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An update here is long overdue... it's been so busy lately, that I've hardly had time to touch the website! So, just wanted to provide a bit of summary of what I've been up to over the last few months. In April, Markus Michelucci & Sound Refuge released the new album "Beautiful Intruder" (now available on Spotify & Apple Music), with a special launch gig at Ignition Brewery in Sydenham. The gig was a special intimate performance, and the room was packed out! Great night had by all... see a few pics below from the evening . Things have also been really busy on the road with Seriously Collins. It's been great to settle into this show, and very much looking forward to the future with it. I'll try update the gig page with latest dates for that, keep an eye out! Lastly, worth a mention, I have just spent a week on Sister Act (wonderfully performed by Wimbledon Light Operatic Society) and under the musical direction of Ashley Harvey. The original west end Sister Act MD, Nick Skillbeck, popped in to see the show, and passed on some lovely comments to Ashley about my playing too, which was lovely to hear! I'll try keep on it with the news page in future, but if things keep crazy busy (which hopefully they will!!), it might be another couple of months!!
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 Hello everyone!
Very excited to say that after all the crazy times, the new Sound Refuge album is ready for release! The album will be available from 16.04.2022 on all major streaming platforms, and we're celebrating this new release with a launch event in Sydenham (SE London) at Ignition Brewery on the same day, from 7pm till 9pm. The album is a journey of hope and optimism, despite Covid and the darkest of times that we live in, and we will be playing the album from start to finish for you, as well as other songs written by Markus Michelucci and a few popular folk rock tunes. ... PLUS, FREE ENTRY AND PIZZA VAN!! The Band: Markus Michelucci - Guitar/Vocals Chris Buglass - Electric Guitar/Vocals Marianne Hardisty - Cello Stephen Coetzee - Drums/Percussion Kaveh Ghandizadeh - Bass Album producer Matt Norriss of Piraxa Studios will be on sound for this special, intimate performance. Follow @sound_refuge on Instagram.  Hi everyone!
The new single from the upcoming Sound Refuge album has been released today! This reworked version of the original 2013 release features a new acoustic rock arrangement which is a real treat for the ears. You can find "Defeat The Fears" on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. Featuring: Music, Lyrics, Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals: Markus Michelucci Electric Guitar/Vocals: Chris Buglass Cello: Marianne Hardisty Drums/Percussion: Stephen Coetzee Bass: Kaveh Ghandizadeh Production: Matt Norriss at Piraxa Studios Artwork: Scott Ritchings Happy New Year everyone. After an extremely challenging year, I'm sure we are all hoping for things to keep getting better in the world. The last few months have probably been the craziest in a while. I'm delighted to have taken on the role of drummer on Seriously Collins - The Phil Collins & Genesis Tribute which will be playing at theatres all over the UK this year (let's keep those theatres open, please!!). The show is fronted by the phenomenal Chris Hayward, who has been fantastic to work with and has been a real help in preparing me for the shows. I'm also pleased to be working alongside Keith Atack again, who is a such a laugh and an amazing musician to be on stage with. Most of October/November was spent learning the set, and I have played 3 shows with the production since November - looking forward to a lot more! Also in November, I was offered a gig playing Godspell by Stephen Schwartz in London for a week with Centre Stage, an amateur musical theatre group based in London. We performed at The Bridewell, a nice small venue just a few blocks from Blackfriars Station. It was a fun play - knowing the shows Wicked and Pippin so well, I'm surprised I've never delved into this one before! The band were lovely, as were the cast - in fact, I even forgot I was playing Amdram at points that week - it was a phenonemal production, performed by some real talent. Go check out the opening of the show 'Tower Of Babble' on the New Broadway Cast Recording. It was one of my favourite parts in the show, and I wasn't playing anything. The harmonies and everything were just exceptional. Finally, I was thrilled to return to Greenock (Beacon Arts Centre) with Imagine Theatre this year for their pantomime production Cinderella, starring Still Game's Mark Cox and Jane McCarry, River City's Jimmy Chisholm and the fabulous Kim Allan, Michael Lewis and Lee Samuel, who I've also had the pleasure of working with in 2019. We opened on 10 December, sadly had to close on Christmas Eve due to the change in Government guidelines re Covid in Scotland. We're very proud of the show, how safe things were behind the scenes, and how we managed to get so far without any show reschedules or anyone catching the dreaded virus etc. This month, it's back to tuition, rehearsals for the Phil Collins show and a photo shoot... For once, I'm glad to say that my lack of update on this page is not due to nothing happening, but quite the opposite - as I've been saying to many people - it's "bonkers busy"! I'm thrilled to get back to work, and to see people enjoying live music, theatre and the arts again. In June, I was invited to play my first gig back with Crazy Little Thing Called Queen, led by sensational artist, Yvan Silva. Since then, I have been extremely fortunate to be busy with function gigs, tribute shows and finishing off the Sound Refuge album at Piraxa studios. I'll keep this short and sweet, so enjoy some pictures below of what I've been up to since June...! Happy New Year, everybody! Hope you got to have a good Christmas despite the weird situation we are in at the moment. Today, 1 January 2021, single track "New Year" was released from the upcoming Markus Michelucci & Sound Refuge album. We started work on the album prior to Tier 4 restrictions which put a spanner in the works, but we thankfully got this track finished in time for release on New Year's day. The lyrics are very poignant given what a crazy 2020 it has been, and gives us all hope for the future. Hope you enjoy! If you like what you hear, you can buy your own digital copy of the track by clicking here. www.soundrefugemusic.com Find Sound Refuge on YouTube and Instagram. "New Year" Music & Lyrics by Markus Michelucci Guitar & Vocals - Markus Michelucci Electric Guitar - Chris Buglass Cello - Marianne Hardisty Drums/Percussion - Stephen Coetzee Bass - Kaveh Ghandizadeh Produced by Matthew Norriss at Piraxa Studios Artwork by Dom Duong  I am pleased to now be working with a number of other freelance musicians and instrument tutors to deliver more lessons. All lessons can be online and face-to-face may be possible, depending on tutor availability and location.
Current lessons offered:
 I am delighted to be joining the brand new theatre show EVERYTHING CHANGES, paying tribute to the songs of TAKE THAT and ROBBIE WILLIAMS.
The incredible cast features Dean Betton, who appeared on this year's series of Britain's Got Talent, as Robbie Williams. The show will begin it's preview performances this October before playing UK theatres in 2021. Preview performances: 10 October 2020 - Online | Buy Tickets 23 October 2020 - The Diamond, Sutton In Ashfield Click here to visit the Facebook page and 'like' to stay up-to-date with more information and the performance schedule. Lou Reed’s ‘melancholic ballad’ given 2020 makeover with nationwide musical collaboration, featuring 17 professional musicians and vocalists. The track features seasoned professionals from the UK music and theatre industry, including Alex Larke of Electro Velvet (Eurovision Song Contest 2015), Kim Shepherd (Imagine Theatre and National Theatre Scotland), Anita Okienko (Scottish Chamber Orchestra) and Sofia Jones (Fastlove – A Tribute To George Michael). The band of 11 includes punchy brass section dbhorns (And Finally Phil Collins… and The Best Of Wham) and lavish strings from midlands-based Artume Quartet. The concept, conceived by Stephen Coetzee, the drummer on the track, was inspired by the many collaborations performed by musicians around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stephen is hoping that the track, recorded in support of musicians, artists, actors and others in the Creative Arts, will raise awareness of the benefits of music and the value of artists in society. Stephen said: “I wanted to create a project with a select group of colleagues, past and present, who I have really enjoyed making music with – we are all in the same situation together, with our industry not likely to be up and running again until 2021.” The Lou Reed song was recorded for his 1972 album Transformer, and has since gone on to feature in the film Trainspotting, starring Ewen McGregor and Robert Carlyle. It is probably better known, however, for its star-studded 1997 version; the line-up of which included Elton John, David Bowie, Boyzone, Tom Jones and Lou Reed himself. Stephen continued, “There are not many versions of this song, which in itself, presented a great opportunity for us. I feel we reinvented Reed’s somewhat melancholic, yet heartwarming, ballad, and added a level of ‘sweetness’ to it, much thanks to Michael Maddock’s superb brass and string arrangements.” Perfect Day 2020 is raising awareness and support for artists in the music industry. Donations are going to the project and Help Musicians, an organisation which has been doing fantastic work assisting musicians during this difficult time. Click here to find out more and to donate.  Hi everyone,
Firstly, I hope that everyone is safe, well and making use of any spare time during this lockdown period that we wouldn't otherwise have. I have been finding plenty time to practice and work on remote collaborations with friends and colleagues, as well as lots more family time, which has been great. Teaching online has been a rewarding challenge, and I'm thrilled to see students adapt to this new tuition method and see them progress - you can still book lessons online with me by sending an email to stephencdrums@gmail.com |
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