Michael Carpenter & The Cuban Heels has released a new 7 song mini-album. Titled “New Dog – Old Tricks”. Recorded almost completely live on August 2, 2008.. yes, just over 3 weeks ago, this project sees Carpenter going down the country/alt.country/countrypop path he\'s been alluding to for many years. It’s kinda like Tom Petty with pedal steel. Or Bob Dylan with pedal steel. Or The Band with.. err.. pedal steel. The whole concept of the project came from being Carpenter asked to resume doing solo shows. Rather than just re-heating the Michael Carpenter solo experience, he decided to put together a whole new band… a country band!! He had a couple of appropriate new songs, had a few co-writes lying around, plus a few covers he wanted to have some fun with. So he gathered together some of his favourite people, who also happen to be amazing musicians, gave them a week or two’s notice, booked into the excellent Linear Recordings, with engineer Chris Vallejo and bashed out 7 songs in a really fun, exhausting and exhilarating day. Apart from the overdubbing of Jason Walker’s pedal steel and a few lines of backing vocals, the project was cut all live, together, in one room, with only occasional use of headphones. After years of making records one instrument at a time, crafting and refining them, (which he loves), Carpenter thought it was time to show another side of what he loves… the sound of a room interacting with a band playing together.. capturing a band as they learn the songs and play their instinctive best. Some of his favourite albums reflect that, and Carpenter felt like it was time for me to reflect that side of his career. So these 7 songs on the “New Dog-Old Tricks” mini album ARE the start of a new record. But not all of these songs will be on that record. There are 2, maybe 3 songs that definitely will not be including on that album, whenever that happens. So the idea of this mini album is to embrace the moment.. to spread some of the spirit of immediacy the recordings were done with to the listener. These days, with the structure of the traditional music industry model crumbling before our eyes, Carpenter didn’t want to sit on this record and wait. He wanted it released as soon as possible. This is all about getting the music out there…getting this project out there.