Michael Bono 2017
Guitarist, Musician, Producer | Awarded $9,000
For Michael Bono and fellow musicians in his band, The Faim (formerly Small Town Heroes), 2017 was an exciting year. At the invitation of American Grammy-nominated producer/ songwriter John Feldmann, the group made two trips to Los Angeles, where they worked with Feldmann, writing and recording songs for an album they expect to release this year.
Michael (21), learnt to play the guitar at St Anthony’s Primary School in Greenmount, where he developed a love for music, formed his first band and presented his first show. He continued studying music at La Salle College, and subsequently at WAAPA.
In 2014 he formed a band with fellow musicians Josh Raven and Stephen Beerkens, and in 2015, when they realised they were on to something good, they invited drummer Sean Tighe to round out their pop punk sound. Their first EP Get Up Get Out made No. 3 on the iTunes rock chart, notched up 340,000 plays on music streaming sites, and featured in music magazine Alternative Press as an up-and-coming band. They perform regularly at music festivals and local venues in and around Perth.
It was after Michael posted a video of the band on YouTube that that he was contacted by the well-connected LA producer/ songwriter. The result was two working visits to John Feldmann’s Foxy Studios in April and August last year. For Michael, these sessions were the first steps towards building a global profile for himself and the band. ‘Our goal is to show that anyone, not only from Perth, but from the Shire of Mundaring, can take their music to the world.’
His award will help meet expenses when The Faim supports the US band Sleeping with Sirens during their Australian tour this year.
Read more about Michael HERE.