Mike Dawson and The Smokin Kills

You may know Mike Dawson as the engineer/announcer and occasional joke teller for The Adam Carolla Show, one of the world’s most popular podcasts. Mike is also a prolific singer/songwriter and is bringing Rock & Roll back courtesy of his band The Smokin Kills and their new album The Last Honky Tonk Hero arriving August 25, 2021.

This is Mike’s second full record. His first was recorded at Alan Parsons studio in Santa Barbara, California. Mike worked as a touring engineer for The Alan Parson Live Project on a few South American tours. One time he went swimming at Copa Cabana Beach in Rio and got violently ill. For this, he is legendary amongst the band and road crew.

Mike was given his first guitar at 15. He took 3 lessons, learned 5 chords, and started writing and performing music. In the past 25 years, Mike has shared the stage with some of the greatest musicians in the world. But one time, he watched Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe walk out on his performance after hearing only one song. “I guess they didn’t like my music. They were certainly not entertained.” Mike Dawson is also the only one we know to share a joint with Jeff Bridges at Lebowski Fest while watching The Big Lebowski in the back row of The Wiltern Theater in LA.

Mike Dawson is The Last Honky Tonk Hero.

About The Last Honky Tonk Hero

The Last Honky Tonk Hero is performed by Mike Dawson on vocals and acoustic guitar. He’s accompanied by Tyler Kershaw on drums, Kevin Fosmark on electric guitars, and Ted Russell Kamp (Shooter Jennings, Duff McKagen) on bass and almost everything else. The album includes badass guest performances by Tim Hutton on bass (Sugar Ray, Three Dog Night), Angela Petrilli on electric guitars, and Tim Marcus on the pedal steel.

The Last Honky Tonk Hero is a tribute to Western Music, Outlaw Country, and the California and Texas troubadours that Mike Dawson grew up listening to with his grandfather, “Papa.”

The songs notched in the grooves of The Last Honky Tonk Hero offer an insightful glimpse into life in post-millennial Los Angeles. Side One represents destruction. Side Two mirrors redemption.

We hope that when you finish listening to this record, you’ll go out to see a band play live. Hopefully it’s our band. Either way, please pay the cover charge. Sign the mailing list. Sing along to the songs. Buy a shirt. Dance your ass off and make some new friends.

Long Live Rock n Roll: The Smokin Kills History by Mike Dawson

On November 12, 2016, I had 2 tickets to see Shooter Jennings at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. My guest bailed on me, so I put it out on social media that I had an extra ticket. “Just be cool and buy me a beer. I’ll be the guy out front who looks like me.” That’s the night I met Tyler Kershaw. Serendipity would follow. It turned out that Tyler’s a drummer and I was looking for a band. Before the show began, Ted Russell Kamp, the bass player for the show’s headliner, was walking the floor, as is his pre-show ritual. I noticed him in the crowd and beckoned him to join us for a minute. After introductions, Ted asked, “So, are you guys in a band?” I looked at Tyler and said, “Well… Are we?” The rest, as they say, is…

The only reason we make records is so we can perform them live for an audience. Studio time is cool, but there is nothing in the world that beats the energy of eager fans who want to feel this with you. So please support local music wherever you are. Without you, live music dies. But because of you, it never will. Long live rock n roll.