New Music! Michael Collaborates with Mykki Blanco on “Family Ties”


Michael has teamed up with Mykki Blanco on a new track called “Family Ties” and also makes an appearance in the official video. Here’s what Michael had to say about the collaboration: “Hey beautiful people, “Family Ties”  was released yesterday. Mykki asked me to sing on it— the video turned out great, i love the … Continued

The Story Behind The Song: “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite”


“One of the most memorable moments on the album (Automatic For The People) is its third single, ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’. Famously, it was influenced by the classic 1939 song ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, which was written by South African artist Solomon Linda and then popularised in the Western mainstream by The Tokens in 1961.” … Continued

Michael Moore’s Pandemic Playlist


Acclaimed director Michael Moore (“All The Way to Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)”) has created a pandemic playlist that includes a track from REVEAL. Check it out here…

Dress Rehearsal for a Big Night of GA Music in Macon


The Grand Opera House n Macon, Georgia is the scene this weekend for the special presentation of both A Night of Georgia Music as well as the Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra by Mike Mills.

Listen to Michael on World Cafe Today at 2PM ET


Tune into World Cafe today (Friday, March 4th) to catch Michael in conversation with host Raina Douris. On WXPN, World Cafe airs at 2pm ET. To stream WXPN’s broadcast, go to XPN.org and choose WXPN from the “Listen Live” drop-down at the top of the page. World Cafe can be heard on over 250 radio stations … Continued

Michael Talks About “Outsider Art” in ARTnews Interview


“I’ve had a long interest in what we would call outsider artists or untrained artists. I grew up here in Athens, Georgia, surrounded by them and integrated that into the work that I did as the visual deputy for R.E.M., bringing work from several people who are part of the show into the artwork for … Continued

NY Times Feature: “Michael Stipe, Another Outsider at the Art Fair”


“These artists were, whether by choice or not, fiercely independent in their vision. And R.E.M. was fiercely independent in our vision, for the most part, and I’m really proud of that.” Michael discusses his collection of works by Southern artists in this feature at the NY Times.  

American Songwriter Explores New Adventures in Hi-Fi


“For years, Michael and I would say this was our favorite R.E.M. record,” says Buck. “It was a weird, chaotic year, and we all sat down and wrote songs all year long, and made a record that kind of encapsulated what was going on with us, and the tour, and everything else.” – Peter Buck … Continued

Canadian Olympic Pair Skates to “Shiny Happy People”


The band is honored that the Canadian figure skating team of Vanessa James and Eric Radford skated to a stunning rendition of “Shiny Happy People” by Reuben and the Dark at the Beijing Olympics. Michael said, “Im so proud! Congratulations to Vanessa, Eric and their whole team.” Read more about Vanessa and Eric in this … Continued

Producer Mitch Easter Reveals the Genius Behind the Jangle Pop


“A lot of bands simply wanted to fit in, but R.E.M. always wanted to be themselves. I guess a correct way of putting it would be ‘cocky.’ They were like, ‘We rule. Here we come, so get out of the way.’ It wasn’t so much a careerist mindset; rather, it was their insistence on pure … Continued

Mike Gets “On the Floor” with Superchunk


Mike has contributed backing vocals to “On the Floor,” the new single, from Chapel Hill’s Superchunk. The band has a new LP coming out later in the month via Merge called Wild Loneliness, and they’ve also got a tour in the offing. Listen to “On the Floor” here and read more about SC’s tour dates … Continued

Mike Joins Jason Isbell for “Driver 8” in Athens


From Monday night’s show at the Georgia Theatre in Athens when Mike joined Jason Isbell and his band on stage for a rousing version of “Driver 8” from Fables of the Reconstruction. Jason also covered “Nightswimming” during the show… both songs were featured on his Georgia Blue LP which was released in October 2021.   

Peter Produces Eyelids New 7″ (Pre-Order Now)


Chris from Eyelids touched base earlier this week to give us the lowdown on the Portland band’s new 7″ single, Peter’s presence and influence in the studio, their new LP (out soon hopefully), and the band’s upcoming spring tour:

Michael in Conversation with Martin Parr (Fri. January 7)


Friday, January 7, at 7.00 pm GMT (2.00 pm EST), Michael will join Martin Parr for the next Martin Parr Foundation Photochat Live event, coinciding with Michael latest photobook (Damiani, 2021).   This untitled publication is the third in Michael’s series of photobooks. The work presents portraits of resilience and vulnerability, with QR-linked audio of … Continued