Mike Verge is a singer and songwriter, whose music has been compared to acts such as Tom Petty, John Mayer, the Black Crowes and the Jayhawks. This Berklee College of Music graduate and Boston native has played gigs from Portland, Maine to the Caribbean, from coffee shops to arenas.
Most recently, Mike has enjoyed success as a songwriter for several independent films. Mike was approached by legendary producer Jack Douglas (John Lennon and Aerosmith) to write a song for the independent film, “This Thing of Ours†starring Frank Vincent, James Caan and Vincent Pastore (http://www.thisthingofoursthemovie.com). Mike wrote and recorded “Connected†which appears in multiple scenes of the film. Director Danny Provenzano asked Mike to take a stab at recutting The Doors classic “LA Woman†for the film. Mike enlisted the help of Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and cut the track, which also appears on the film’s soundtrack. This past year, the film was screened in theatres nationally and is scheduled for a March 2006 DVD and soundtrack release.
Mike also penned the song “SWAG†for the short film “Swagland,†which was screened at the Tribeca and San Francisco film festivals (http://colemanfilm.com/swag/). The film, produced by Mike Coleman of Colemanfilms and Myra Sheer, also appeared on Current TV a new, independent cable and satellite TV network, available in 20 million homes around the United States.
Mike recently enjoyed great success with his former band Virgil Cain as frontman and songwriter. In the short span of 24 months, the band was handpicked by Hootie & the Blowfish front man Darius Rucker to open for the Blowfish's sold-out New England appearances. The band was also selected from thousands of bands to perform at the NEMO Showcase. And, Virgil Cain was the featured live performer at the Fleet Center’s televised New England Sport Awards.
Mike’s songwriting style has attracted the attention of The Band drummer Levon Helm, who offered him a slot the Boston leg of his 2002 tour. Verge has also opened for several other big-name acts, including Dave Davies (The Kinks), Buck Cherry and Cheap Trick.
Mike was also commissioned to write a song for the opening and dedication of The Garden of Peace, a memorial for homicide victims in downtown Boston. Mike wrote and recorded “The Gardenâ€, and performed it live at the ceremony with a 35-voice gospel choir. Mike donated the song to the organization and it has raised thousands of dollars in downloads (www.gardenofpeacememorial.org).
