Mike Dawes

Biography

Dawes experimented with keyboards before picking up his first electric guitar at age twelve. He switched to Steel-string acoustic guitar in 2008 but suffered with tendinitis for eight months.

From late 2008 to late 2011, Dawes performed instrumental concerts at venues and festivals throughout the United Kingdom both solo, and with a Concert harp player. During this time he performed alongside musicians including Seth Lakeman, Tommy Emmanuel and Newton Faulkner. In 2009, he released an independent EP titled 'Reflections', as well as gaining features on two discs in the AGF (Acoustic Guitar Forum) franchise.

In 2012, Dawes signed with Wisconsin-based CandyRat Records. He released a unique and technically virtuosic arrangement of Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye on June 19 that went viral, gaining acclaim from the international music community. MSN News and Reddit featured him on the front page of their websites. A headline on the US MSN browser spawned an influx of American fans and Gotye (Walter De Backer publicly praised the arrangement: "It's a really beautiful piece of music. It's wonderfully arranged. It's just a fantastic piece of music. I also like the instrumental interpretation because it gives a different perspective on the musical arrangement. It's not about how somebody's voice transmits the story of the relationship.

Dawes' next release was another Candyrat single, this time dual-released with an independent collaborative remix featuring Helsinki-based guitarist Petteri Sariola and Adam 'Nolly' Getgood from the US band Periphery. 10% of the proceeds of all independent releases went to FAB Projects, a Kenyan charity providing Food, Aid and Building in the region.

According to John Stropes, founder of the UWM fingerstyle course in Milwaukee, Dawes has had the fastest rise in the history of the new acoustic guitar scene. His 'What Just Happened?' world tour visited 25 countries in 4 continents, including performances on the Great Wall of China and the Troubadour in Los Angeles, as well as the first fingerstyle guitar concert in Lebanon's history.

Dawes is influenced heavily by folk, pop and rock music as well as other fingerstyle players such as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan and Eric Roche. In 2015, he is performing with Andreas Cuntz and Nick Benjamin guitars. Dawes owns and performs with #100 and #138. He also uses Ernie Ball strings, Dimarzio pickups and G7th capos.

What Just Happened? Album (April 2013 - Candyrat Records))

1. Boogie Slam 2. Somebody That I Used To Know 3. The Impossible 4. Forest Party 5. Somewhere Home 6. Titanium 7. Superstition 8. Boogie Shred 9. Maybe Someday Soon

Digital Single (September 2012 - Independent)

Digital Single (September 2012 - Candyrat Records)

Digital Single (June 2012 - Candyrat Records)

Acoustic Guitar Forum 4 Compilation (August 2010)

Featuring 'Scotch Pancake'

Acoustic Guitar Forum 3 Compilation (January 2010)

Featuring 'Clocks'

Reflections EP (2009)

1. Mirrors 2. Still 3. Boogie Shred 4. Clocks 5. The Violet and the Bee

Spirits Live in Atlanta DVD (Justin Hayward - Eagle Rock Records) August 2014

Dawes performs electric and acoustic guitar as well as clips of original music. 'Spirits...Live' entered the US Billboard charts at #2.

Phantom Shadow (Machinae Supremacy - Spinefarm/UMG) August 2014

Dawes performs acoustic guitar in the track 'Europa'.

Tuition

Dawes has produced numerous tuition aids for guitarists looking to learn his style of playing. These include iOS tuition apps for Apple devices and regular workshops and on-tour lessons.