I think I will wind up completing the cd's...I bought the Live versions of a couple of songs and will probably get the regular ones, too.

I also got his version of "Across the Universe". Sounded really good, I'll enjoy playing that for some time. BTW, if you are an MJ's BB fan, if you link to itunes from MJ's it helps her site. You still do everything per normal...just open up itunes from her site.

Found this on a Michael Johns fan board-- a bio about his old band, The Rising:

http://www.michael-johns.org/Info-on-his-band-t30.html

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The Rising is:
Michael Lee – vocals
Robb Torres – guitar
Kevin Haaland – guitar
Ari Gorman – bass
Kirke Jan – drums

“I like the kind of music where you’re driving down the road just staring into oblivion because you’re totally swept up by the song. That’s the kind of music I want to write – something that puts you in a trance.”

So says vocalist and songwriter Michael Lee on the high expectations he’s set for the sound of The Rising, the brash, brilliant and hard-rocking young quintet that is poised to sweep away the music world with the release of their Maverick Records debut album, Future Unknown.

Highlighting a signature blend of rich, resonant melodies, textured rock guitar stylings and an incisive lyric content that elevates the personal to the universal, Future Unknown draws inspiration to everyone from early U2 to the Beatles; the Verve to Neil Finn and beyond. But it’s in their uncompromising drive to create a total aural environment that The Rising emerges as a wholly original new force in rock music. With instantly accessible hooks and gritty realism, Future Unknown, lives up to the high calling of its founder and front man. Simply put, The Rising makes an entrancing sound.

The point of origin for The Rising’s sound can be traced to the 1997 edition of the renowned Australian music festival Big Day Out, headlined by local heroes You Am I and avidly attended by eighteen year-old Perth native, Michael Lee. “I’d been singing in bands since I was a kid,” he explains, “and wanted to take it to the next level. I just didn’t know how. I’d always been a big fan of You Am I, so when they finished their set, I snuck backstage and approached lead singer Tim Rogers for advice. He told me if I wanted to make something happen, I had to go to the States.”

The teen promptly packed his bags and set his sights for the unlikely destination of Atlanta, Georgia. “I could’ve gone to Los Angeles or New York,” Lee continues, “but I didn’t want to get swallowed up too fast. I knew Atlanta had a smaller scene, so I figured I’d take my chances there. I didn’t know anyone and didn’t really have a game plan, but I figured it was only a matter of time before something turned up.”

Sure enough, within a month, he met a fellow Aussie and club owner who gave him a job washing dishes and cleaning toilets and eventually allowing the fledgling vocalist to sit in occasionally with local bands. “Eventually,” recounts Lee, “I hooked up with a guitarist and we became the club’s headlining cover band.”

The next labor-intensive years were spent paying dues as Lee sharpened his songwriting skills by day and played current hits to packed crowds at night. But he hadn’t come all that way to perform other people’s songs. “I had a passion and clear vision for what I wanted a band to sound like,” he reveals.

Recording a demo in 2001, Lee subsequently came to Los Angeles where he showcased for several labels, eventually inking an exclusive pact with Maverick Records. He then began assembling the elements of his new band, picking and choosing from the abundant talent of the LA music scene, including drummer Kirke Jan, guitarists Robb Torres and Kevin Haaland and bassist Ari Gorman. “I wanted in as soon as I heard Michael sing,” recounts Blankenship. “His lyrics and the way he handles a melody makes the music come alive.”

The electrifying creative chemistry of the newly minted quintet was immediately evident on stage. “We take the songs to a whole different level when we play live,” asserts guitarist Robb Torres. “There’s an energy to this band that can’t be described. You just have to experience it.”

It’s an experience that will soon be shared by fans of authentic, original and evocative music worldwide, with the release of Future Unknown. Produced by Rick Beato (with Michael Lee) and recorded at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, the album highlights eleven stunning Lee originals, including such standouts as the deeply personal title track, the searingly honest “Cradle,” and “So Alive,” a moving confession about the struggle to maintain faith in the face of adversity that is nothing short of inspirational.

“All my life I dreamed of making an album like this with a band like this,” says Lee. “But at the same time I know that just getting signed and recording is only the beginning. It’s what people will find in our music that’s important. We want to be a source of inspiration, a reason to believe, a way of seeing the world. Maybe that’s a lot to ask from a bunch of simple songs, but music has made a difference in all our lives. This is our way of passing it along.”

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THE RISING’s debut Maverick / Reprise album, FUTURE UNKNOWN, is due to be released October 14, 2003.

Here’s some early critical praise:

The Rising's debut CD, Future Unknown is flat-out one of the best of the year. We've covered over 400 bands in the past nine months and without a doubt in my mind - these guys are going to be rising to the top.
- Steven Ridenour, CEO Orlando Florida Guide

“Arena rock isn't dead - it's only been cooking in the musical cauldrons of bands such as Atlanta unit The Rising. On the band's Maverick Records debut FUTURE UNKNOWN, The Rising layers thick slabs of rock guitar goodness with singer Michael Lee's impassioned vocals. The band doesn't sacrifice melody for bombast, and songs are textured works of the heart brimming with irresistible hooks.”
--Kati Schardl, Tallahassee Democrat (FL),
August 22, 2003

“Lead vocalist and songwriter, Michael Lee has stated ‘I like the kind of music where you’re driving down the road just staring into oblivion because you’re totally swept up by the song. That’s the kind of music I want to write- something that puts you into a trance.’ That is exactly what I believe he has accomplished. The music is made with great melodies and complimenting harmonies that just seem to make the whole record.”
--Jessica Quenzler, Flicksxxxposed.com,
August 18, 2003

“The CD is truly shocking in how good it is…Lee’s vocals are perfect on every song… catchy choruses and rock solid rhythm.”
--Adam Newman, Kludgemagazine.com,
September 4, 2003

“Cradle,” the album’s first single, is experiencing huge success at radio. It’s currently being spinned on such prestigious stations as 99x in Atlanta, KZON in Phoenix and WEND in Charlotte.

www.therisingmusic.com is the band’s website, which includes sound clips of some of the songs—including “Cradle”—featured on FUTURE UNKNOWN. It also includes the video for “Cradle” and 3 songs performed acoustically at the July 11 grand opening of the new Apple Store in Santa Monica, CA.

Idolising Aussie

AUSSIE American Idol contestant Michael Johns has the support of last year's winner, Jordin Sparks.

Johns, who was born and raised in Perth but now lives with his wife Stacey in LA, has made it to the final 10 of the current series.

Judges have compared the 29-year-old to the late INXS singer Michael Hutchence.

"Michael Johns is actually our favourite - my family really like him,'' Sparks told Insider from her Arizona home last week.

"Aside from the fact that he's got a great voice - I love his accent - he's got the whole personality and he's really cute.''

At age 17, Sparks last year became the youngest person to win American Idol.

She's waited almost a year to release her self-title debut album, with the first single, Tattoo, out now.

Sparks was supposed to be in Australia for a promotional visit last week but had to cancel at the last minute to prepare for her upcoming support slot on Alicia Keys' US tour.

A Michael-Heath connection?

Capturing the essential part of the article:

"Michael Johns has an extra incentive to capture the Season 7 crown: The Australian-born rocker was pals with countryman Heath Ledger - and an Idol win would honor his late friend.

"Michael and Heath hung out together when they were younger," a friend of Michael, 29, tells Star. “They were both born and raised in Perth and would go to parties and concerts together.”"

PEACH BUZZ: Late singer gets 'Idol' dedication

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/2008/03/20/buzz0320.html?cxntlid=inform_artr

Some portions of the article:

"When "American Idol" contestant and former Buckhead nightspot singer Michael Johns dedicated his performance of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life" Tuesday night, many in the close-knit Atlanta music community got a lump in their throats.

Johns announced on air he had selected the song as a tribute to late Garrison Field frontman Jon Allmett, who was just 36 and a newlywed when he died unexpectedly last August. Allmett, a native of England, and the Australian Johns frequently hung together at clubs like C.J.'s Landing during their years singing in Atlanta clubs (Garrison Fields' 1998 debut disc "Open" was a particular favorite here at Buzz Central).

Friends and fans said Wednesday that the song Johns selected was much loved by the late Garrison Field singer, whose band was often described as "Beatlesque." "

Note Michael is on Allmett's myspace:

"The singer's page at Myspace.com/jonallmett remains up and operating with benefit updates and touching tributes posted by family and friends (Johns, incidentally, is Allmett's No. 2 "friend" on the page)."

And Dolly P did a Collective Soul cover of "Shine"...that would be a good one for Michael to sing next week:

"Collective Soul guitarist Dean Roland, his business partner Paul Broft and their hipster nightlife Web site investors also were praising Johns on Wednesday. During his taped interview segment on "A.I." Tuesday night, Johns sported a SneakySunday.com T-shirt, giving a plug on the No. 1-rated TV show for the Atlanta-based Web site poised to go national in 90-plus cities on April 1."

Found this nice interview with Michael with a Raliegh TV station:

http://tinyurl.com/yung2n

Snidget, there is something just for you in this interview--fast forward to around 3 minutes into the interview...

Good luck tonight, BTW, make the ACC proud!

From ew.com:

"Michael Johns' "It's All Wrong But It's All Right" technically got two standing Os: One after his actual performance, when he had me screaming (in my head) that I would happily be all wrong with him right there in the studio (what? too much?), and then once more after the wrap-up clip of performances, which tickled the audience so much that they spontaneously leapt to their feet again. Yeah, yeah, I know you think this was just because it was the end of the show, but, seriously, it was all MJ."

another JSlice masterpiece