Madison musician Hugh G. Gogh (Hugh Durnin - Pat The Blowfish) will be debuting his new band Yay Big! He will be joined by Julia McConahay (violin) and Mike Mixtacki (congas and percussion.)

Miles of Music had this to say about Mike Nicolai's new recording: "When you hear a bare recording of someone on their guitar - as if recorded live in an empty room - and the performance and song are strong enough to grab you, you know that performer has "it." Mike Nicolai has it for sure. Proof positive is in the stunning lead-off track, "Tarot`s Road", a "Heartworn Highways" worthy ode to freedom. And his performance remains curiously intriguing straight through to the final track, "It`s Your Blue, Swing It", a quirky lo-fi ditty which sounds like Hoagy Carmichael fronting The Residents. This record offers a progression of surprises. And at its core is a plaintively toned, but distinct songwriter on acoustic and electric guitar, capable of crack melodies of equal parts pop and folk. Marginal use of extra instrumentation elevates the mood to indie-rock territory at times, but it always returns to the stripped-down simplicity of just Nicolai alone. If pressed to describe his delivery, one might peg it as having a dash of Dylan, a smidgeon of Ray Davies, a pinch of Townes Van Zandt and a healthy dose of sincerity. The CD was produced by Rich Mattson of Ol` Yeller, with some additional help from Tom Herbers (Soul Asylum, Low, Jayhawks)."