Martin 00-15
Guild M-20
Simon and Patrick 12 string

MUSIC