Track listing: Return To The Stars, ICE Tras las Mascara, NRA No Friend of Mine, Grace & God, Indian Killer, Robin's Song, Folklore Stories, I'd Like To, Don't Fall In Love With An Artist, Throw It Away, Haves & Have Nots, Gas Was A $1.89, Life On Mars Peace On Earth

Oh hell yeah, Mike Quick! I grew up in South Florida and have some fond childhood memories of gators alongside the road as I walked to the school bus, then waiting amongst a cloud of thousands upon thousands of mosquitoes. The beaches, the sun, the sand--it was great! But after I left, it seemed that Florida took on a different personality into my adulthood. It's become a state that, to the rest of the U.S., has been the source of some embarrassment, some horror, and politics...eh, let's not even go there.

But nestled just north of Disney World is singer/songwriter Mike Quick--a beacon of positivity, light, fun, and melody who's been making the humidity just a little more bearable for his fellow Floridians. His 4-piece Jazz/Blues group gigs steadily around Central Florida, channeling the vibes of Ray Charles, Jimmy Smith, George Benson, and others.

Don't need experience or a conscience to slow you down; ICE tras la máscara

Mike's new album Folklore Stories, however, is a turn from his band's more funky endeavors. Folklore is a collection of 13 more acoustic, rootsy, Folky tracks with lyrics that would make Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie pretty damned proud. Quick takes topics like equality, the environment, and civil & human rights head on with no apologies. And none needed, really.

Titles including "ICE Tras las Mascara" (ICE Behind the Mask) and "NRA No Friend Of Mine" pretty much speak for themselves. The soon-to-be audience favorite sing-a-long "Throw It Away," an ode to polythene, is primed and ready to become the Sierra Club's next anthem. 

Musically, Mike wrote and recorded everything on the record with the exception of the tabla and some backing vocals on "Grace & God." His production is crystal clear yet still gritty and organic. Vocally, he doesn't shy away from belting to the point of vocal chord distortion due to his pure passionate expression.

Folklore Stories is contemporary topic-wise yet remains timeless in its messaging: a nod to the plight of indigenous Native Americans, a commentary on America's economic disparity, and he works in some light-hearted humor, as well, in the form of "Don't Fall In Love With An Artist." 

Take some time to give Mike Quick a follow on his social and streaming platforms. And catch a show if you happen to make it down to the Sunshine State. Mike's got all that info and more available at mikequickband.com.