Mike Richmond - Without an Audience (2026) Hi-Res

Tracklist:

1. All For You (3:24)
2. It's Never Too Late To Finish Last (3:27)
3. How Many More Times (3:43)
4. Without An Audience (3:41)
5. You Are Not Alone (4:05)
6. Oh Well (3:01)
7. Small Southern Towns (6:01)
8. Murder In The Forest (2:24)
9. Old Victorian House (5:54)
10. 5 Hammers (4:27)
11. Now I Stand Before the Gates of Eternity (3:41)
12. Maiden Voyage (Bonus Track) (7:21)

Sometimes music is so different that it takes time to settle in the morass of a listener’s brain. Sometimes the artist is so entertaining that it doesn’t matter. Former co-founder of The Love Tractor, Mike Richmond’s first solo album is basically Southern in style. Not country, not bluegrass or alt-anything. His voice, punky guitars, & country minutiae make for interesting listening.

“All For You” leads the pack. The LP meanders down the road toward even more interesting songs. “It’s Never Too Late To Finish Last” — a nice quirky new wave grip. Loaded with the same originality that was embedded in the work of Russ Tolman, Bobby Sutliff, & Frank Tovey when he had rootsier songs on “Grand Union.” It has a nice, rich vein of acquired taste roots music. This is what Mike Richmond does with Without an Audience , recorded in Athens, GA & produced by Jason Nesmith (guitar/bass guitar), Matt Tamisin (guitar) & Mike (guitars/vocals).

Though it plods along beat-wise, “How Many More Times” has a decorative application in how the guitar crawls around. Mike always sings well & the song is sticky. Sticky in that it stays with you even after it’s played. More upbeat is “Without an Audience” with its signature Athens, GA sound. There are no “Jailhouse Rock” songs here, or “Johnny B. Goode” head-shaking music, no ear-splitting “Born To Run” anthems. It does have pensive melodies with arrangements that are gripping (“You Are Not Alone”) with Neil Rosenbaum’s harmonica & strong guitars. This is where Anne Richmond Boston (has a new LP out now) & the Swimming Pool Qs reside.

These are simple songs, easily appealing but not at the level of Gershwin, Cole Porter, or Hoagy Carmichael. They’re not Lennon-McCartney & Jagger & Richards. They’re not supposed to be. Their formalization is to capture a mood, a time & have a singular quality persistent in the late ‘70s. There are pertinent pieces of middle-of-the-road slices dipped in a batter of Southern expressive properties. There are lots of jangly guitars — not like The Byrds. These have an edginess that comes from a different neighborhood.

The edgiest is “Murder In the Forest” — a nice atmospheric arrangement. A Sisters of Mercy vocal application similar to “This Corrosion.” The snaky interplay of guitar notes is pleasantly intense. While “Old Victorian House” is intelligent. The group isn’t without its blues – “5 Hammers” offers some sparks. Lots of good blends.

Highlights – “All For You,” “It’s Never Too Late To Finish Last,” “How Many More Times,” “Without An Audience,” “Oh Well,” “Small Southern Towns,” “Murder In the Forest,” “Old Victorian House,” “5 Hammers,” & “Maiden Voyage.”