Mike Coykendall - Half Past Present Pending - Music & Performance - CD

2015 release from the veteran songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Mike Coykendall is best known as a sideman, producer, and recordist via his work with M Ward, Blitzen Trapper and Richmond Fontaine to name a few, but he has also been making his own unique outsider records since the mid '80s. This release takes the listener closer to his live performances, using the "rig", his one man live set-up, consisting of on oversized Kay electric guitar, a tin can kick drum and a huge set of high-hat cymbals, all mixed in with lots of reverb, delay and crunch. The record itself mixes excellent new compositions with some from his back catalogue with fresh interpretations of other writers songs (he covers Roger Miller, Syd Barrett, etc) to great effect.