Hi I’m Mike that makes up M.Antonio. I’m based in Melbourne and play laid back alt rock swamp. Sometimes with a band, sometimes without. Recently I teamed up with producer Greg O’Shea to record my debut EP, Slingshot Diaries. We finished it over months of days here, nights there. Some recorded in studios, some in bedrooms and some in a farm.
Right now I’m releasing and touring Slingshot Diaries around Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
What’s your earliest memory of playing an instrument and who inspired you to start?
When I was ten, I found my mum’s nylon string acoustic. It was an old beat up guitar bought from a magazine for 5 bucks in the 60s. We used to play Buddy Holly and Elvis songs in the kitchen. I’m glad you asked that because I haven’t thought of it for years. No longer lost in the archive!
You’ve just released your debut EP ‘Slingshot Diaries, was releasing your debut EP everything you thought it would be?
You know, I never really thought about it. Yeah it feels good, it’s a relief to let it go. You work on something for so long, get it to where you want it, then onto the next.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
Immediate, atmospheric, laid back cotton wool.
Where, with whom and how long did it take to record?
The man responsible for putting the sound in your ear hole is Greg O’Shea. We recorded all over the place. Slingshot Diaries was finished over about 6 months. It’s a mix between my studio, Greg’s studio and Final Sound in Melbourne. Hopefully the next release will be with a band, and not take 6 months.
What is your favourite song off the EP?
Honeybee for sure. There were so many versions of this song recorded. Dirty, clean, up beat, slowed down, but never really found the right one. At the end of a frustrating recording session, Greg played a few chords on the piano and we re-wrote it in about half an hr.
What is your most favourite moment of performing live or in front of a crowd?
The moment before the first vocal. Anything is possible.
Electric or acoustic guitar?
Electric. I bore myself with an acoustic
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
Let’s do a festival on a plane. I’ll take Bowie, BB King, Noel Gallagher, James Lovell, BRMC and Cat Power. 150 people would be enough. Only whisky and Melbourne Bitter will be served. As it’s a non-smoking flight, we can have an outside deck for fresh air at 17,000ft. (Let’s leave Richard Branson to work that one out).
Because everybody seems to be doing song collaborations these days, which living artist from anywhere in the world would you most like to collaborate with?
James Lovell from Unkle. His last collaboration double album really impressed me, it sounded amazing. His melodies and sound production is really interesting and the mix between electronic and live instruments is very cool. James, If your reading this, I’m good to hang out next Wednesday.
What is your music the best soundtrack for?
Dim lit streets and late night driving through a foreign city. The roads are wet and you’ve got no-where to be.
What’s in store for M.Antonio after the Slingshot Diaries tour?
A film clip is about to begin, and I’ve already begun sifting through new material with Greg for the next EP. It’d be great to record the next one with a full band in the studio. So it looks like gigs for the summer and recording soon after.
M.Antonio Tour Dates 2013
31st August @ The Rochester Castle, Melbourne
19th September @ The Newsagency, Sydney
Listen to Slingshot Diaries EP here:
