Detroit native Mike Vial, luckily wears his heart on his sleeve giving the listener, beautiful, heartfelt songs. Picking up where Duncan Sheik left off, Mike's singing and songwriting reflect not only where he wears his heart, but includes a fierce intellect that helps to create a modern day sound.
Since age 16, early life found Mike playing in prestigious groups, forcing him to quickly develop versatility on the guitar which made him more than just a singer/songwriter. He was not only studying guitar, songwriting, and voice, but in addition, he was going to school to become a high school English teacher. After graduating from WMU in 2003, Mike and Aaron Noon created the Arrogant Rock Kings, an acoustic duo that played regionally quickly building a rabid fan base. As a solo artist, he continued to play the regional area working his way towards his new recording Three Men and a Tiger.
The new CD shows off Mike's virtuosic approach to guitar playing. In his words, "I continuously challenge myself and hopefully the songwriting combined with the guitar work and voice, will lend sophistication to the signature sound that I am looking for."
Some of Mr. Vial's favorite shows have been with the Regional Musicians Guild, the Sunago Gospel band at the Pontiac Silverdome. His instrumental music was used regularly on WTKA in Ann Arbor and his other songs have been played on nationwide
However, Mike's true passion and talent comes out in his songwriting, which is apparent on his first record with producer Marshall Block of Real ii Reel . He has studied under Michigan based, music professionals Trish Mroz, Chris Blackmer, and Ken Andreoni, and Kate Hart.
Thanks to Erica for the above open mic (Feb 2007) video from her cell phone!
