Mike Dawes and his acoustic guitar are currently hunkered down in isolation somewhere in Bristol, busy working on his eagerly-awaited third album. But one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world has a treat for us in the meantime with an energetic new standalone single that's got a brilliant title; William Shatner's Pants.
"No comment," says a mischievous Mike to the reasons behind the name. But he was very forthcoming to us about the inspiration and details behind the stunning composition itself.
"I wrote this track on the road last year to really kick up the energy of the live show," he explains. "The issue that many players performing in alternative tunings face when touring with a single guitar is keeping up the energy during tuning changes. This tune is in C# G# D# E B E which sits nicely in the set from a logistical standpoint. TAB available at www.mikedawes.com by the way if you want something to practice during lockdown!
"Musically, WSP is a rock song with some crazy polyrhythms thrown into the B section. I’m also experimenting with a Whammy pedal looped into my Dimarzio Black Angel magnetic pickup.
"The tune was going to be on my upcoming third album (still working on that during quarantine) but I decided to release it as a stand alone to take people’s minds off the craziness in the world right now. That being said, a release will be announced soon."
You can stay updated with Mike's music over at mikedawes.com
