Guitarist Mike Hickey's "55 and Sunny" offers an eclectic, up-beat collection of original music that ranges from swinging blues to raucous Balkan dance music, from Afropop, Celtic, and Cuban-influenced instrumentals to New-Orleans flavored R&B. Mike grew up near Chicago, where he played in blues, country, and rock bands and occasionally provided backup guitar for blues masters like Sam Chatmon (of the Mississippi Sheiks) and Little Smokey Smothers (of the Howlin’ Wolf Band). For about 40 years, Mike wrote and performed angst-filed folk songs about loves lost and opportunities wasted….And then he decided to lighten up a little. 55 and Sunny is the result. Mike does all the vocal and guitar parts, and plays mandolin, bass, tenor guitar, tenor banjo, ukulele and percussion on many of the tracks. The recording was made at Pepperhead Studios by Jeremy dePrisco, who plays bass, percussion, and keyboards on several tracks. Mike is joined on most tracks by drummer and percussionist Urie Kline and percussionist Safa Saracoglu. Drummer Craig Waltman and keyboard player Johnny Huckans each appear on one track. 1) "Blue Cat Bix," a swinging blues that is, by turns, about jazz legend Bix Beiderbeke and an actual cat named Bix. Mike on guitars, bass, and vocals, with Urie Kline on drums. 2) "Sofi," a Beatlesque ballad with Balkan influences, features Safa Saracoglu on cajon, riq, zills, shakers, and tongue drum; Jeremy dePrisco on cabasa; and Mike on guitar, bass, mandolin, tipple, baritone ukulele, triangle, and vocals. 3) "Here Comes My Baby"—what might happen if Randy Newman wrote a love song for the Grateful Dead. Urie Kline on drums joins Mike on guitars, bass, mandolin, and vocals. 4) "Kifabakazi," an Afropop instrumental inspired by the traditional American folk tune Wildwood Flower, featuring Urie Kline on drums and shakers; Safa Saracoglu on bongos and percussion blocks; Jeremy dePrisco on bass; and Mike on guitars…and cow bell. 5) "Hot Dogs" is a Ry Cooder influenced blues about… well, hot dogs. Mike on guitars, bass, tipple and vocals, joined by Urie Kline on drums. 6) "Scatterbrained," a 1930s love song written in 2015, features Urie Kline on drums and Mike on guitars, bass, triangle and vocals. 7) "Snakeman" is a rocking blues that (as they say in Hollywood) was inspired by true events. Urie Kline on drums and Mike on guitars, bass and vocals. 8) "Robert’s Reel" is a neo-Celtic folk tune with Turkish percussion, in memory of Mike’s father. Mike on mandolin, tenor banjo, tenor guitar, tipple, guitar and vocals, with Safa Saracoglu on tapan and frame drum and Jeremy dePrisco on tin whistle. 9) "Hot and Getting Hotter" is a New Orleans funk climate-change anthem, so we can all have something to dance to as the water rises. Mike on guitars, bass and vocals, with Urie Kline on drums and John Huckans on keyboard. 10) "Steven," a country waltz, the one wispy cloud on an otherwise sunny day, features Urie Kline on drums and Mike on guitars, bass and vocals. 11) "Mr. Rococo’s Pocket" evokes a Balkan instrumental dance tune, with Safa Saracoglu on tapan and djembe, Jeremy dePrisco on bass, and Mike on guitars. 12) "Love Lives Long (Blues for Patti)" is an upbeat blues in memory of Mike’s sister. It features Craig Waltman on drums, Jeremy dePrisco’s handclaps, and Mike on bass, guitars, handclaps and vocals. 13) "Pepperhead Blues": a marriage of a 1920-ish ukulele instrumental to a Doc Watson style country blues. Jeremy dePrisco on bass joins Mike on concert ukulele, baritone ukulele, and guitars. 14) "Susana’s Cubana," a Cuban-Flamenco-Turkish mash-up features Safa Saracoglu on cajon and riq; Urie Kline on castanets and egg shakers; and Mike on guitars and bass. 15) "Waiting for Someone Like You" is another Beatlesque ballad, but this time with psychedelic touches. It features Urie Kline on drums, Jeremy dePrisco on synthesizer, and Mike on guitars, bass and vocals. 16) "Dance Floor Guerilla" is the one “old” song in this set, a funk-and-punk from the early 1980s resurrected for this new millennium. Safa Saracoglu on cajon and Jeremy dePrisco on bass join Mike on guitars and vocals.