Mike Got Spiked

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Mike Got Spiked
Gavin, Conall, Jonathan, David
Background information
Origin	Carrickmacross and Dublin, Ireland
Genre(s)	Jazz,Funk,Ska,Rock,Punk,Metal
Years active	2003–present
Label(s)	Conflict Of Interest
Website	Official homepage
Members
Conall McMahon Jonathan Myles Gavin McGuire David Lodge

Mike Got Spiked are an Irish band, composed of Conall McMahon – guitarist/backing vocals (Carrickmacross), Jonathan Myles – bassist (Castleblayney), Gavin McGuire – vocalist, (Drumconrath, bordering on Monaghan) and David Lodge, drummer/backing vocalist (Dublin).

Starting in June 2002, when Conall, Dave and Johnny (formerly fingermouse) got Gavin on vocals, mike got spiked have been accurately described as “Blender Music”. mike got spiked are a mix of Jazz, Funk, Ska, Rock, Punk and Metal with many influences including Incubus, Ben Folds, NOFX, Mr Bungle, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Alice In Chains, Pantera and Slayer.

mike got spiked's track ‘Come Dancing’ was used as the music on the Irish television network, RTEs’ promo for the programme ‘The Ex-Files’.

A song parodying mike got spiked was recorded by fans called miggled got spiggled.

Contents 1 Releases 1.1 Official Releases 1.2 Unofficial Releases 1.3 Compilations 2 Videos 3 Move to America 4 Press 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Releases

[edit] Official Releases

• The single “All You Need” was the bands first official release in 2004 in Ireland, this CD reached number 23 ^[1]in the Irish Singles Charts. It was engineered and produced by Sean Doyle, and partly recorded in Grouse Lodge studios. To promote the CD, the band played 19 shows in a 10-day tour which covered most of Ireland. The single contained the following tracks:
  
  

#	Title	Length
1	All You Need	2:55
2	Whiskey For Me Tae	2:21

The video for 5 Second Heaven was included on this CD as a bonus.

• Released by Conflict of Interest Records, the full length “Caveat Emptor” was recorded in three months from November 2004 to January 2005. It was recorded, mixed and produced by Peter Slankster in Creamy Sonic Studios located in Dublin. The CD was mastered in Los Angeles by Eddy Schreyer, who has worked with bands such as Korn, System of a down and Alice in Chains; a big reason why he was chosen for the job. “Caveat Emptor,” which basically means “buyer beware,” made it all the way to the top fifty on the Irish Charts. Caveat Emptor received a 5 star review in the Irish Examiner^[2] which speculated that Caveat Emptor could be ‘the most original album to emerge from Ireland in a decade’, while Rock Sound described it as ‘schizo melody-tinged rock’^[3]
  
  

#	Title	Length
1	A Pointless Address	4:53
2	To Have You Here	3:29
3	Aversion	4:53
4	Teen Idol	3:14
5	5 Second Heaven	4:16
6	Yuppie Puppet Ephiphany	4:43
7	All You Need	3:40
8	Talkin' To Myself	5:48
9	Speechless	4:29
10	Broken Toys	5:10
11	The Toothpaste Song	2:18
12	Find Yourself	8:28
13	Whiskey For Me Tae	2:34

• The EP ‘Poetry and Prozak’ was released in June 2006 just prior to mike got spiked moving to America and was produced by Trev Mooney. This was a 5 track EP.
  
  

#	Title	Length
1	One Last Song	2:45
2	Afraid To Dream	4:03
3	Come Dancing	3:15
4	Promise	3:33
5	Fool For The Ladies	3:28

• In 2007 the track "Virus Kiss" was released exclusely as a download from the bands myspace page.
  
  

[edit] Unofficial Releases

• Released as a free promotional CD the tracks “5 Second Heaven” and “Speechless”, recorded in Trackmix in 2003 were the bands debut releases.
  
  

• A rare Demo CD was unofficially released which had the tracks “O Silence Where Art Thou” and a remix of “Yuppie Puppet Epiphany”.
  
  

• Covers of Cry Me A River and Toxic were recorded as part of the Caveat Emptor sessions but never released, although mp3s are out there in the ether for the die-hard fan to chase. Cry Me A River is still being played occasionally on the road.
  
  

• Unreleased version of Nimrod's Son [Pixies Cover]. Recorded in Sun Studios and Creamy Sonic in 2005 for charity tribute album that never saw light of day. The song gets played now and again on the road.
  
  

• First Glimpse Of A Bigger Picture. Unreleased track recorded in Track Mix Studios in 2005. Originally recorded for inclusion on a Blast compilation CD, the track was never used as a Blast representative said it would put all the other bands to shame! Subsequently, the song was available as a free download on myspace for a time.
  
  

• RTE 2fm Session June 2006. Recorded four days before the band left for America. The recording included Teen Idol, Fool For The Ladies, One Last Song and a brand new song at the time Step Outside. The latter has never been released to date and the 2FM session is it's only recording. The songs were played on national radio that July but have not surfaced in any release/alternate format since.
  
  

[edit] Compilations

• Released on July 4, 2003 mike got spiked were included on the GigSmart compilation. Titled Best of Irish Unsigned this compilation was unique in that it was funded by fundraising activities of the bands involved. The disc retailed at €10 and included a varied collection of what the Irish music scene had to offer at the time. The release was supported by a series of gigs around the country.
  
  

#	Band	Song
1	Me In The Park	Cheesecake
2	Ginseng	Deep Inside
3	Oz	The River
4	Nassau	Hand of Hope
5	Polar	South
6	Pier 19	2.39 am December
7	Obsolete	Add to the History
8	Tokin	Broken Reflections
9	The Beautiful Losers	Relapse
10	The Murder of Crows	Gotta Gun
11	Sundogs	U Want It
12	Otranome	On the Road Again
13	The Al Capone Suite	Court Jesters
14	Pinion	40%
15	Laminate	Counldn't Care A Less
16	Popstar	Great Expectations
17	Mike Got Spiked	5 Second Heaven
18	Splinters	After All
19	The 8th Day	Rise Against

[edit] Videos

Mike got spiked have made four official videos and have performed for live studio recordings. Fans have also submitted videos, recorded and edited for mike got spiked songs.

1. 5 Second Heaven (Included as a bonus on the All You Need single).
2. All You Need (unreleased), directed by Aoife Kelleher and recorded in Rush.
3. Aversion, directed by Aidan Maguire and recorded in Rush. This shoot was delayed due to a breakdown of a vehicle while travelling back from a show to the recording. It took mike got spiked 8 hours to tow it back and so the shoot was not complete until 4 am in the morning.
4. To Have You Here, directed by Aidan Maguire and recorded in Rush.
   
   

1. Live acoustic performance of speechless on Stim TV in Oxnard, CA. February 2007
2. Live acoustic performance of speechless on NTV in Kearney, NE. November 2007

[edit] Move to America

The move to international standings was pre-empted by an appearance on the 2005 Canadian leg of the Vans Warped Tour alongside the likes of My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

In June 2006 Mike Got Spiked moved to America. They left Ireland's limited scene - and their day jobs - behind with the release of the Poetry and Prozac EP and relocated to America. They have been touring relentlessly since across 40 states, that has to date Jan 1, 2008 taken in 80,000 miles and 300 shows. Record sales, including uncharted sales at gigs, have reached 8,000 units, while the bands Myspace has received over 100,000 plays. With the strong internet presence in America, mike got spiked have placed in a top 10 slot on the Vans Warped Tour's official download chart. Recently mike got spiked had extra dates added at Hollywood's world-famous Whisky A Go-Go venue as a result of their performance there on the first night.

mike got spiked are rumored to be returning to play a UK and European tour when the current leg of the American tour closes in August 2008.

[edit] Press

Schizo melody-tinged rock - hints of Faith No More and Incubus. [Caveat Emptor]...is pretty polished and there are some strong hooks throughout...an impressive first step... Rock Sound Magazine [UK]^[4]

mike got spiked seem to take pleasure in stretching the boundaries of musical genres as we know them, and they're almost impossible to define. The Irish Examiner [Ireland]^[5]

With more hooks on display here than you would find bloody aprons at a convention for butchers it's immediately apparent that Irish rockers Mike Got Spiked are doing something right. Like Lostprophets before them they've got an ear for a catchy chorus and they've got the ability to pen a superb pop tune, albeit one dipped liberally in the vat marked "BIZARRE". Blistering.com [UK] ^[6]

Their music is a frighteningly tight hybrid of emo-metal, old-school punk, and bar-room mischief — aggressive and solid. Charleston City Newspaper [USA]^[7]

Mike Got Spiked place themselves in the middle of the Lost Prophets wide spanning appeal (clever pop hooks covered by a schizophrenic appreciation of heavy music), the slick and unforgiving ska-kick of Goldfinger and the ability to meld a million different sounds into one cohesive mind fuck of a song like the late Mr. Bungle. Subba-Cultcha [UK]^[8]

The way they approach a multi-instrument solo with the double bass pedals and hammer-on guitar leads of Pantera or slap bass leads á la Primus indicates a strong American rock music influence; something the band happily admits. This fondness for the States has led MGS to venture away from their homeland in search of an American record deal and a chance to win the hearts and minds of those who like a little NOFX with their Incubus. Alibi.com [USA]^[9]

Mike Got Spiked took up the instruments with dramatic flair and unleashed their almighty but tuneful assault. Playing tracks from their recent debut album, this four man combo paraded a varied listing of material, each an original concoction of sounds. Using every permutation and combination of musical genre, tracks rallied through jazzy funk, thrash metal and heavy rock - you name it and this band threw it into the mix. With inspired innovation the spiked crew achieved a very professional sound and an impressive range of voice and rhythm. The Scene [Ireland]^[10]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• mike got spiked's official website