An infusion of rock, jazz, pop and soul. A unique blend of guitar, sax, drums and percussion.

13 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, POP: Folky Pop



Details:
"I started writing songs" reveals Mike Corrado, "just as a way to express some thoughts. The training I received in military school was intended to keep me focused with strict discipline and regimen. But composing has kept my mind open."

Singer songwriter Mike Corrado traded in his rifle for an acoustic guitar to pursue music. His success, like his music, keeps growing. "Though I didn't come from a musical family," he continues, "I'd been playing drums regularly in bands since the second grade. When the time came to choose a direction in life and make a decision on college, I actually turned down a music scholarship and opted for the Citadel. Had I done otherwise I wouldn't have taken academics seriously."

After earning a business degree, traveling the world, and serving in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer, Mike formed a powerful ensemble under his own name. The Mike Corrado Band melds American traditional rock, jazz, R & B, funk, and adult alternative pop along with a jam band work ethic that has built a substantial following through incessant touring, word-of-mouth, and independent radio airplay.

Mike's concert appearances with renown recording artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Bob Weir & Ratdog, Train, Vertical Horizon, The Legendary Wailers, Edie Brickel & The New Bohemians, Six Pence None The Richer, Sister Hazel, and Edwin McCain among others, continue to bring new fans into the fold. "Sure, I've played with many big names, but most of the time it was all about pounding the pavement. There was about two or three years where I was doing something like 250 to 300 shows per year with my group." The Mike Corrado Band released Ziller & The Baboon in 2001. Though the record came out on September 12 and a subsequent tour had to be postponed, Mike looks forward to the future.

"I don't know what people are used to hearing, but it's an amazing experience to go into a venue for the first time and blow it apart! The feedback I garner from audiences is fantastic. My band turns heads even though we're introducing material people have never heard before. The ongoing challenge for me is to hold my own with great musicians like Robert Cray, who we've played with. Obviously, he has hard-core blues fans, but I go up there with just a little bit of a different take on it. I've performed along side of Collective Soul, John Mayer, and Susan Tedeschi and I love to bring my music to a wide variety of audiences, young and old. Our performances are given to improvisation and the songs evolve night after night. I was able to capture that spark on Ziller. Discovering something new is a big part of the excitement of playing live. Occasionally there's a train wreck, but that's the chance I take."

Mike Corrado's songs have been featured in MTV's "Road Rules," "Semester At Sea," and "Dawson's Creek." At present Mike is back in the reserves. The historic circumstance allows him the opportunity to take a respite from the road. "I came off active duty in the Marines in 1997 and I've been supporting myself solely as a touring musician since then. When I'm on the road I have tunnel vision. It's all about getting to the next gig and concentrating on the next performance. My band and I are going off and doing different things in order to come back fully charged. Right how, I have to serve for a year, but I plan on getting back on the circuit in the Spring of 2003. In the meantime, I will be developing songs and writing. I'm excited at the prospect of composing for films and television as well."

"The success of my merchandising and CD sales has been encouraging. Even though I'm considered a regional artist, when people hear my songs on the radio they do not distinguish between national and local musicians. They hear my music and they want to buy it. I always do best with crowds that come to listen to music and who want to hear someone that pours their heart and soul into every note. And that's exactly what I do."