Who is Kate Cassidy?

Kate Cassidy was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland and is the third youngest of one of eleven of a family. Kate started singing at a very young age and can never remember wanting to be anything else. As a teenager she entered numerous talent computations winning many, with her soulful and powerful voice, but her real desire was to travel and see the world as an original recording artist, so she started by travelling to London finding a management contract and learning the craft of co-writing with other artists.

Kate then went on to New York, and spent 4 years on and off writing and recording with many great writers and producers, co-writing and singing original material with such talents as Steve Skinner producer/engineer (Tailor Dane), songwriters Shelly Pecan (Hit and Run Music Publishing), Kerryn Tolhurst, All Fired Up (Pat Benatar) and Steve Melton of Muscle Shoals Alabama, producer engineer, (Joan Baez, Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Art Garfunkel, Wilson Picket) and many other talented artists from all over. While there Kate received a studio and publishing contract and co-wrote her songs with Garth Brooks in house writers, Kate felt there was too much country influence in the music and not enough rock. Kate did not think they were listening to her ideas enough so she decided to return back home.

At the beginning of 1997 Kate bought her first guitar and produced her first album "In Your Hands" with the help of local musicians from her home town of Glasgow. From Kate Cassidy's growing reputation and brilliant live performances throughout the UK, the public gave Kate the title "Scotland's Queen of Rock", and is much respected as a unique singer/songwriter from her appearances at "T" in the Park, King Tuts, The Boarder Line, Edinburgh Music Festival Dynamic Earth, World Art Stage, The Canons' Gait, BBC Music Live Event, Aberdeen's Alternative Festival, The Lemon Tree, Nozstock, plus TV and Radio.

In 2002 Kate received an e-mail from Mike Burn with an invitation to come to Germany. Six months later Kate landed in Frankfurt/Germany to meet MBAF for the first time with her acoustic guitar.

Who is Mike Burn?

Mike Burn joined the German underground formation "Secret Society" in 1985, where at this time Sebastian Teufel sat on the drums (he is today the bandleader of the successful Indie-Band "Yellow Jumps Twice"). Mikes' guitar playing at that time was already deemed exceptional! Before that he played with drummer Jaro Forejt since his early youth, later supported by bassist Mike Debus and keyboarder Willi Bopp, the so called "Eschborn Connection" (all members were living in the city of Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main/Germany).

What about the band?

Jimmy Jones, a fantastic American singer with whom we toured extensively, till one day and without saying a word, he flew home to the USA. And we had to look for a new singer. Harry Hopeless, a very talented local singer and guitarist, became our lead singer. We still sought an additional guitarist and/or singer. Contingently through Harry's addiction, we split up at the end of 1986.

Mike and the band worked on new material at the time integrating the use of computers. Soon we got support from Jaro Forejt on drums, the local matador out of Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main. We also enlisted the well-respected Secret Society bassist Werner Wenzlitschke and rehearsed in the house of saxophone/flute player Gabriel Herbst. In this phase, MBAF were very creative and into jazz-rock, but the life has its characteristic rules. In 1988 JOP was formed (Just Our Pieces) with Kevin Austin on vocals and keyboards. In 1992 after some Gigs, Kevin quietly and secretly left for the homeland, while we were facing a big personal disappointment. Meanwhile, the first children screamed when the "Funkfurter Mitternachtsorchester" touched the planet, with the support of theatre musician and sound designer Willi Bopp. Music performance was celebrated with the action artist Guntram Prochaska. Everything was improvised to theatre lyrics as well, such as "Fax an Gott" or "Penthouse in the Jungle" and "Cemetery of Love". Good and harmonious it had to be! After our earlier disappointments and setbacks, fixed arrangements/music bored us. Fresh, unbound and surprising it had to be! But above all, it was Friendship first.

At that time Delta-Mike (also known as "Delta Pomp") played the percussion. Jaro then joined again in 1994 and Delta Mike took the Congas & the rogue. We practiced for 3 years in spontaneous, harmonious improvisation before we recorded our 1st CD "Suicide Solution". The occasion for the Title Song was a suicide in Frankfurt-Sindlingen. A woman, who was attending the festival of love in the church, sat down to the Christmas religious service and with two hand grenades blew herself and others into the air. At that time we acted under the Dadaistic name "Haschpapa und die Gabriels".

Why this bandname "mikeburn and friends"?

In 1996 we released the Live CD "Zapped". In 2000, we decided to give ourselves a new name. Because we were unable to agree on a name, Mike Burn began to publish our music on the Internet under the name of "mikeburn and friends". The encouragement from MP3.com has been enormous. Many titles achieved #1 for weeks on the MP3.com Charts. Meanwhile, our ceremony master, Guntram Prochaska was in use worldwide. In 36 countries, his peace angels - wooden Totems - stand and preserve the peace of the world, and we search for a singer.

The year of decision and joyful surprise was 2002. On the Internet, Mike Burn found the 'Sisters of Sharon' out of Hong Kong. Jane Eliz from Australia, and singer/songwriter Kate Cassidy from Scotland. He invited all and everyone came to the Frankfurter Medienhaus. Of the Sisters of Sharon, Chris Bowers flew out of Hong Kong and the Australian Jane Eliz out of London. We did a spontaneous gig with Chris Bowers and had a super session with Chris and Jane together, only we all knew that there was not much hope for sustained teamwork facing the huge geographical distances. Just one month later, Kate Cassidy landed in Frankfurt for a couple of solo gigs with the acoustic. After our departure session, we were so amazed by Kate's voice and her person. It was going to be a further 15 months before Kate was to return to Germany due to other commitments. In the spring of 2003 Kate returned where Kate and MBAF have rehearsed and have played numerous gigs in Frankfurt and the surrounding area up to Birmingham/England to the delight of the audiences that have been surprised and fascinated, by the spontaneous power of the band, and at the ability of Kate's voice and the power from where it comes. Surprisingly for all involved, we still are together and have lots of plans for 2005 and the future!

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