Born  in Liverpool, England in 1966, and growing up when the music scene was transforming so rapidly, Mike Howe had fantastic opportunities to see the most amazing bands.  In the 70s and 80s there were artists like Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, The Police and many others playing the Liverpool Empire virtually every week.  “I was so excited and inspired by these bands that I knew I wanted to play the guitar.”

It wasn’t until later, “when we had the day off school to stand and watch the Queen who was visiting our town – my friends and I thought we’d use the time more wisely and start up our first band, I was on the bass,” that Mike first picked up a guitar and began to teach himself how to play it.  “I just watched all these other guitarists playing and copied what they did.”

Mike went to college to study ecology, eventually earning a masters degree.  This led to working for many years in one of the most beautiful places in the UK, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which lies on the southwestern tip of Wales and is a place where big Atlantic swells wash up on some of the most stunning beaches, cliffs and islands in the world.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be able to dedicate my work to conserving our precious wildlife and working with so many talented and committed people.  We all see it as our duty to try to protect and conserve the amazing wildlife of the coast, the woodlands and the hills for all the generations of people to come after us.”

It has been this interaction and enjoyment of nature and people that has inspired the music that Mike is now writing.  “I had often wondered what it might be like to create my own songs and develop my own sound and express myself.  It wasn’t until I gained a certain amount of maturity that I realized I had to have the courage to open up and let all this emotion and these experiences and dreams come out.  When the floodgates opened, it turned out that I’ve got quite a bit to say musically, I feel so fortunate.”

Inspired and humbled by world class jazz musicians and composers such as Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek, Dino Saluzzi and Marcin Wasilewski, all of whom have a distinctive beautiful “voice,” Mike has endeavored to develop his own unique sound on the acoustic guitar with a strong sense of melody and emotion.  His sound is directed by his relationship with people and wild places, places that have left him awestruck since he was a boy.  “I hope that people can hear the deep-felt respect for people and wild lands in my music and that it helps bring peace, warmth and curiosity to a small part of their day.”

And now Mike is looking forward to an exciting and rewarding musical partnership with Real Music.  “It’s an honour for me to be a small part of a company that exists to make the world a better place for people and for nature and wild places.  It is also a dream come true”.

Howe lives close to the sea in Southwest Wales -- "where the summers can be idyllic and the winters a little stormy to say the least" -- with his partner Claire and their two children, who were both born in Wales and are fluent Welsh speakers, as well as musicians.

Mike Howe's debut album Time Stands Still was released worldwide to critical acclaim in July, 2009; his second album Round River releases July 13, 2010. Howe's music is also featured on Journey to Wellness and Contentment, two compilation CDs from the Sacred Spa Music Series 2.

Comments (4)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Nathan Walton said:

	... Great album Mike. Lovely melodies. Nice to get back from work and just unwind. Looking forward to the intimate live show in Pembrokeshire sometime! All the best.
	report abuse vote down vote up

September 12, 2009
Votes: +0

Michael Debbage said:

... Reviewed by Michael Debbage "It has been a long winter’s day at work and you open the door to be greeted by candles everywhere you walk. To your surprise your spouse has drawn a deep hot bath that is bathed in the silhouettes of scented candles allowing you to soak your aching muscles and worries away for another day. Now that’s being smooth and romantic and to make it complete, without a doubt the soundtrack for this tender moment in your life would be Mike Howe’s superb and silky Time Stands Still. Born in Wales, which is attached to the west side of England surrounded by the Irish and Atlantic Sea, Howe’s country has a typography that is so inspiring. From its highest point courtesy of Mount Snowden in the north to the sweeping beaches of Rhossili Beach in the Glamorgan southern county and everything in between, Wales has a rich landscape to draw inspiration from. And for just over 55 minutes that is exactly what Howe does. Howe’s impressive debut focuses on the melody not the performance with the majority of his music contemplated on his acoustic guitar that has a deep rich resonance to it. His music is supplemented by his bass, keyboards and non intrusive percussion every now and then that gives his music a little variety though never veering away from the pastoral theme. This is best heard on the mid tempo ballad “For Claire” and the more enthusiastic “Musselwick”, a perfect recording for a gentle car ride in the countryside away from the commotion of the city. Otherwise, Howe sends you to the land of relaxation luxury courtesy of the peaceful “Heading West”, “The River May Rise” and the gorgeous “Run Deep” among too many others to mention. That said, there is no filler here, leaving you with the only expectation of wanting to know when and how Howe will manage to follow up this incredible debut. The beauty of Mike Howe’s music does not come from an exhilarating execution that will take your breath away. Frankly, his music is precise and simple focusing on ultra smooth melodies that will allow you to take the deep breath of life and forget about the worries that each and every day brings. Enjoy the relaxing 55 minutes of Time Stands Still and live in the moment … live for today." Michael Debbage

report abuse vote down vote up

October 21, 2009
Votes: +1

Liang bin said:

	... Great! I like Heading West. It's so soft and precise. You've done a great job!
	report abuse vote down vote up

November 19, 2009
Votes: +0

Kim (Tan) said:

	... I like "Clouds" and basically all the songs in the whole album which I bought sometime in January this year. Very soothing
	report abuse vote down vote up

April 05, 2010
Votes: +0

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment Preview