John, you are a real gem amongst all the reaction channels with lots of knowledge and your own music is right up my alley. I assume your channel will become pretty popular very soon and it would be well deserved! This sub is a no brainer for me, keep up the great work!
I just want to say your music in the beginning is fast becoming my favorite self produced intro for any channel. So glad you checked out more from Michael Mills. He is so extremely underrated and talented. It's always great when a musician can break down his music. Thanks for the reaction!
Mike is great. Glad you are looking at him - it gives me an even greater appreciation of his skills, than I had already - and my appreciation was high. Love your analysis.
I discovered Toehider just the other day and man am I glad I did. Amazing stuff. At the very end of the song I got a bit of Rush from the complex drum patterns with the accompanying bass and guitar.
What the world needs now is more Mike Mills! Brilliant, huge talent. Thank you for checking him out, next time Meet The Sloth or How Do Ghosts Work maybe. But any Toehider will do! Hugs from Italy, keep rocking!
Mike considers himself mostly a guitarist I think. He actually mentioned during a live stream once that that's the main reason he plays base with a pick, because that makes it more like playing guitar which comes more naturally to him. As you can probably tell from the video he's also a bit of a goofball. You've already mentioned his groove on the drums, his amazing vocals and great guitarwork, but what really makes his music fun for me are the twists and turns that some of his lyrics take. "How Do Ghosts Work" and "This Conversation Is Over" are good examples of that. You can find both live and "official" videos of those songs on UA-cam, they're equally good.
What a lovely analysis. Mike is amazing, but I do guess that its the vocals that sets him apart on the surface. But he writes all this stuff too, records mixes and all. Salty is the creative media partner in this band. An unusual partnership that catalysts some great stuff. Reccomend listening is meet the Sloth. There is so.much music. He put out 12 EPs one year!
Oh yay I was trying to find this. Sweet. Lol only 9 months behind is all 😂 Mike Mills is a total gem. I've seen him in heaps of crowds at shows just catching local talent which is nice to see as well as performing
If you're Michael Mills fan and like Queen, you could do much worse than checking this cover by Toehider out: QUEEN COVER - The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (from "Queen II") ua-cam.com/video/Ch494KUV0O0/v-deo.html A cover cannot be bad, when it's commented by Brian May himself as "This is a brilliantly accurate Queen cover".
Another joyful watch. I am so glad to see you explore the amazing artists that get featured in Ayreon. Everyone gets a little too focused on Floor (my favourite female vocalist too), and lose focus on the music and other artists. Thrilled to see you venture off the usual path. Hopefully, you check out Damian Wilson as well, who even does a project with Adam Wakeman. 200 likes and 0 dislikes ought to tell you something about the approach you're taking to analysis and reactions!
Toehider (and anything Mike Mills does) is one of my favorite proggish rock/metal acts. He's extremely talented and skilled and yet isn't pretentious but whimsical. His songs often have real emotional weight as much as they're fantastical. Like this song is groovy and well-written, showcases his vocals, and yet it's clearly about an emotional subject (being obsessed with a problematic person).
Welcome to the Wide World of Toehider! Mike and Salty stream quite often on Twitch (twitch.tv/toehider), have a really cool discord, and Patreon (Patreon.com/toehider). They are also on Bandcamp (toehider.bandcamp.com). For more song suggestions : How Do Ghosts Work?, This Conversation Is Over, Whatever Makes You Feel Superior.
Mike's music always has a sense of fun or cheekiness to it. Talented without a doubt and his music is created in a very interactive way with his fans which I also think is cool. Being "trapped" in Victoria he has been doing a lot of live streams lately and they are well worth investigating.
Brilliant work. Insightful and very honest. Most importantly..informative. That is something lacking in many reactions...helps a little that I am a devout Mike Mills fan...well done, sir.
Mike is a BEAST !! i suggest you "meet the sloth" next fro "what kind of creature am i" album, midblowing and really queeny !! love your analisys tho keep it up man
Great commentary! What you said about Mike Mills being uplifting is spot on. Most of his stuff is like that, he can combine prog with catchy grooves (and cheeky lyrics!) and is really easy to listen while being super technically complex. Another guy I feel is a bit like that is Neal Morse. He makes prog metal work with Beatles style catchy songwriting and vocal harmonies (I suggest Neal Morse Band's So Far Gone if you want to check him out).
The weird thing is that even though Mike's lyrics are often very uplifting, they can sometimes be about quite dark subjects. Take this song for example, it's actually about having a very unhealthy obsession for someone. I guess it's that Australian self-deprecating humor that's allowing him to pull off that odd combination.
Thx for uploading and analyse this song! Heard him by Ayreon but didn t dive more into his stuff. He is really talented! Through Ayreon i ve found Blind Guardian and Avantasia! One leads to another! 😀Really a rabbithole! Good job as always!👍
Thanks Jane. That's what it's all about. Everyone wins! If it hadn't been for the suggestions for Ayreon I wouldn't have heard of Toehider. And others already subbed through different bands will discover more too. 😊
Mike Mills is a musical hero as Arjen said already. On a side note I would be really interested in your opinion on "aviation's - outliers (retrospect)" especially from a pianist/guitarist point of view. Not that popular but from the ppl that know of it it is mostly considered a master piece.
i really like your intro. i like Toehider too. i am most comfortable with guitar, with keyboard i am useless, with drums i can keep a beat up maybe... no stress here.
I rly got to like Toehider. Do yourself a favor and watch the video to How do ghosts work xd Maybe on your own time, if you don't want to do a reaction.
I would suggest you to watch After Forever “Who Wants to Live Forever” live in 2008. ua-cam.com/video/OwmwpPq6FHQ/v-deo.html Queen cover ft. Floor Jansen. There is no an actual video but during performance you can watch a slide show content a lot of pictures of Floor Jansen in her twenties.
🎵🎸Moody, atmospheric, instrumental, one-man-band prog? Right this way 👇
ua-cam.com/video/1nWe3g_7pqA/v-deo.html
Cheers for the love mate ❤
Pleasure, dude. Superb stuff! 👌😎🤘
Mike Mills just makes you smile with whatever he does.
John, you are a real gem amongst all the reaction channels with lots of knowledge and your own music is right up my alley. I assume your channel will become pretty popular very soon and it would be well deserved! This sub is a no brainer for me, keep up the great work!
I bought some of his music and love it
I just want to say your music in the beginning is fast becoming my favorite self produced intro for any channel. So glad you checked out more from Michael Mills. He is so extremely underrated and talented. It's always great when a musician can break down his music. Thanks for the reaction!
Mike is great. Glad you are looking at him - it gives me an even greater appreciation of his skills, than I had already - and my appreciation was high. Love your analysis.
I discovered Toehider just the other day and man am I glad I did. Amazing stuff.
At the very end of the song I got a bit of Rush from the complex drum patterns with the accompanying bass and guitar.
What the world needs now is more Mike Mills! Brilliant, huge talent. Thank you for checking him out, next time Meet The Sloth or How Do Ghosts Work maybe. But any Toehider will do! Hugs from Italy, keep rocking!
Mike considers himself mostly a guitarist I think. He actually mentioned during a live stream once that that's the main reason he plays base with a pick, because that makes it more like playing guitar which comes more naturally to him. As you can probably tell from the video he's also a bit of a goofball. You've already mentioned his groove on the drums, his amazing vocals and great guitarwork, but what really makes his music fun for me are the twists and turns that some of his lyrics take. "How Do Ghosts Work" and "This Conversation Is Over" are good examples of that. You can find both live and "official" videos of those songs on UA-cam, they're equally good.
"How Do Ghosts Work" and "This Conversation Is Over" are amongst my favourites of his songs
This Conversation Is Over is my fave
Wow, such a great video and a superb reaction. Mike Mills is crazy talented!
What a lovely analysis. Mike is amazing, but I do guess that its the vocals that sets him apart on the surface. But he writes all this stuff too, records mixes and all. Salty is the creative media partner in this band. An unusual partnership that catalysts some great stuff. Reccomend listening is meet the Sloth. There is so.much music. He put out 12 EPs one year!
Oh yay I was trying to find this. Sweet. Lol only 9 months behind is all 😂
Mike Mills is a total gem. I've seen him in heaps of crowds at shows just catching local talent which is nice to see as well as performing
When Arjen says Mike Mills is his musical hero that is good enough for me! Great reaction mate and also get some serious AOR vibes from the vocals.
If you're Michael Mills fan and like Queen, you could do much worse than checking this cover by Toehider out:
QUEEN COVER - The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (from "Queen II")
ua-cam.com/video/Ch494KUV0O0/v-deo.html
A cover cannot be bad, when it's commented by Brian May himself as "This is a brilliantly accurate Queen cover".
Another joyful watch. I am so glad to see you explore the amazing artists that get featured in Ayreon. Everyone gets a little too focused on Floor (my favourite female vocalist too), and lose focus on the music and other artists. Thrilled to see you venture off the usual path. Hopefully, you check out Damian Wilson as well, who even does a project with Adam Wakeman. 200 likes and 0 dislikes ought to tell you something about the approach you're taking to analysis and reactions!
Thank you for your kind comments! Glad you enjoyed it. 😊👍
Been meaning to check Mine out after loving him in the other videos also. So good, I’m definitely going to listen to more myself also.
Toehider (and anything Mike Mills does) is one of my favorite proggish rock/metal acts. He's extremely talented and skilled and yet isn't pretentious but whimsical. His songs often have real emotional weight as much as they're fantastical. Like this song is groovy and well-written, showcases his vocals, and yet it's clearly about an emotional subject (being obsessed with a problematic person).
Welcome to the Wide World of Toehider!
Mike and Salty stream quite often on Twitch (twitch.tv/toehider), have a really cool discord, and Patreon (Patreon.com/toehider).
They are also on Bandcamp (toehider.bandcamp.com).
For more song suggestions :
How Do Ghosts Work?,
This Conversation Is Over,
Whatever Makes You Feel Superior.
Mike's music always has a sense of fun or cheekiness to it. Talented without a doubt and his music is created in a very interactive way with his fans which I also think is cool. Being "trapped" in Victoria he has been doing a lot of live streams lately and they are well worth investigating.
Brilliant work. Insightful and very honest. Most importantly..informative. That is something lacking in many reactions...helps a little that I am a devout Mike Mills fan...well done, sir.
Thank you for the kinds words, Lucas! Glad you enjoyed the reaction. 🤘
Mike is extremely talented in many ways. What can't he play? Loved it mate!
Mike is a BEAST !! i suggest you "meet the sloth" next fro "what kind of creature am i" album, midblowing and really queeny !! love your analisys tho keep it up man
Great commentary! What you said about Mike Mills being uplifting is spot on. Most of his stuff is like that, he can combine prog with catchy grooves (and cheeky lyrics!) and is really easy to listen while being super technically complex. Another guy I feel is a bit like that is Neal Morse. He makes prog metal work with Beatles style catchy songwriting and vocal harmonies (I suggest Neal Morse Band's So Far Gone if you want to check him out).
The weird thing is that even though Mike's lyrics are often very uplifting, they can sometimes be about quite dark subjects. Take this song for example, it's actually about having a very unhealthy obsession for someone. I guess it's that Australian self-deprecating humor that's allowing him to pull off that odd combination.
Toehider is awesome. You should definitely listen to more of his music. Reacting or not.
Toehider will knock your socks off.
This was a fantastic watch. Subbed!
Thank you, dude!
Thx for uploading and analyse this song! Heard him by Ayreon but didn t dive more into his stuff. He is really talented! Through Ayreon i ve found Blind Guardian and Avantasia! One leads to another! 😀Really a rabbithole! Good job as always!👍
Thanks Jane. That's what it's all about. Everyone wins! If it hadn't been for the suggestions for Ayreon I wouldn't have heard of Toehider. And others already subbed through different bands will discover more too. 😊
Mike Mills is a musical hero as Arjen said already.
On a side note I would be really interested in your opinion on "aviation's - outliers (retrospect)" especially from a pianist/guitarist point of view. Not that popular but from the ppl that know of it it is mostly considered a master piece.
i really like your intro. i like Toehider too. i am most comfortable with guitar, with keyboard i am useless, with drums i can keep a beat up maybe... no stress here.
Great job again arjen 2👍👍👍
Michael Mills is a genius. Can't find On and On on Spotify sadly...
Somehow I was expecting "it's heaven and hell!" after the first "on and on" part.
well done Mike. did not realise you were this talented. Dave south africa. excellent reaction.
mike is awesome
I rly got to like Toehider. Do yourself a favor and watch the video to How do ghosts work xd Maybe on your own time, if you don't want to do a reaction.
The notes you leave out , the difference between a good musician and a great one .
I would suggest you to watch After Forever “Who Wants to Live Forever” live in 2008. ua-cam.com/video/OwmwpPq6FHQ/v-deo.html Queen cover ft. Floor Jansen. There is no an actual video but during performance you can watch a slide show content a lot of pictures of Floor Jansen in her twenties.
Ooo. Sounds intriguing! Love that song.