Album Notes

Singer songwriter, musician, performer, Mike Breen is
proud to release his first ever B and G bender guitar instrumental CD. Invented by Gene Parsons and Clarence White, the b bender guitar was first utilized by Clarence as a means to emulate the pedal steel guitar. Mike takes this device to new heights with this release, exploring melody, colors and moods from the pure country Bakersfield sound to the classic southern California country rock sound. Recorded at Mike's home studio and featuring Mickey McGee on drums (Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Warren Zevon, Rick Nelson...)Mike's bender playing is featured throughout along with some fine banjo, mandolin and flatpicking guitar.

"Mescal Mary & Other B Bender Guitar Instrumentals" features ten original pieces and two covers, "Apache" and "Sleepwalk."

Each CD-R is burned one at a time at 4x speed from the original master, printed, assembled, tested and shrink wrapped individually by hand.

Reviews:

"If you enjoy tastefully written and arranged instrumental music, then "Mescal Mary" is a must buy for your CD collection. Mike Breen has written and arranged some cool grooves and beautiful melodies all featuring the B Bender Guitar. Being a pedal steel player myself, I have to also say that I'm a bit jealous of his bending technique. Well done Mike!"
Michael G. Smith
President, Gatlin Brothers Music, Inc.

"A vibrant guitar CD that expertly blends twangy guitar rock and instrumental country bluegrass"
Robert Silverstein, 20th Century Guitar

"If you're into the sound landscape defined by Telecasters and string bending, Breen's release should fill the bill. This Phoenix guitarslinger, armed with B-bender and G-bender equipped guitars, demonstrates that he knows his way around a Tele all through this instrumental release, starting with the dramatic "Mescal Mary" that sounds like it would have been at home on the Charlie Daniels Band album High Lonesome. Chicken pickin' with steel guitar type bends abound on cuts like "Ridin' the Fence," the Bakersfield-tinged "Havasu," and the satisfying "Honky Tonk #22," all Breen compositions. "Moon Glow Supper Club" has a front porch type atmosphere with mandolin, resonator guitar, and banjo joining the B-bender (all played by Breen), while "Remember Me" has an echo of Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" with country underpinnings. Breen can stop everything with the exquisite "Stillness of a Snowy Night," and with "North of Sonora" and the acoustic closer "Anastasia," Breen captures the satisfied end-of-day kind of mood. If you love guitar with a country heart, visit www.sonicbids.com/mikebreen
to get yourself a copy of this enjoyable disc."
By Don Thomason, The Amplifier

"For those of you who are already fans of Mike Breen, no sales pitch is necessary, but if you have never had the exquisite pleasure of Mike's live performance, check him out ..."
Maxine Jewett, Publisher - ACOUSTIC SCENE http://www.acousticscene.com/