Archer
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | SELF
Music
Press
In this most wonderful time of the year, the musically inclined seem moved by the spirit of the season to sing about the ...
... Big Blue.
Pretty much every week, Mike Archer sings about the Cats.
Not that Mike Archer. The former Rich Brooks era and Bill Curry era Kentucky football defensive coordinator now holds the same job at North Carolina State.
This Mike Archer is a former college basketball player at IUPUI who is now a Danville-based country music singer with aspirations of going to Nashville.
He's pretty serious about his craft.
Yet, though Archer regularly performs in clubs and at events around Central Kentucky, he says nothing he's done in music to date has brought him as much attention as his "We Love Our Cats" segments on Lexington country radio station The Bear (WLXX 92.9-FM).
"I know it's a little silly, but people seem to love it," Archer said. "When I make appearances, that's the thing people ask me about most."
Before most UK games, either football or basketball, Archer appears on the Cumulus-owned radio station with a musical game preview. He works off the same music — "sort of a three-chord bluesy thing," he says — but writes new lyrics for each game.
My favorite of recent vintage was his song previewing the Kentucky-Georgia football game. Remember, the Cats vs. Dawgs followed UK's epic upset of Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.
UK running back Donald Russell had a strong showing in the South Carolina game, Archer wrote in his Georgia preview: Did you see Russell flex his running back muscle?
UK vs. Georgia also followed Randall Cobb's "Twitter-gate" incident, when the Wildcats football star took to his Twitter account to blast what he saw as subpar fan support for the Cats during the Carolina game.
So Archer wrote, "Hey Cobb, please don't be bitter; go easy on your Twitter."
"I try to be clever in the lyrics," Archer said. "I think I have a pretty good sense of humor and I try to use it in these things."
Archer says the "We Love Our Cats" series began when Jason Bailey, formerly the morning drive-time host on The Bear, challenged him to start producing musical UK sports previews for his show.
Says Archer: "I'm a fairly busy guy and I said, 'Let me get this straight. You want me to write an original song and perform it on your show before every UK game?' And Jason was like 'exactly.'
"And I was like, 'OK, I guess there would be some promotional value in that for me.' And that's how we got started."
After Bailey and his partner Deidre Ransdell ended their morning show earlier this year, Archer's performances moved to The Bear's afternoon program of disc jockey Robert John.
Archer — whose music is available for perusal at mikearcher.com — says he's never met the football coach Mike Archer.
"When he was still here, I used to imagine he'd see my name and that I was performing somewhere in the paper and he'd pop in to see it," Archer said. "But he never did."
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/28/1542897/singing-about-cats-always-in-season.html#more#ixzz19uX3PErM - By Mark Story at 12:00am on Nov 28, 2010 — Herald-Leader Sports Columnist Modified at 7:23am on Nov
In this most wonderful time of the year, the musically inclined seem moved by the spirit of the season to sing about the ...
... Big Blue.
Pretty much every week, Mike Archer sings about the Cats.
Not that Mike Archer. The former Rich Brooks era and Bill Curry era Kentucky football defensive coordinator now holds the same job at North Carolina State.
This Mike Archer is a former college basketball player at IUPUI who is now a Danville-based country music singer with aspirations of going to Nashville.
He's pretty serious about his craft.
Yet, though Archer regularly performs in clubs and at events around Central Kentucky, he says nothing he's done in music to date has brought him as much attention as his "We Love Our Cats" segments on Lexington country radio station The Bear (WLXX 92.9-FM).
"I know it's a little silly, but people seem to love it," Archer said. "When I make appearances, that's the thing people ask me about most."
Before most UK games, either football or basketball, Archer appears on the Cumulus-owned radio station with a musical game preview. He works off the same music — "sort of a three-chord bluesy thing," he says — but writes new lyrics for each game.
My favorite of recent vintage was his song previewing the Kentucky-Georgia football game. Remember, the Cats vs. Dawgs followed UK's epic upset of Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.
UK running back Donald Russell had a strong showing in the South Carolina game, Archer wrote in his Georgia preview: Did you see Russell flex his running back muscle?
UK vs. Georgia also followed Randall Cobb's "Twitter-gate" incident, when the Wildcats football star took to his Twitter account to blast what he saw as subpar fan support for the Cats during the Carolina game.
So Archer wrote, "Hey Cobb, please don't be bitter; go easy on your Twitter."
"I try to be clever in the lyrics," Archer said. "I think I have a pretty good sense of humor and I try to use it in these things."
Archer says the "We Love Our Cats" series began when Jason Bailey, formerly the morning drive-time host on The Bear, challenged him to start producing musical UK sports previews for his show.
Says Archer: "I'm a fairly busy guy and I said, 'Let me get this straight. You want me to write an original song and perform it on your show before every UK game?' And Jason was like 'exactly.'
"And I was like, 'OK, I guess there would be some promotional value in that for me.' And that's how we got started."
After Bailey and his partner Deidre Ransdell ended their morning show earlier this year, Archer's performances moved to The Bear's afternoon program of disc jockey Robert John.
Archer — whose music is available for perusal at mikearcher.com — says he's never met the football coach Mike Archer.
"When he was still here, I used to imagine he'd see my name and that I was performing somewhere in the paper and he'd pop in to see it," Archer said. "But he never did."
Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/28/1542897/singing-about-cats-always-in-season.html#more#ixzz19uX3PErM - By Mark Story at 12:00am on Nov 28, 2010 — Herald-Leader Sports Columnist Modified at 7:23am on Nov
Discography
CD - The Next Best Thing - released Fall 2009
CD - Shoulda Coulda Woulda- released Fall 2011
Photos
Bio
Growing up I couldn’t imagined that I would someday become a musician with my own solo album out in stores, and a loyal following of fans. My music is about telling the story of the common man, who works hard for everything he gets and appreciates the little successes in life. Growing up in the heartland listening to John Mellencamp, Jimmy Buffet, Jim Croce, and Bruce Springsteen my music is influenced by both country and rock.
My roots
I was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but home will always be in Indianapolis with my mom, my baby sister Shelly and her family. Through school, and for years afterwards, basketball took up most of my time and energy, but my dedication would pay off. My achievements included becoming a High School All-American, playing for Indiana/Purdue University, and playing professionally in Manchester, England.
I bought my first guitar in 1991, but basketball occupied most of my time until I picked it up again in earnest in 2000. My cousin Larry gave me my first real lesson, and as they say... the rest is history.
The music
It turns out I was a fast learner once I turned my focus and drive I had shown for basketball to music. My first live performance came just ten months later when I played rhythm guitar in a band, opening for Country music star Joe Diffie.
I made the step of moving to Kentucky, gathering inspiration from small town life. 2003 saw my first solo performance at Two Roads Café, a small restaurant in Danville, Kentucky. I was welcomed with open arms, and to this day I enjoy playing in smaller, intimate settings where I can interact with my fans. I’ve been lucky so far, being able to work around the region both acoustically on my own, and with the local bands I’ve had the honor to play with. Whether it’s playing in a small restaurant, a local fair, or even a casino, in the end it’ll always be about my love for the music.
The connections I’ve made along the way have even made it possible to try my hand at acting. So far, I’ve landed a few roles in small independent films, and a few commercials. More importantly though, I feel acting has helped me gain an understanding of how to “get into a role”, which has made me a better performer and entertainer.
Most recently
Exciting things have been happening for me lately. I just finished my debut album entitled “The Next Best Thing.” The process of making my first record has been an exciting and new learning experience, and I can’t wait to get back in the studio to start recording some things I’ve been working on.
My sports fanatic side is thrilled with the opportunity I’ve gotten recently on Lexington’s 92.9 The Bear. Every Friday I get to perform an original song I created to wrap-up the big sporting news from the week for the University of Kentucky Wildcats. I enjoy the challenge and differences that come from playing to a faceless audience, and hope to continue expanding my presence in that aspect of the music industry.
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