MONSTER MIKE WELCH’S GUITAR SPICES UP SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES’ NEW ALBUM ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’ (AUGUST 19)

GUITAR WORLD PREVIEWS NEW TRACK “HUNGRY BUT HAPPY”

ROLLING STONE: “[WELCH] CAN RIP THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD AND CRAM YOUR BRAINS INTO YOUR NECK WITH HIS BLUES GUITAR WORK.”

With Sugar Ray & The Bluetones celebrating their 35th anniversary with the new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ (August 19 / Severn Records), its junior member Monster Mike Welch’s guitar interplay with the band is one of its strength. He has played with various members of Sugar Ray & The Bluetones his entire career but since joining the ensemble in 2001, his guitar work recalls Muhammad Ali’s famous quote “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” He also wrote “Here We Go,” a poignant, weary blues about an on-again, off-again relationship, for the new album ‘Living Tear To Tear.’

Guitar World premiered “Hungry But Happy,” a Norcia original featuring Welch’s scorching guitar. Damian Fanelli writes, “The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters."

By his teenage years, Welch had already played onstage with Ronnie Earl, Luther “Guitar Jr” Johnson, Matt Murphy, Johnny Copeland, Joe Walsh, Dan Ackroyd, James Cotton, Junior Wells and was spotlighted by USA Today, People, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and NPR. Over the years, he has grown his Chicago-via-Texas-inspired single string attack, boosting the tension and emotionality to a fever pitch. Downbeat Magazine said, “Welch takes the music somewhere special when he plays.” Most recently, he has perfected a “slide sound without the slide” technique, as featured on the title track of the new album. Welch played a Gretsch G5420T on this track and most of ‘Living Tear To Tear.’ For more on his rig, please go to Welch's gear page.

He has six albums to his credit as frontman and his guitar and songwriting were both featured on last year’s Duke Robillard album ‘Independently Blue.’ Robillard said, “He’s a phenomenal blues player.” Most recently, he played on eight songs on the Mannish Boys’ ‘Wrapped Up And Ready’ album, contributing two original songs. He also participated in a Blues Guitar Styles Showcase on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise alongside John Hammond and others.