The year 2013 has been an eventful one for Mike Tramp, the former White Lion and Freak Of Nature frontman. Since the release of the praised semi-acoustic solo album "Cobblestone Street" in April, Mike has been touring constantly in all of Europe, Australia and in the states. This year alone he has been playing over a hundred shows!

To wrap up 2013 with manner Tramp will be releasing the Christmas single "The Way It Was Before", which is lot more serious than most other Christmas songs. Mike Tramp explains:

"The Way It Was Before" is actually a song that I have kept for many years. The song would never have been written if it haven't been for the events in New York City September 11th 2001, although it doesn't mention what happened that day.

I experienced the tragedy from my home in Tasmania at the time and remember the emptiness and feeling of helplessness that I got. New York City had meant everything to me. It was where I went to live out my dream and where my American history began.

New York City was the city that I had called my home for many, many years. I even won a New York City Music Award as best rock singer. September 11th changed everything. Suddenly we all had to give up part of our freedom and learn to live with the chaos and the restrictions that came with it. At Christmas time that year I sat with my guitar, and it was there that the song came to me. A longing to return to the way that things used to be."