Mike Casano profile picture

Mike Casano

mY kEy C

About Me


I'm a musician. Drums is my thing. Been playing since I was about three years old. Professionally I've been fortunate to have worked with a couple of big names, and many great players!! I hope to continue doing so... Maybe I could be playing with you!!!??.... I'm also a freelance writer, with a few articles to be published in upcoming issues of Modern Drummer magazine! Here is my full bio .
I've been playing with R&B/soul legends The Drifters since 2004. That's me kickin the drums on their 2005 live CD Charlie Thomas' Drifters Live!
I have also played several times with R&B legend Ellis Hall, an absolutely incredible singer and musician. I enjoy the challenge that comes with playing in all different kinds of bands and on many different projects. I get to play often with some unbelievably talented singer/songwriters like Katrin and Jen Murdza, and some ridiculous bands like the smokin East Side Horns featuring Mac Odom & Chill, The John Allmark Jazz Orchestra (featuring alumni from the Buddy Rich Band!), Myanna, Brass Force, Scott Tarulli Group and the funky jam band BD3 to name just a few.
As a freelance drummer, I'm always on the move! Here's just some of the artists/bands I'm currently working with... or have in the recent past
R&B/Soul/Funk - THE DRIFTERS, ELLIS HALL, BRASS FORCE,
EAST SIDE HORNS feat. MAC ODOM & CHILL, SOUL KITCHEN
Pop/Rock - KATRIN, JEN MURDZA
Rock/Prog Rock - DON LAPPIN
Jam Band - BD3: BIG DOG TRIO
Blues - BIG DADDY AND THE ACCELERATORS, LOIS GRECO,
GREGG MILLER GROUP, RORY & THE BLUESHOUNDS
Hip-Hop - GROVER, TRUE MONKS OF FUNK feat. ANONYMOUS,
TRUE MONKS feat. GRAN BASSO & KIRA
Jazz/Rock/Fusion - SCOTT TARULLI GROUP, ADAM DOUGLASS TRIO,
ETHAN GUTZEIT TRIO
Jazz/Funk - MYANNA
Jazz - GEORGE GARZONE, GARY VALENTE
MIKE CASANO QUARTET feat. GEORGE GARZONE,
MIKE CASANO COLLECTIVE feat. JEFF GALINDO, PHIL GRENADIER, PETE LEVESQUE, DENNIS HUGHES, MARK SNYDER
GEORGE BARNETT TRIO, SYNCOPATION, KEN CLARK ORGAN TRIO

Big Band Jazz - JOHN ALLMARK JAZZ ORCHESTRA, TOM NUTILE BIG BAND, CLOUD IX NONET, SOUNDS OF SWING
Classical - THE NEW ENGLAND PHILHARMONIC
Musical Theater - Dessa Rose at New Repertory Theater Watertown, MA
Also have played West Side Story, Crazy For You, Once On This Island, Gypsy, The King & I, Fiddler On The Roof, Grease, The Secret Garden, Godspell, The Pajama Game and others.
Albums Mike plays drums on:
THE DRIFTERS Charlie Thomas' Drifters Live!
KATRIN Soul Wide Open
(upcoming release)
CHRISTINE FAWSON My Side
(upcoming release)
ADAM DOUGLASS TRIO Seersucker
VOODOO STEW Act II
(Track 3 only)
Press
MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE On The Move - upcoming 2008
QUARTER NOTES Jazz Newsletter June 2006
BOSTON MAGAZINE City Style October 2005
Visit my website www.mikecasano.com for more info!!
"LITTLE THINGS"
KATRIN Live! at Lizard Lounge with Scott Tarulli, Jenn Oberle, Mike Casano 6/22/07
"WILDFLOWER"
KATRIN Live! at Lizard Lounge with Scott Tarulli, Jenn Oberle, Mike Casano 6/22/07
"REBOUNDIN"
JEN MURDZA Live! at Lizard Lounge with Joe Feloni, Arthur Snow, Mike Casano 3/29/08
"SCATTERBRAIN"
Don Lappin, Scott Tarulli, Eric Macpherson, Mike Casano Live! at Berklee 7/25/07

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/10/2006
Band Website: mikecasano.com
Band Members: the musicians playing on the tracks you hear on this page are

TOO CLOSE - Mac Odom & Chill (vocals), John Allmark (trumpet), Dino Govoni (sax), Artie Montanaro (trombone), Brendan Carniaux (bari sax), Mike Duke (guitar), Big P (keys), Bill Miele (bass), Mike Casano (drums). Recorded live at The Hi-Hat - Providence, RI - 1/17/08.
WILDFLOWER - Katrin (acoustic guitar and vocals), Scott Tarulli (electric guitar), Jenn Oberle (bass), Mike Casano (drums). Recorded live at The Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, MA - 6/22/07
THE CHAMP - Ken Clark (B3 organ), Mike Mele (guitar), Mike Casano (drums). Recorded live at the Acton Jazz Cafe - Acton, MA - 3/15/08.
THE SHOOTER - Myanna (sax), Ken Clark (B3 organ), Mike Mele (guitar), Dave Buda (bass), Mike Casano (drums). Recorded live at the Acton Jazz Cafe - Acton, MA - 12/8/07.
DRUM SOLO - Mike Casano (drums) - when the band comes in it's Scott Tarulli (guitar), Dennis Hughes (keys), Eric MacPherson (bass). Recorded live at the Abbey Lounge - Somerville, MA - 2/2/06.
TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND - Mac Odom & Chill (vocals), John Allmark (trumpet), Dino Govoni (sax), Artie Montanaro (trombone), Brendan Carniaux (bari sax), Mike Duke (guitar), Big P (keys), Bill Miele (bass), Mike Casano (drums). Recorded live at the Hi-Hat - Providence, RI - 1/17/08.
; myspace layouts :: Get this layout .
Influences: Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, D'Angelo, Mint Condition, A Tribe Called Quest, Prince, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Jay Z, Incognito, The Gap Band, James Brown, Maxwell, Jamiroquai, Tower of Power, Rick James, Mike Stern, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Chaka Khan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, Beyonce, Brand New Heavies, Erykah Badu, Common, The Roots, The Police, U2, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Bilal, Aretha Franklin, Chick Corea, Tye Tribbett & G.A., Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams, Christopher Brinson, RH Factor, The Meters, Chili Peppers, Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Pharcyde, Slum Village, Raphael Saadiq, Talib Kweli, Michael Jackson, Monk, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Cannonball Adderley, Woody Shaw, Buddy Rich, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fringe, Bilal, early Black Eyed Peas, Bob Berg, Ellis Hall, Stevie Ray Vaughan, J Dilla, Sublime, Galactic, Teddy Pendergrass, Graham Central Station, Marcus Miller, AWB, Kenny Garrett, Joey Calderazzo, Al Green, P Funk, Rufus, Booker T and the MG's, Ray Charles, anything on Stax records, and a whole lotta old school FUNK!......the list is endless.......

(drums)
Steve Gadd, Jack DeJohnette, Bernard Purdie, Dennis Chambers, Gerald Heyward, Steve Smith, Lil John Roberts, Teddy Campbell (killin it on American Idol), Chris Dave, John Blackwell, Aaron Spears, Brian Frasier Moore, Nikki Glaspie, Charles "Dogg" Haynes, Steve Jordan, all the cats from gospel chops!!!!!, Tony, Elvin, Dave Weckl, John Bonham, David Garibaldi, Brian Blade, Nathaniel Townsley, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Yogi Horton, Mike Clark, Al Jackson, Steve Ferrone, ?uestlove, Idris Muhammad, Louis Hayes!!, Kenwood Dennard, Vinnie Colaiuta, Travis Barker, Abe Fogel, Keith Carlock, Gene Lake, J Dilla, Carter Beauford, Tony Thompson, Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett.....this list is also endless.....anyone with a vibe to their playing!

(some favorite albums)
Stevie Wonder all of it!!!
D'Angelo Live at the Jazz Cafe London
Jill Scott Live in Paris
James Brown In The Jungle Groove
James Brown Motherlode
Jay Z Unplugged
The Roots Do You Want More?!!?
John Scofield Plays The Music of Ray Charles
A Tribe Called Quest The Anthology
Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus!
Headhunters Return of the Headhunters
Neville Brothers Live on Planet Earth
Me'Shell Ndegeocello Peace Beyond Passion
Angie Stone Mahogany Soul
In Yo Face The History of Funk Vol. 1-5
Atomic Funk
Motown Remixed
Jackie Brown Soundtrack
more 2 come....
Sounds Like: somethin that makes you wanna get up offa that thang!
Type of Label: None

My Blog

MIKE HITTIN' ON YOU TUBE!

There are a whole slew of video clips of me playing with various people on you tube... Here are the links. Check em out!! KATRIN  Live at Lizard Lounge  6/22/07 - Katrin (acoustic guitar, vo...
Posted by Mike Casano on Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:50:00 PST

MIKE IN MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE! - UPDATE!!!

I'm going to have a few articles I wrote published in upcoming issues of Modern Drummer magazine!! One is a piece called So Are You Serious?  It is basically about how to improve b...
Posted by Mike Casano on Tue, 22 May 2007 07:04:00 PST