Music
New album "It's Only Rock N' Roll" out now.
The Album "It's Only Rock n Roll" out Oct. 11th 2024 on Rock Ridge Music.
"Bounce Back Baby" New single out September 1st 2023
Rock n' Roll icon, musician, actor, and Little Steven's Underground Garage radio host Michael Des Barres has teamed up with Portland, ME musician Kris Rodgers ( of Kris Rodgers and the Dirty Gems) for the spectacular new single titled "Bounce Back Baby out today on Wicked Cool Records.Stream the single HERE.
Des Barres says, "I have always admired Kris Rodgers's work. I felt he had an innate rhythm and blues feel to his songwriting. I wanted to do a couple of songs with piano and wonderful backup singers, and also with his great band, the Dirty Gems. I am so pleased with the results, and our co-producer Dave Draper and Wicked Cool Records, of course. I believe in the positivity of life more than I ever have because we need it so badly, which is in essence what the lyric implies. Get up on your feet again, and fall in love with yourself!" Rodgers adds, "Michael and I started talking during the summer of 2021 about possibly working together. We hit it off! Writing music for "Bounce Back Baby" was really organic because Michael’s lyrics speak so positively to rising up from adversity, like we have all had to do in recent years."
Latest Release. 2022
Michael Des Barres and Prima Donna, "Ain't Nothing You Can Do About It"
This song is the result of of Prima Donnas golden age of rock sound, combined with the timeless voice of the multi-talented and creative Michael Des Barres. The single, which is released September 16 2022, is a collaboration between the label mates, and is co-written by Des Barres and Wicked Cool Records label owner, Stevie Van Zandt. Along with being available digitally, there’s a limited preorder white addition7′ vinyl which you can pre-order here.
Michael Des Barres And Prima Donna
New Release September 2022
"The new single "Ain't Nothing You Can do About It", is a collaboration between label mates, co-written by Michael Des Barres and Wicked Cool Records label owner, Stevie Van Zandt. Along with being available digitally, there’s a limited preorder white addition7′ vinyl which you can pre-order here.
The recording took place in early 2020 at Unison Music Studio with Bruce Witkin with Des Barres co-producing. Des Barre comments:
“I have admired Prima Donna as a band for quite some time since we are label mates at Wicked Cool Records, particularly Kevin Preston‘s songwriting. So, we got together and discovered a mutual love of exactly the same records and artists and immediately wrote this song.
Kevin Preston further adds:
“We wrote and arranged these tunes nose-to-nose on a couch and I got chills every time he started singing
Field, along with Kearney Thompson came together to create the video for the track, which was shot at Grandma’s Warehouse studio in Chatsworth. Field comment about the process:
From the very beginning, working with MDB just seemed very natural to us. From jamming out the song to recording, it went smoothly and was a lot of fun.
We really wanted to revisit that studio vibe with the music video. We had worked with Kearney Thompson on our last video (“Mistletoe Blues”), so we knew it would be a painless process. Once you add Michael, who is a pro musician and actor, it just felt right. We ended up getting some great footage of us just having a blast in the studio
And Michael also adds:
“I hope you like it as much as we enjoyed creating it!”" Folk N Rock
New Music:
Michael’s 2021 Wicked Cool Records release.
The classic Sex Pistols anthem produced and arranged by Stevie Van Zandt. Named Coolest Song In The World on Little Steven’s Underground Garage Sirius XM the week of it's release. With the B side Where Did All The Lovers Go?, written by Michael, featuring Genya Ravan.
Available now through all streaming services.
Limited edition signed red and purple vinyl singles, available through the Michael Des Barres shop.
Cherry Red Records Release Nov 25th 2022. Silverhead, Six CD Box Set "More Than Your Mouth Can Hold"
• The most comprehensive archive of Silverhead’s brief but shining time in the spotlight.
• Featuring their two excellent albums plus bonus tracks.
• Including the hard to find ‘Show Me Everything’ and a host of other live recordings.
In 1971, Deep Purple’s management set up Purple Records, not just to release Purple’s own releases, but also the various side projects the band members were developing, and artists that they respected. Along with early albums by artists as diverse as Ronnie James Dio and Yvonne Elliman, Purple Records tenth release was from a new band called Silverhead who featured future Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison, future Robert Plant guitarist Robbie Blunt, and legendary front man Michael Des Barres. Their much-feted self-titled debut was released in 1972.
That self-titled debut ‘Silverhead’ (CD1) was produced by Martin Birch, famed for him work with Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, and of course, Deep Purple. A heady mixture of hard rock, glam rock and of proto-punk, this edition also includes 7” single versions of ‘Ace Supreme’ and ‘Rolling With My Baby’, plus ‘Oh No No No’ (the B-Side of ‘Ace Supreme’).
Silverhead’s second album for Purple Records, ‘16 And Savaged’ (CD2), kicked off with ‘Hello New York’ plus ‘More Than Your Mouth Can Hold’, and now features the debut solo 45 from Michael Des Barres, ‘Leon’ b/w ‘New Moon Tonight’. Most exciting is the inclusion of ‘James Dean’ and ‘Marilyn’, two tracks from the shelved, third Silverhead LP.
When Silverhead supported Nazareth at London’s famed Rainbow Theatre on November 9th, 1973, they didn’t even know that they were being recorded, which no doubt added to the spontaneous mood on ‘Live At The rainbow, London’ (CD3). Released in Japan in 1975, by which time the band had sadly disbanded, it features the best songs from their two albums, plus ‘James Dean’ from what would have been their third. This release also includes the band’s In Concert recording at the BBC’s Paris Theatre on August 31st, 1973.
This six CD set is the most comprehensive archive of Silverhead’s brief but shining time in the spotlight, and now includes the rare and hard to find ‘Show Me Everything’ (CD4), featuring tracks recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace on 29th July 1973, as well as the self-explanatory ‘Berlin Backlash’ (07/02/1973) (CD5) and finishes off with ‘Live In Japan’ (19/01/1974) (CD6).
