From M Music Magazine:
“Mick Rhodes jumps genres like a kangaroo navigating the Outback, yet consistently cranks out great tunes. Whether it’s the pop spark of “Back to the 909,” the Americana revelry of “It’s Too Late” or the backwoods stomp of “Brown and Blue,” Rhodes rocks with conviction.”
Link to full review: http://mmusicmag.com/m/2011/03/mick-rhodes/
From Keys and Chords, Belgium:
"Raucous party rocking stuff from California ..."
Link to full review: http://www.keysandchords.com/6/post/2011/12/mick-rhodes-til-i-am-dust.html/
From Killingbox:
“'Til I Am Dust is a recording one pops into their player with the top down on a beautiful day, cranked to '11', while driving way too fast on a long road trip … good time energetic rock and roll ...”
Link to full review: http://www.killingboxx.com/content.php?section=JukeBoxx&cID=TilIAmDust
From Muziekvenster, Denmark:
"Stunning ... simple, fresh and fun."
Link to full review: http://www.muziekvenster.nl/content.asp?contentid=1094
From Rock NYC:
“The sound is West Coast and Texas at the same time … from the heartland rock flavor of the triumphant and sunny ‘Back to the 909’, as if the Kinks had gone a little bit Americana … there is a clear honky-tonk feeling on ‘It’s Too Late’ or ‘Til I am Dust,’ like a production of ex-LA resident, country songwriter Mike Stinson … Several songs like ‘Sapulpa’ with its wall of guitar sound will remind you of Tom Petty … ‘Brown and Blue’ has string arrangements (reminiscent) of some of the more stirring Los Lobos’ tracks …”
Link to full review: http://www.rocknycliveandrecorded.com/2010/09/mick-rhodes-til-i-am-dust-reviewed.html
From Leicester Bangs, UK:
“Rhodes is a Californian singer-songwriter with a sound firmly rooted in the Americana tradition - though we’re talking Westerberg and Petty rather than Doc Boggs and the Carters … The opening salvo of “Back To The 909” and “It’s Too Late” set the tone for the record. Nothing complicated. Just good time music, which probably sounds even better when you’re propping up a bar.”
Link to full review: http://www.leicesterbangs.co.uk/sept10-13.html
iTunes customer review from Melongbeing:
“This entire album is like an afternoon in some great old bar out in the flatlands somewhere. Nothing unfamiliar: songs of love and loss, songs about “how the heck did I end up here” make up the playlist. You can smell the beer and you know the guitars have been played hard for decades. Here’s why this is a great album: it’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not rock, hard rock, pop rock, or any of that. It’s rock ‘n’ roll. The fundamental stuff from the oldest mine in the music. But it’s played and sung with feeling, has a lot of heart. Nothing old fashioned. It’s just pure. Listen to a few samples, sure, but pick up this album, haul a six-pack out of the fridge, find a patch of shade on a hot day and just listen.”
Live reviews of Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight
From Rock NYC:
“Mick Rhodes and his band … delivered a powerful set of bright songs rooted in pure rock ’n’ roll, country, folk and pop. Mick opened with his glowing ‘Back to the 909’ … (by) the third song ‘I Shoulda Danced with You’ … people had taken (to) the dance floor to move along the bluesy-rocking rhythms … ‘Sapulpa’ felt like an instant classic rock song with all these triumphant and victorious guitars … They played two new songs, which do not figure on (‘Til I am Dust), ‘Since You’, a bluesy honky-tonk tune which was talking about politicians and preachers, and ‘Last Summer,’ a slow song that was shining with its vocal harmonies alone before all the guitars woke up at the same time. Mick Rhodes and his band ended their set with the blasting and radiant rocking sound of ‘All Right,’ and I guess they are much more than this, simply all right.”
Link to full review: http://www.rocknycliveandrecorded.com/2010/09/mick-rhodes-at-crazy-horse-in-west.html
From Rock NYC:
“Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight played a dynamic set last Sunday afternoon, turning the small room into a rock-arena …”
Link to full review: http://www.rocknycliveandrecorded.com/2011/08/mick-rhodes-and-the-hard-eight-at-the-grand-ole-echo-sunday-july-31st-2011.html
Misc. press for Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight
"Singled Out" piece on "Sapulpa" from Antimusic:
"Sapulpa" is (a) true story … It originally had seven verses (!), but I condensed it down to three in the interest of not having a 9-minute song! I've always loved story songs, and have written a few over the years, but this is the first one I've really liked all the way through. Brian Hall's guitar playing just kills me on this one.”
Link to full story: http://www.antimusic.com/news/10/sep/24Singled_Out-_Mick_Rhodes_Sapulpa.shtml
Inland Empire Weekly feature on Mick Rhodes and the Hard Eight:
‘’(‘Til I am Dust is) a line from one of my songs,” says Rhodes, “and it's about the two things that push me forward: love and rock ’n ‘ roll. I'm gonna do both the best I can until they put me in the ground.”
Link to the full story here: http://www.ieweekly.com/cms/story/detail/mick_rhodes_the_hard_eight/4018/
