MICKELSON returns with “Jump Off The Earth” this Summer

INDIE MUSIC DISCOVERY

Back in Europe with a brand new single to his name – MICKELSON – returns with “Jump Off The Earth” this Summer.

Released on 16th June, the new single arrives ahead of a stretch of new shows across the UK + Ireland (listed below) and swiftly follows his warmly-received collaboration with XTC’s Colin Moulding, “Only Grey Matter Boiling In My Head”, from earlier this year.

Taking a leap of faith, “Jump Off The Earth”, is an experimental new single that sees the US alternative folk/rock songwriter reaching into bold creative stratospheres.

A song that comments on the passing of time and the inevitable shadow of our mortality, it is also one that finds the veteran San Francisco artist invigorated by life and all it has to offer. With a message to seize the moment while it’s ours to take, Mickelson explains of it:

“I feel grateful for the life I’ve led as an artist but I’m also aware that the time left to continue is becoming more precious. I’ve gotten to the point where I will not let anyone or anything slow me down or interfere with the momentum I’ve built. In “Jump Off The Earth”, I’m saying there’s no time to waste. We need to let go of the negative things that hold us back and move beyond them. Or try at least – ha!”

Underpinned by Mickelson’s warm and weathered vocal, he unfurls ruminative and cryptic choral hooks like: “Every minute is a minute gone // No time to plan ahead  // I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong I don’t want to leave you // I just need to jump off the Earth”; each lyric landing with the impact of a raindrop on Jupiter.

“I’d been playing around with the chorus riff on the banjo for a couple of years then when I experienced an unpleasant incident in my personal life, I thought to myself that I was wasting time ruminating over it. The lyric “Every minute is a minute gone.” came to mind and the rest of the song fell into place” adds Mickelson.

Alive with hyperreal sonic textures and off-kilter time-signatures, “Jump Off The Earth” conjures a Salvador Dali-esque palette for the ears. Initially written and demoed in Mickelson’s San Francisco Bay Area studio last year, the track was fleshed-out at Earthworm Studios in Swindon, UK with the assistance of studio-owner/keyboardist Jon Buckett and drummer Lee Moulding; both of whom perform in his live band. With percussion that ticks like grains of sand falling through an hourglass, the result song opens-up a vortex of winding banjo thrums, ethereal synthesizers, and gravitational basslines that transport the listener through a labyrinthine world of sound. Finalized and mixed back in the US, “Jump Off The Earth ” was mastered by Bob Weston (Chicago Mastering) in 2023.

Chiming with the cyclical themes of time, progress and change, “Jump Off The Earth” also arrives with a futuristic animated video that Mickelson created with a German artist named Soundfaenger. Together, they worked for weeks in the A.I. program Stable Diffusion. Mickelson explains, “I created about twelve images and sent those, along with a storyboard/concept to Jo (Soundfaengar). He sent me clips for each scene for approval and changes. After about thirty clips were created, I edited it all down to match the storyline of the lyrics.” All of this can be seen to interweave like surrealistic watercolours in the mesmeric final video here: https://youtu.be/uh_kBgCYb28

An intrepid new release from an artist unafraid to blur the boundaries, “Jump Off The Earth” arrives as a glimpse into the anticipated 10th studio album from Mickelson, incoming soon.

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Scott Mickelson is an artist/producer from San Francisco. His debut release ‘Flickering’ was on the Grammy ballot for Best Folk Album and Best Roots Music Performance. His follow up full-length ‘A Wondrous Life’ received great reviews in the US and abroad which led to his first European tour in 2019. He then produced the critically acclaimed ‘Blanket The Homeless’ benefit compilation which included Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito. In 2020, Mickelson released ‘Drowning In An Inflatable Pool’ to rave reviews in the U.S. and Europe. In 2022, Mickelson premiered the video for “UNarmed American” on Americana U.K and released his highly acclaimed new LP ‘Known To Be Unknown’. In November, 2022 the band released “Only Grey Matter Boiling In My Head” which included the XTC’s Colin Moulding on bass. Mickelson has since been invited to perform at festivals both in Europe and the U.K. He now collaborates and tours with musicians Jon Bucket (keys), Lee Moulding (drums) and Ian Taylor (bass) all from Swindon, England.

Mickelson has appeared across the BBC, NPR Radio, Huffington Post, CBS Morning Show, No Depression, Glide Magazine, Paste Magazine, PopMatters, TheBayBridged, Alternative Press Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Mix Magazine, Heaven Magazine (NL), and more. He also gained national recognition after winning a band search contest sponsored by MTV/7-Up with a prize of $15,000 and a song in the feature film Along The Way. He has shared the stage with artists including: Nick Lowe, Dick Dale, Dave Van Ronk, David Bromberg, Peter Case, Vandoliers, Jonathon Richmond, Steve Forbet, and countless others in his career to date.

No stranger to European audiences, Mickelson completed a warmly-received tour of the UK plus a three night residency at Maverick Festival in 2022, and returns for his fifth tour of these shores in the Summer of 2023. Already writing and recording his next studio album (with confirmed contributions from XTC’s Colin Moulding), catch him performing bold new material and established favourites at these dates as follows:

MICKELSON – UK TOUR: SUMMER 2023

JUNE
24 – SWINDON – The Hop Inn

25 – BOX – Schtumm

28 – GLOUCESTER – Cafe Rene

29 – LONDON – The Harrison

30 – SALISBURY – The Winchester Gate

JULY
1 – MINETY – Minety Music Festival

2 – BRADFORD-UPON-AVON – Three Horseshoes

3 – BATH – The Bell Inn

7 – DUBLIN – Workman’s Club

8 – BRISTOL – The Golden Lion

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