Mike Maimone Band
Mike Maimone, a Nashville-based multi-genre artist releases his latest single “Voodoo Lady” featuring Phillip-Michael Scales.
The new song seamlessly blends hints of pop, jazz, and Americana, for a song that narrates a comical, spunky story of a character from New Orleans. Maimone, who is also a member of the LGBTQ community, grew up in Ashtabula, OH, part of “the creased and worn-out end of the rust belt,” as he calls it, where New Orleans music became a big source of inspiration for him. Although it is geographically and culturally distant from the bayou, it shares a similar soul. It’s the determination to not only survive, but thrive against all odds. This permeates the music of New Orleans. “It’s fun, it’s gritty, and it has a rhythm of its own,” says Maimone. “And so I carefully walk the line of paying respect to the music, without trying to imitate or appropriate it.”
“Voodoo Lady” is a playful tale of vacation heartbreak that could only happen on a trip to New Orleans. Mike Maimone and collaborator Phillip-Michael Scales sing their blues about getting dumped in the Big Easy after their partners went to the same tarot card reader. It all goes down over a sweet French Quarter groove that does much to take the sting out of the experience, though, so don’t feel too bad for them. “Voodoo Lady” is a fun song that’s bound to keep listeners dancing and fully entertained.
“Voodoo Lady”
Mike says, “A while back, I got a call from my friend Phillip-Michael Scales. He shared the hook and demo with me and I loved it immediately. It’s playful, it’s funky, and it acknowledges that we are visitors to this place that is rich with tradition. I wrote a verse to match his, and we came up with the harmony on the choruses.
I pictured the two of us drinking at a bar, totally blind-sided by our significant others leaving us mid-vacation. Rather than write a 3rd verse or a bridge where we sing about it, we decided to make it an actual conversation. Recording that was fun. We had a basic idea of how the conversation would go. Then I hit record and we improvised it. When I recorded the horns (Tim Koelling on sax and Alex Leong on trombone), I wanted them to mirror the conversation. When I mixed this section, I tucked the horns back, as if the listener was overhearing our conversation at the bar, while the band plays in the background.”
Mike Maimone
This is Maimone’s 5th single in a row. Typically a more succinct, album artist with a “10-track-flow,” Mike has been trying out a new release plan since the pandemic and his fairly recent move to Nashville have shaken up his lifestyle. He is currently putting the final touches on a mixtape due out in Spring of 2023. “Although it’s very different from my previous albums, it turns out that a patchwork of songs is the perfect way to tell the story of the past few chaotic years,” he says.
Mike has previously played keys in the band Company of Thieves, and is now back to focusing on his solo work. He’s been featured on NPR, American Songwriter, Pride.com, Relix,, Nashville’s Lightning 100 and more.
Michael Maimone website
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