Once upon a time.....I have identified myself as a musician since I was fifteen years old and since that time, I have either been the lead singer in rock & roll bands, or a singer-songwriter, performing live, or making records. There isn't enough room here to cover my many years as a "struggling artist," so I will dedicate the music on this page to a snap shot of the singer-songwriter aspect of who I am, and include songs from my two Americana genre releases, "Wonder Why" and "The Wilderness Within."
I worked my ass off on "Wonder Why," while I was also releasing and promoting records on my indie label, "Zanman Records." I was also married at the time and a father to twin girls. It was a busy time. Zanman was officially launched after a trip to the Midem Music Conference in Cannes, France. We managed to release five good quality Americana CD's by great artists before the bottom fell out, due to the eminent bankruptcy of our US distributor. Starting a record label is not the smartest thing I've ever done. Our releases included artists from Austin TX, Atlanta GA, Chicago IL and Rockford, IL. Two of our artist releases hit the Americana Top Forty Charts and all received great reviews.
Back to "Wonder Why." Here are a few of the highlights. The Album Network, Burbank CA, listed it as a "best new music pick" in the Adult Rock category and Performing Songwriter, Nashville TN, picked it as a "Top Twelve Independent Recording." It wound up on Mark Snyder's "top ten" at WMSX radio in Boston. I did a live phone interview with Mark followed by some airplay but unfortunately, never got the opportunity to perform in Boston. The songs on "Wonder Why" are written around relationships, personal struggle and hope. I continue to received correspondence from people who appreciate this record, and I am grateful.
During that time, as time allowed, I also took any promotional opportunity I could get and any coffee house or acoustic gig I could scrounge. I remember playing an Italian Restaurant in Colombia MO, right in the middle of the dining room during the dinner rush. It was an almost painful experience. Earlier that day I did a live interview on the AAA/College radio station in Colombia, after driving six hours to get there. When I headed out of town for home they were spinning my disk on the radio. I guess that's the beauty of it. That experience, one of many such experiences pretty much says it all.
I recorded "The Wilderness Within" as a follow up to "Wonder Why" and started a new indie label, BIOacoustic. I didn't feel Wilderness had the continuity or production values to compete in the already over saturated Americana genre, and to tell the truth, I was exhausted and didn't have the energy to promote it, so I released it locally. It includes a whacked out slow acoustic version of the Cheap Trick classic, "I Want You to Want Me." The songs on Wilderness are written around spirituality and the experience of life.
After Zanman, Wonder and Wilderness, I settled down to work, make some money and rebuild, once again. I hooked up once again with "Robin’ Banks," a weekend cover band, as the lead singer. It was a classic Midwestern power pop band and a lot of fun. We won five RAMI (Rockford Area Music Industry) Awards and were inducted into the RAMI Hall of Fame. After Robin' Banks, I became the lead singer for another weekend cover band, the Sensations, a classic rock band chocked full of great players. I have recently left the Sensations in an effort to focus on original music, record and struggle. I am at my best musically when I am failing.
Struggle is the foundation of creativity and I am a struggling artist. It's the fight that keeps you free.
Michael BanksPlain MySpace Layouts by Iron Spider
