My name is Mike Kissel and I'm a singer/songwriter trying to hold true to the tradition of James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Robert Earl Keen Jr., and many others who have already paved the way.
I have many other diverse influences including Steve Morse, Randy Rhoads, The Eagles, Tommy Emmanuel, Pure Prairie League, Heartsfield, Pink Floyd, Metallica, El McMeen, Larry Pattis, Megadeth, Marshall Tucker Band and Dave Mason. As from this list, you can see why I might be hard to pin down, but overall, I hope I write songs that are from the heart and that mean something to others.
I was born in June of 1963 and I grew up listening to Ian and Sylvia, Pozo-Seco Singers, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Beatles and other Folk/Rock influences. It was my mother, Susan Friedland, who is really the one who should be credited with showing me how much music can play a role in one’s life. These musicians, along with my mother, took a deep root in my musical foundation.
As the 70’s gave way to the 80’s, I became, increasingly, influenced by the Heavy Metal/ Hard Rock guitar that was sweeping the nation. Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Dokken and many others shaped my intended approach to playing guitar and writing songs.
Life, love and time took me away from those influences into the 90’s and guitar playing became secondary to raising 2 young children and keeping alive a thriving marriage. For 8 years, my guitars sat in a closet collecting dust.
Then, in late 1998, a miraculous event occurred. An old friend and guitar player, one I highly respected, reminded him of how guitar playing does not mean disregard for responsibility. It was the lifestyle I was surrounded by that had tainted my ambition. And so, I began playing again, doing fingerstyle and acoustic covers.
After a few years, the creative juices began to flow again and I began again to write songs. My CD, Life Goes On, available at CDBaby, is the culmination of those efforts.
I hope that the listener will enjoy my songs as they are truthful and honest. Each set of songs, book-ended by instrumentals, tell a different real life story. Listen closely, and maybe those stories will mean something to you.
Mike Kissel
