The latest offering from Micki Free, American Trash, harkens back to his creative and musical roots. Once again he’s teamed with Jean Beauvoir, his old partner from Crown of Thorns, performing under the moniker Beauvoir/Free. This newest recording is reminiscent of that effort, but Free quickly lets you know it’s a brand new day. “This project with my partner, Jean, is not like my solo stuff,” he says. “It’s not like my blues-based rock ‘n roll that I’m known for. We call it melodic rock — i.e. Journey, Whitesnake. You know, with big hooks and big riffs I like to do with Jean. It’s a different thing from being a solo artist. So as Beauvoir/Free, I’m a team player with my partner. It’s for all the Crown of Thorns fans, for all the Micki Free fans. It’s me in a different situation than my solo group, American Horse. Crown of Thorns was a group that Jean and I had in the late ’90s. Our debut CD was a huge hit in Europe. So, when we get together, everyone puts that debut Crown of Thorns CD as the staple of song-writing between Jean and myself. It was a huge record. And, it’s still played in Europe as the quintessential record that Jean and I did together. “

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The Beauvoir/Free partnership was born more than 20 years ago. And even though it has been more than a few years since had recorded together, the magic is still there. “Jean and I are like a married couple,” Free says. “Gene Simmons used to say this all the time. You get into different agreements or disagreements with your significant other and so forth and so on. So, after the first Thorns record, I did solo records and then you know, I went my way, and Jean did his thing and held onto the Thorns. And, then after that we ran into each other, sometimes in LA and I was just like, this is a joke. It’s like we’re joined at the hip almost. We each do what we do and write and have some fun. So, we started doing gigs together and hanging out. We recorded a few things at his studio. I was working for Hard Rock/Seminole Tribe of Florida and he was working for Renegade. And, it was so crazy because our paths started to cross in rock & roll. I was on the Hard Rock ticket and I was opening huge shows for Aerosmith and The Police and other big name acts as well. I asked Jean to come over and do this date with me as Beauvoir/Free. I think it was 2009 or 2010. We started playing together and the chemistry was there and it just wasn’t any less, it was actually better. I had had some time away, and he had had some time away, doing his thing. Jean and I were kicking around and last year I said, “You know what man? Let’s just do another record and let’s just call it Beauvoir/Free.” We played at Hard Rock Calling under that guise and the people dug it, they loved seeing us back together and they loved hearing the old Crown of Thorns stuff. Jean got in touch with Frontiers Records and lo and behold they were into the idea. ‘We’d love to have you guys do a record in the debut Crown of Thorns style,’ they said. And we laughed because that was the only style you’re going to get!”

Chelsey Luger. Photo courtesy Eller Bonifacio.

Free and Beauvoir did the whole album themselves. “We play everything on the whole record. It’s written 50/50, with us together. I do all the guitars. Jean produced it. [He] played bass, and a little rhythm, sometimes. He played drums. We did it all in his studio, Voodoo Island Studios, in Naples, Florida. It’s just us two. There’s no one else on that record … crazy, right?” The record’s title is a nod all the ladies who supported their rocker boyfriends over the years. “Living in LA in the ’80s, that was the most decadent time,” Free recalls. “And that’s when we were there. Dancers supported the industry, oh my god, you have no idea. Motley Crue, Poison, me, [and] most everybody then because when you were out there struggling you had a friend or a girlfriend who was a dancer and she would help you out. If I can remember that far back, most of those girls were so sweet man and it’s not like everyone thinks about a dancer doing it for all the wrong reasons. Some were trying to go to school, some had kids and they were supporting themselves and more than not, supporting their men as well. And, that is the whole truth about the song “American Trash.” We were like we are going to write a song called “American Trash,” and we’re going to make an homage to dancers who supported rock ‘n roll in those days, and STILL to this day.”

Free’s career has spanned more than 35 years. He was “discovered” and mentored by Gene Simmons of KISS at age 17. Since then, he has played with such rock royalty as Carlos Santana, Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) and David Santos (Billy Joel, John Fogerty Band). He is well-known from his days with successful dance/pop act Shalamar, and was in the lineup when the group earned a Grammy for a track on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Despite this high acclaim and long career, Free still gets the same rush when he’s onstage. “I gotta be honest, it’s always a good feeling when you put out a record, and you have put so much into the record. I wrote half of the record. We take pride in what we do. And to have the fans and the critics, which is very important, to be giving that CD 9’s and 10’s, it’s pretty satisfying as an artist and a musician to be received that way. You feel that way about all your projects. So, yeah, we’re very proud, very honored. The critics have been waiting for me to cut a record with Jean, after I left Crown of Thorns. So we finally did a record, and you can get it everywhere. American Trash has been getting rave reviews all across Europe. The funniest thing is you even can get it at Target. I want all my fans to know you can buy this record at Target! Is that crazy or what? I’ve been blessed by the Creator. And, I just want to put some positivity back out into the world.”

American Trash is available through multiple platforms. The latest tour and appearance information can be found at beauvoirfree.com.