Neil Ivison (Vocals/Guitar) & Adam Barry (Keys/Vocals) met at college in Worcester and began writing and performing together soon after. Influenced by the rawness of early CCR records and the intimate storytelling of Ian Hunter, they are fast becoming one of the UK’s most talked about and sought after new artists, building the buzz the old-fashioned way with word-of-mouth endorsements of their live shows. Tracks posted on their official website have generated immediate and overwhelmingly positive feedback. Within weeks, The Misers secured a DOUBLE chart victory, racing to the top of the Americana AND Country charts on Myspace UK. They have also topped the Unsigned Chart for 3 consecutive weeks with the download only single ‘Back In Your Arms’. Within a few months, they have been elevated from playing to a few dozen people in local bars to opening for such acts as Ocean Colour Scene, The Proclaimers & Proud Mary. TV appearances have also been quick to follow with the band appearing on ITV Wales’ ‘The Wales Show’ & SkyArtsHD ‘The Book Show At Hay’. Neil is blessed with a soulful, passionate voice that evokes ‘Free’ era Paul Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen in his ‘Born to Run’ prime and his modern contemporary Kelly Jones. In his writing, Neil has the gift of being able to tell a story in a song, real life characters take on a life of their own, challenging the listener to seek out more. The Misers debut ‘Amplified Life Stories’ was recorded to 1/4” analogue tape in 10 days at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth. It was produced by Tom Oliver & Ian Morgan (Proclaimers, Roy Harper, It Bites) and mixed by Matt Butler (Paul McCartney, John Martyn, Elvis Costello). Critics are hailing it a triumph, stating that The Misers “invoke the spirit of Johnny Cash with the pop sensibilities of The Jayhawks and the raw, confessional Americana of Ryan Adams”. The bands current champion, Radio 2’s Janice Long, heaped praise on the album endorsing it as “a return to the 70’s golden era of song writing!” The Misers have just completed a sell out UK Tour with The Proclaimers where they received an ecstatic response from the audience, earning them a whole new army of fans. “Amplified Life Stories” is released on 28th June on iTunes and all good, online record stores.
