New Single – We Go Around (ft. Loren Battley)

This gospel/rock infused piano song called “We Go Around” is now available on all streaming services. I feel like this is a nod to rock pianists like Leon Russell, Elton John and Ben Folds. I was fortunate enough to play with Forrest Giberson (bass) and Andy Sells (drums) for the instrumental elements. And then my good friend Loren Battley who has toured the world as a backup singer for arena tours added so much with her beautiful vocals.

Thank you all so much for checking out these latest releases. It’s been nice to hear from so many of you.

You can download for free (or donation) here on Bandcamp…

Here it is on Spotify…

Share with anyone you think would enjoy!

New Music – “Bad Brakes”

Today I’m releasing a new drum and bass single called “Bad Brakes”. This style of music means so much to me. Since I was in college I used to go to underground clubs just to hear as much of this kind of music as possible. As a keyboard player who studied classical and jazz, there were elements that overlapped. But I never felt confident in releasing this kind of music myself. There was so much mystery behind the sounds and I just didn’t have the chops to pull it off. I’m still not sure I do, but here’s my attempt. It was a lot of fun making this track. I hope you like it. Feel free to share with anyone you think would like it.

It’s available on all streaming platforms today.

You can download it for free or by donation here on Bandcamp. It’s Bandcamp Friday so anything you pay goes directly to artists.

Here is the Spotify link…

New Single – Dead Man Blues ft. Robin Holcomb & Jeff Fielder

I’ve just released a new single called Dead Man Blues. It features three of my favorite musicians that I’ve come across. Robin Holcomb is someone I took lessons with in Seattle after hearing her several times and being totally blown away by her songs, piano and singing. She sings on this track.

Jeff Fielder is one of the best guitar stylists for songwriters in the rock, blues and indie genres. It’s no wonder that he’s plucked up for several luminary artists’ tours and recordings.

And my longtime musical cohort, Forrest Giberson, plays bass. We started playing together constantly when we were 17-18 years old while at University of Miami.

You can download the track here…

Stream it here on Spotify…

Stream it here on YouTube…

Feel free to share with anyone you think would like it.

“Almost Better” – New Single Out Today

My new single “Almost Better” is out today. It started as a solo piano sketch. Then I manipulated the piano with effects and software to build the main theme. The Rhodes, Juno and drums were added to fill everything out. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to share with anyone you think would like it.

Bandcamp (pay what you want to download)…

Spotify…

New Annalee Single “Same Girl” and Balcony Improv Session #2

I have close to 1 hour of new music for you today.

On Friday, Annalee released her amazing single, “Same Girl”. I was fortunate to co-produce, mix and master this one. Anna is a former student who went to NYC and finished her Masters at Columbia. She had started this beautiful song and asked if I could help finish it. We had a lot of fun with this one and I’m blown away by her artistry and vision on this one. You can listen here:

I did a second round of a live improv looping session on the balcony. This time around I decided to pick random sounds that I never use from the synths and just roll with whatever happened. Sometimes I would pick a sound that was not quite appropriate for the vibe, but I wanted to challenge myself to adjust on the fly and see what would happen.

Here’s yesterday’s improvisation:

Live Looper Improv on the Balcony

I brought a couple of synths out on the balcony to try out this new software-based looper I’ve been customizing. I wanted to go very minimal with the setup and only used a Nord Lead 2 and Moog Mother 32 for the layers.

Maybe I’ll try some more of these. But it was a fun challenge to keep the music and sounds simple while I tried to hold it together for a whole improvised set. None of the sounds or music was planned ahead of time. I was just winging it the whole time.


New Song and Lyric Video – “Through My Eyes”

I’ve released a new single today called “Through My Eyes”. It’s now available on all streaming services including a free download on BandCamp.

If you’re a lyrics person, here is a lyric video for you…

You can download on BandCamp here for free:

Stream on Spotify here:

“Sweet Dreams Young Light” Out Today! A New Solo Piano Improvisation Album

At some point during quarantine I started recording 2 or 3 solo-piano improvisations before going to sleep. The goal was to challenge myself to create music that would (hypothetically) help people. Not play what my teachers taught me to play, not play something I would emphasize to students as a teacher – just focus on sounds, emotions and exploration without judgement.

Today, the first 1-hour collection of improvisations is available on all streaming services. There is also a new YouTube channel where all of these improvisations will be posted – subscribe to the new channel!

Here’s more about the process (links to the music below)…

“Sweet Dreams Young Light” is an album of piano improvisations where I wanted to create music that came from and returned to emptiness. I’ve always been fascinated by these types of magical recordings since I was a kid. When sound emerges from the vacuum, it can become its own universe – expanding and collapsing. I wanted these improvisations to have stops and starts, faster and slower tempos mixed together, no tempo to tempo, themes that dissipate before they develop… All with the intent of matching the flow or ideas that come and go from our mind as we reach for sleep, peace or quiet. I hope these pieces connect with and help you in some way.


BandCamp…


Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/1gTn5L9E98iTOT4GSi4xI2


YouTube…

Thanks for listening!

Michael

New Music – It’s Idle There Sky

My new single, “It’s Idle There Sky” is out now on all streaming services. You can also download it for free (or donate what you want) via the Bandcamp link below.

Cover Art

This is a piece that was written and recorded for piano. It expands into an atmospheric/cinematic soundscape as the piece unfolds.

The music video uses an overhead shot of me recording the piece on piano. I programmed the visuals to interact with the music to create a world around the soundscape of the piece.

I hope you enjoy!

Spotify:

Bandcamp:

New Piano & Voice Album Out Today – Last Call

Each year for the holiday growing up I would make tapes playing and singing songs as gifts for family members. To stay in that tradition this year, I decided to take the same approach with this album – a super-intimate recording that was live and raw. This is also the first time I’ve recorded a group of covers along with originals.

Singing and playing these songs reminded me of playing in bars over the years. There was a certain vibe that came over the place once last call came. The stragglers who didn’t want to go home (for not the happiest of reasons) and people trying to squeeze out the last little bit of fun created a unique mix. And it was always interesting playing music as things were winding down. These songs represent that vibe (or at least the way I remember it). I hope you enjoy the record! Share it with anyone you think would like it.

 

You can download for free through this Bandcamp link. Or follow links to the streaming services below.

 

Happy holidays and thanks so much for all the love and support this year.

 

Spotify

Apple Music

Amazon

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