Mike Shinoda has joined forces with members of Polaris, Stand Atlantic and Between You & Me for a new live release. Streaming today, Already Over (Live in Sydney) sees the creative visionary behind Linkin Park performing his new solo single Already Over with a star-studded collective of Aussie musos.
The multi-platinum GRAMMY® Award-Winning singer, songwriter and producer is joined by Daniel Furnai of Polaris on drums, Bonnie Fraser of Stand Atlantic on rhythm guitar and James Karagiozis of Between You & Me on bass on the release, which also features social media star Tash Wolf on rhythm guitar and Mitchell Black on lead guitar.
Recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney, the result is a reimagining of Already Over that really speaks to the live prowess of all involved.
Speaking on the project, Shinoda shares: “The idea of the Already Over Sessions is to play the song with talented ‘locals’ from different parts of the world. Every player has their own style—some DNA of their personality that comes through in their performance. Combining them in a room for a one-day session is kinda high-stakes. I’m thrilled the first session in Australia was such a success, and grateful to each of the incredible artists who joined me there.”
The video of the sessions also features the same group of musicians performing a live rendition of Linkin Park's Bleed It Out.
Watch video of the Already Over Sessions below.
Each of the musicians involved provided their own thoughts on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with Shinoda.
Stand Atlantic's Bonnie Fraser shares: "When I got the call the imposter syndrome hit me so hard I almost backed out. I am so grateful and honoured to have been asked by Mike to collaborate on this project! He was an absolute sweetheart and I was pinching myself the whole time that I got to be in the same room, let alone playing the same song with a legend.”
Polaris’ drummer Daniel Furnai said: “I can’t even describe the disbelief I felt at receiving the invitation to be part of this project. I look at Mike as one of the truly great rock icons of the 21st century, an increasingly rare breed of songwriter and a genre-defining visionary, and I can honestly say that hearing his records with Linkin Park at age 10 was life-changing for me. Stepping into the studio in September, I think we were all experiencing a bit of imposter syndrome, to say the least, but Mike was so quick to make us feel at ease as he worked his way around the room asking detailed questions about our respective projects and reassuring us all that we had been asked to be there for a reason. Getting the chance to jam in a room with Mike alongside such an incredible cohort of other Aussie musicians was very surreal, something I will never forget. Anyone who says “Don’t meet your heroes” has clearly never met Mike Shinoda.”
James Karagiozis from Between You & Me said: “This project was so much fun. Working with Mike was a dream and a breeze, he is one great human being. I have been a big fan for a long time and the whole thing felt so surreal but also genuine. Working with a hero and then feeling like we were peers by the end of it was not on my bucket list for ‘23 but I’m here for it and vibing.”
Local musician, Tash Wolf went on to share: “Mike is an extremely kind and humble creative person to work with. I got a glimpse into how someone with Mike Shinoda's experience interacts and performs his craft with such emotion and energy. His vision for the song's production and lyrical content is exciting and has a modern edge to it. The time spent in the studio was so valuable. Mike spent his time in between takes to share his direction with each member of the live session. I feel extremely grateful to have shared this unique experience recording Guitar on the live session of 'Already Over' with Mike & the Supergroup of Australian musicians."
And Mitchell Black notes: "I grew up listening to Linkin Park and always loved their music, so being invited to collaborate with Mike and other great musicians I was incredibly thrilled. Mike brought a passion, and tremendous talent, was so welcoming and was such a great artist to work with. Jamming along with Mike and the other selected musicians for this Australian project was a day I'll never forget. Thank You, Mike."
The Already Over Sessions isn't the only live collaboration that Shinoda did during his visit to Australia in September. He surprised the audience at a Sydney G Flip show by hopping up on stage to perform a live mashup.
Shinoda, who was down under to deliver a keynote speech at Big Sound joined recent songwriter partner G Flip onstage at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Thursday night, performing a mashup of Linkin Park's In The End and G Flip's Worst Person Alive. The two songs blended together perfectly, with Shinoa and G Flip giving their all to some energetic vocal deliveries. At the same time, G Flip's backing band went all out with the instrumental arrangement.
Watch triple j's video of the full performance below.
The live duet would come as no surprise to attendees of Shinoda's keynote speech (which Maniacs attended). During the discussion of his production and songwriting work, he revealed he had co-written with G Flip recently, however, they decided not to release the resulting track as they were simply "good and not great".
The discussion of those writing sessions did include hints from Shinoda that more co-writes could be on the horizon for the pairing. "We spent the most time on one song; I feel like that song is good. Georgia and I get along great, and I know we can write good things together. So, just because we didn't do it yet, it doesn’t mean we won’t in future. And that's the same for other artists I've worked with — some artists that we did some things that we didn't release, and those aren't going to come out. But I treat those relationships as ones that haven't come together just yet.”
Shinoda and his Linkin Park bandmates recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their landmark second full-length Meteora by releasing Meteora 20, An epic 20th-anniversary edition of Meteora. Released in various configurations, including a Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box Set, Deluxe Vinyl Box Set, Deluxe 3-CD, and Digital Download, all of which are available to purchase via Maniacs now, Meteora|20 is as a Linkin Park fans dream.
To celebrate the arrival of Meteora|20, Linkin Park unleashed the third previously unreleased track from the collection, the visceral More The Victim. Debuted via The Howard Stern Show More The Victim followed Lost and Fighting With Myself as the crown jewels of a highly sought-after collection. Listen to it now below.
Shinoda personally mixed and architected the final product, keeping it true to the initial intention. “What I like about this trio of songs is that they’re all very different from one another,” said Shinoda. “They all showcase a distinct approach from the band at the time.” More The Victim and Meteora|20 arrive at a time when the music and cultural phenomenon of Linkin Park are bridging generations.
Lost the lead single from the Meteora|20 collection has taken over rock radio across the globe, while dominating streaming charts by amassing over 100 million streams, and 33 million YouTube views.
Shinoda has uploaded an unboxing video of the holy grail of the configurations, the Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box Set. Watch the full unboxing video below.
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