“I try to combine my interests in all the forms of music that inspire me. Funk, Acoustic, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rock, Bluegrass, Acapella…They all find their way into my writing in various degrees. Some more obviously than others.“
His most recent endeavour, Simply Human, is a 6 person a cappella group. Mike does beatboxing, vocal percussion, and also sings along with Ed Kinum, Farouk Rojas, Siobahn Hotaling, Sarah Peters, and Kathy Ethier. Simply Human and Keith Raniere are the founders and hosts of the 'Simply Human A-Capella Innovations Conference' that was held on December 1st & 2nd, 2007 for the first time at the Egg in Albany, NY. Simply Human is currently in the studio working on their first release.
"A cappella is a naked art. There isn't too much to hide behind."
Mike also runs Boondock Productions, an artist production company from Albany, NY. The company’s goal is to offer better, more economical resources to aspiring musicians and help them stabilize themselves with the basic tools needed to start a career. A few of the artists that helped Boondock establish itself were: Nic Engel, Jonnie Baker, Liz Malys, Rachel Matthews, and Drew Coles.
“I love to create, and I love attention. Those are the two biggest factors in my performance career right now…Whenever I play live I try to recreate the feeling that I had when I first wrote each song. I think it’s important to be as genuine in each emotional state as I can. The crowd can feel that, and they respond to it. Each show ends up being a rollercoaster for me. Songs from all ends of the spectrum, and stories to accompany them that sometimes seemingly have nothing to do with music (i.e. militia war tactics, “super mario brother’s†references, and bad fake southern accents). I always manage to have a good time."
Mike is working on a solo album as we speak and plans to release a 4 song album preview in early april.
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