Miché Fambro

The Verve will play host to world-renowned musicians tonight. Though legendary performer James Brown is often referred to as the hardest working man in show business, that phrase isn't far off in describing musician Miché Fambro, a self-taught guitarist who will appear at the Verve tonight... "A lot of musicians I know are very rhetorically ambitious," Miché explained, "Either they just don't do the hard work, or they have all types of excuses." Miché first performed at the Verve in Terre Haute during his U.S. tour that covered 17 states and 40-50 shows. (When he returned to the Verve on his way back to NY), "The place just kind of really went nuts... When you walk inside a place and everybody's chanting your name, it's just magical." - Indiana Statesman

More years ago than I can face head on, Fambro's group, Miché and the Anglos, was the Phish of Flower City, the Dave Matthews Band of the Genesee Valley, or any analogy that may actually impress you and could easily be inserted psychically here. I know about such things because I ... was a Miché and the Anglos groupie. ... It's the only band I have ever followed around the country... I wasn't the only one. Miché Fambro looked like actor LeVar Burton, played guitar like Michael Hedges, and sang like some vocal intersection of Al Jareau, John Popper and Corey Glover... My girlfriend at the time had the hots for him. It was OK. Everybody's girlfriend had the hots for him. Everybody's girlfriend received special dispensation to have the hots for him... Miché and the Anglos disbanded in 1990 and Fambro developed a solo act that involved intricate, percussive acoustic guitar and soaring vocals... After he went solo, Fambro continued to enjoy a high regional reputation (his extraordinary guy-and-guitar, over-dub free 1999 CD "My Canvas" was ecstatically reviewed ...). (Miché's) first tour has given him a new perspective on his talents and potential. "Here's one of the things I've discovered. I have always been one of those people who was getting told, 'Oh, you have all this promise. You should be doing this. You should be doing that. What on earth are you doing here?' Well, you've got to be somewhere," Fambro deadpans. "Now that I'm going all over the place, a lot of people seem very, very happy with what I'm doing." (Steve Penhollow) - The Journal Gazette

Hailing from upstate NY, singer, guitarist and songwriter Miché Fambro specializes in a more quiet storm - a delicate blend of acoustic chamber folk, Brazilian tropicalismo and metaphysical introspection - on The Chapel Session (Slidd, CD). The album was actually recorded in a church a la the Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Session, and you can practically feel the ambient hush hanging over Fambro's elegant picking and the sweet longing and devotion in his singing... Beautiful, earnest, soulful. (David Fricke) - David Fricke

Miché Fambro bridges the gaps between several musical styles - classical, folk and jazz. In fact, he sometimes sounds strangely reminiscent of an improvisationally-inclined James Taylor who's had a strict musical upbringing. This diverse way of looking at all things musical could work to Fambro's disadvantage. Instead, the talented singer-musician uses his flexible voice, and undeniable talent playing acoustic guitar, and a comfortable attitude toward the addition of subtle percussion and obvious strings to his already elegant agenda, to wrap up his music in a very pretty package... (Ellen Geisel) - Ellen Geisel

You're gonna love Miché Fambro, Ithaca's newest star. His second acoustic album, My Canvas, mixes jazz, classical, Latin, and pop influences with his own idiosyncratic technique, and is a real winner.
As a kid in Philadelphia, Miché played the drums. At 14, he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play, left-handed and upside-down, tuned down a whole step in ascending fourths. Ooops. But it never mattered. Miché is intricately invloved with the percussive nature of his instrument. He sure bangs the heck out of his guitar! My Canvas is recorded live with no overdubs. You might think you're hearing a drummer accompanying him, but you're not. It's all Miché all the way.
But he's no sterile shotgunner. He's also got a soaring tenor and a talent for writing poignant songs. In this album dedicated to his daughter, Miché sings about growing up without a father and about losing a childhood friend to street violence...
I was lucky enough to catch Miché's set at the Ithaca Festival and I was thrilled... Miché radiates energetic happiness and a generous spirit, the power of a man following his own compass. (Bridget Meeds)
- Ithaca Times

"It was truly an honor to have Miché perform... a highlight of our summer." (Jason, owner of The Shop - Spokane, WA)

"Yes!!!""Awesome!""Amazing rhythms!""Incredibly musical""Brilliant" (fans in Seattle and Bellingham, WA)

"Your CD plays often at the Hotel Utah." (BobOMagic - host, SanFrancisco, CA)

"You are an amazing musician and an absolute joy to watch." (Billy Harper, fan - Terre Haute, IN)

"The CD is excellent!" (Steve, owner of the Kraftbrau Brewery - Kalamazoo, MI)

"Your Music is fantastic and the world...is hungry for fresh, rich, beautiful Music like yours... It reaches everyone and anyone." (Marcelo Guimaraes, fan - Rochester, NY)

"Holy S---!!! You're Amazing!!!!!" (Theresa Vermeesch, fan - Ventura, CA) - around the U.S.

MUSICIAN PROFILE: Miche Fambro
By Frank De Blase on April 21, 2010


Miche Fambro’s current weekly show at Little Theatre Café combines music and a kind of late-night talk show concept. PHOTO BY FRANK DE BLASE
Beneath Miche Fambro's suave exterior stands a musician in conflict, a fascinating artist, an enigmatic performer, a self-proclaimed square. However, Fambro's music works well as a tool for deciphering the man. As a guitarist, Fambro colors outside the lines with a polyrhythmic attack that incorporates the instrument's body as much as its strings. This from a man who doesn't go out of his way to pimp his talents.
"I would say I'm not a good guitarist," Fambro says. "I'm not really into the guitar, but I am into music. And the guitar happens to be the tool." See?
Vocally, Fambro moves from lullaby lush to barrelhouse baritone. He is utterly engaging and perhaps a little unclassifiable. There are healthy doses of soul and jazz and splashes of other things from around the world, but there are the non-musical components - mood, story - that swing just as much weight.
"When you say ‘sound,' it sounds so weird," he says. "Because I don't even know what my sound is. But I've always felt whatever it is you're going to do, bring yourself to it. So I've never been interested in ever being like anyone else. For example, my style with the acoustic guitar, people would say, ‘Michael Hedges, are you into Michael Hedges?' Well, not exactly. Meaning that, I'm not a guitar fan, I don't really like to listen to the guitar. I like to play it."
Peter Gabriel offered some criticism to Fambro's manager years ago. According to Fambro, after Gabriel heard some of his music, Gabriel said that he had something, a great voice, and encouraged him to focus on and exaggerate his idiosyncrasies. And Fambro has made a career out of doing just that.
It was Philadelphia in 1977, and the young Fambro auditioned as guitarist for a band touring the country on the hotel circuit. Two years on the road playing guitar and doing the duck walk with the band was enough. Fambro fell in love with the last tour stop and decided to jump ship.
"I'd had it," he says. "The last gig with that band was in Geneseo, New York. Coming from Philly, the whole scene was different, there was only, like, three black guys in town. I really liked the small-town feel, everybody knew each other. I just couldn't leave."
Fambro got an apartment, but the waiter job he had lined up fell through.
"I was stranded in Geneseo," says Fambro. "I had to play out of necessity." So he went back to playing music, hitchhiking, and taking the bus to Rochester for gigs.
In the early 1980's he formed The Deserters. After assuring booking agents that the band did covers - even though it didn't - The Deserters did well; audiences dug the all-original act. But it wasn't quite like the hysteria he'd experienced on the road.
"It was nothing like being liked in one of these hokey hotel bands," he says. "People throwing panties at you, it was unbelievable for a square like me coming out of Philly, being thrown to the lions, to the real world... Hey man, I hadn't even had a girlfriend yet."
The band lasted two years before dissolving. Fambro almost immediately formed the multi-dimensional, post-new wave Miche and the Anglos in its wake in early 1983. The band lasted eight years and released three albums.
Though he continued to play, it was with a certain sense of disillusion that Fambro quit listening to music in the 1990's.
"It became a problem for me ever since the word ‘demographics' entered into the music lexicon," he says. "It has been a real disaster for artists who fall through the cracks. And I fall between the cracks. It was a struggle for a young person knowing you're not hip."
This is baffling, because the figure Fambro cuts on stage, the way he carries himself, and of course the way he plays is the epitome of hip and cool. He has the guts to go beyond the sound. What goes into Fambro's music is as important as the music itself. He is intrigued with theories and ideas, not just their applications. That way there's no right or wrong.
"I find I respond more to concepts," he says. "So almost by default you're going to end up doing something creative by trying to figure out how to do something, instead of somebody saying, ‘This is how to do it.'"
His latest concept is a variety show of sorts. It has run this month at the Little Theatre Caf?, and he is in talks with MuCCC in the Neighborhood of the Arts to move the Miche Fambro Show over there.
At 53, Fambro commands the Miche Fambro Show, singing, playing, and sitting at his desk interviewing and interacting with guests. It's as if Jack Paar and Billy Eckstine had a baby and gave him a microphone. And though he's genuinely bashful, Fambro is funny as hell. And can he sing.
"I'm a closet crooner," he says before finally admitting to some of his talent. "I think that I'm a gifted singer. Why? Because I don't have to work at it. Guitar, I have to work at that, man. I still practice. I don't know why but I do."
"I'm what I would call a professional introvert now," he says. "You know what you are and you're comfortable with it. I no longer have reservations, I have nothing to prove." And no one there to tell him to do the duck walk.
"The duck walk is the reason I left the [hotel] band," he says. "After a while I refused to do it. There's nothing more demeaning than somebody making you do the duck walk when you don't want to."

- Rochester City Newspaper

Miché Fambro, “Can You Spare Some Change,” Mp3 Review

Talent, talent, talent. I’m at a loss for all but this word when describing Miché Fambro. This guy is not only a classical guitar virtuoso; he’s got a set of vocal pipes that are unbelievable. My favorite tune of Fambro’s is a unique jazzy number called, “Can You Spare Some Change,” off of his Café Vignettes CD.

Fambro opens this song with some spectacular nylon string guitar work. It’s truly phenomenal. He then adds some thumping percussion to the body of the guitar, while managing to pluck some guitar riffs and chords with the same hand. There’s no guitar overdubbing here.

Vocally, Fambro is very strong. He chooses mostly to forgo lyrics in this tune, with the exception of intermittent lines such as, “Can you spare some change?” Instead, he uses his voice as an instrument, creating a pleasing be-bop, zee-bop kind of melody. The approach is perfect for the song. I don’t know if Fambro has ever done any busking (playing music on the street for change), but this song sure has an authentic, street-busking feel. Fambro plays on his guitar as if no one is listening, humming along and throwing in other lines such as, “Thank you very much” and, “Getting cold, no winter coat.” All the while, he’s thumping and strumming away.

Even with his simplistic vocal approach, there are moments in “Can You Spare Some Change” that allow Fambro to truly show off his great vocals, especially towards the end of the tune. If you really want to hear him wail, check out some of his other songs on his Café Vignettes CD. Also, look up some of the phenomenal videos floating around the Internet of Fambro covering some jazz standards.

Miché Fambro is a guitar master and amazing vocalist. His tune, “Can You Spare Some Change,” showcases a fantastic performance unlike any I’ve ever heard. I highly recommend you give it a listen.

Artist Website: www.miche.com

Reviewed By: ListenersGeneration.com - ListenersGeneration.com

"Extremely Innovative -- a truly gifted acoustic artist" Jim Turner, BrewHouse Live owner, La Plata, MD, 11/07 - BrewHouse Live!

http://www.juniorscave.com/Miche.html

New Music Now Spotlight:
Miché Fambro
Published: January 26, 2008 2:58 PM EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior
(Juniorscave.com)

A man of many skills, Miché captivates his listeners with his mastery of the guitar. But his mastery of the guitar is not his only forte; Miché is an amazing singer with skills that equally match that of his guitar playing. The bottom line is that Miché knows how to entertain; and he does it well.

One of the magical parts about Miché’s performances is that he fuses elements of flamenco, jazz, classical, pop and soul into a style all his own. But, if you don’t believe me, check out his EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on Sonicbids.com (Music Resources/Submission Giant) for yourself. It is our pleasure to introduce to you this funky fun spotlight of the highly energetic performer, Miché.

Isaac-Joseph: Hello Miché, how are you doing today? I am thankful for this interview with you my new friend.

Miché: I’m doing great and I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to yak to someone other than myself.

Isaac-Joseph: You are amazing with the guitar. Elaborate on your beginnings with the guitar:

Miché: I started out as a drummer. My younger brother was the first musician in the family and I played his drums. When we’d go for walks with my grandmother, we would always pass this pawn shop that had a guitar and amplifier in the window. We thought it was cool, and eventually my grandmother bought it – for my brother. So, then my interest shifted to the guitar. My grandmother wasn’t happy that I was now playing both of my brother’s instruments. Can you tell who she liked better? Anyway, to make a long story short, I developed my guitar/drumming technique as a way of getting even with my grandmother.

Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now as an entertainer?

Miché: One of the things that have been awkward for me through the years is that my taste in music is all over the place. I like a lot of things. I do a lot of things. But, it’s difficult to find situations where you’re allowed to do it all. In the jazz realm, it’s almost as though you’re not permitted to do folk-style music. In a folk context, you’re shunned for singing “Misty.” But as an entertainer, the context shifts and the focus becomes more about whom you are rather than what you’re doing. It’s very freeing. So, I’m claiming that aspect of myself – the entertainer who plays music.

Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged you the most?

Miché: What I find most discouraging is the fact that in the music business, when you’ve been doing something long enough to finally figure out what you’re doing, you’re considered too old to do it. As an old black guy who looks like a wombat, I find that discouraging. People like their stars to be young and pretty, and I am neither. Dang.

Isaac-Joseph: You have some new releases. Expound on your new project and what can we expect from them.

Miché: Café Vignettes is my latest acoustic project. It’s my second solo CD. I recorded it at home and I really wanted it to capture my essence as a person and as a performer, so this project is a mixture of guitar and monologues. I talk about traveling around the country playing at various cafés. I thought it would be fun to give some context to who was actually playing the music – “What about that guy? Who is this Miche anyway?”

Isaac-Joseph: What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording (recently moving to Maryland)?

Miché: The most challenging place in which I recorded was certainly the Memorial Chapel at Union College in Schenectady, NY, where I did “The Chapel Session.” I have plenty of experience with recordings. I’ve even produced a number of other acts years ago. But, what made the Chapel Session so challenging was its simplicity. It was an audiophile recording - basically, live, no overdubs – just 2 microphones and the pressure to deliver a performance worthy of the process. I was very nervous and very cold (there wasn’t much heat in the room), and I had to time each song to begin and end before the chimes in the bell tower rang. There were three 8-hour sessions recorded out of which I was only able to use 36 minutes. This was a humbling experience.

Isaac-Joseph: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

Miché: I’m born and raised in Philadelphia but my musical awakening didn’t really begin until I ended up in Upstate NY. That was when I began to do my own material and to discover myself as an artist. During those years, I explored progressive pop with two different bands playing the club scene. I then moved into acoustic music and the café scene where I’ve spent the last bunch of years, including a couple of tours of the US and Canada. When I followed my wife to the DC area two years ago, I knew that it was pretty much a jazz town, and since I was always a difficult artist to categorize, it dawned on me that maybe I should go ahead and embrace the jazz part of myself as a way of having a particular audience to target in this area. So, I began singing jazz, hoping that it would allow the opportunity to get people curious about the other aspects of my music, which has in fact happened. The challenge now is to consolidate all the fans from all over who are interested in the various parts of what I do.

Isaac-Joseph: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

Miché: The last song I wrote was actually a year ago - a Christmas song. I wrote it with my wife who provided the lyrics. For a number of years, we were moving around a lot and people were always hearing the music for the first time, so there wasn’t the incentive to create new music. Now that the motivation has returned, I’ve been thinking that music may not be the best or only medium through which to express myself. I’m playing around with a screenplay about an unassuming but exceptionally talented black guy who’s competing against big personalities, big breasts, big budgets, and big attitudes. He’s quite aware that he’s never going to experience conventional fame. This brother knows he doesn’t stand a chance but just keeps going because … well, he doesn’t really know why. That’s what he’s trying to find out.

Isaac-Joseph: As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

Miché: That’s an interesting subject for me. You’re talking to a guy who has thousands of record albums (currently for sale). I quit listening to music in the late ‘80s in an attempt to discover who I was. This was courtesy of a trip to Europe. I was really into esoteric, non-mainstream music and went through a phase where anything non-American was hip. I was a buyer of imports at a record store and got to listen to it all. Then I went to Europe where I discovered that they thought everything non-European was hip. I realized that it was time to let go of my heroes and to figure out who I was so that wherever I was or wherever I went, I’d still be me. So, I quit listening to music. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that to others. Anyway, after all this time, I’m enjoying rediscovering music. I love the MySpace thing – not only do you get to hear new music, but to meet and talk to the people who make it. I’m still new to this, but am finding it very exciting.

Isaac-Joseph: Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

Miché: For listening, I certainly like the old stuff. I love listening to the crooners from the 40s to the 60s. I guess I still don’t listen to too much music, but there are some artists I always enjoy … Steel Pulse, Gino Vannelli, Sinatra, and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Isaac-Joseph: Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

Miché: Gino Vanelli’s “Brother to Brother” album. I also love Stan Freberg’s “Greatest Hits.” I also recorded a couple of tracks with this rap ukulele player named Jonathan Braman who I think people should check out.

Isaac-Joseph: What is your favorite song of yours that you enjoy performing on stage?

Miché: “Now That You’ve Got Your Girl” - It’s the one song that has the folk thing meshed with The Four Tops, and I love the Four Tops.

Isaac-Joseph: This is what we call our Shout Out time. Elaborate on any and everyone that matters the most to you:

Miché: Shout Out to my family – we’ve been making some serious changes in our lives – my wife left her job so that we could focus on my career. One thing I’ve learned over the years is how easy it is to be rhetorically ambitious. We all want the prize. We all want the goods. But when it comes down to it, most of us decide that it’s either not worth it or asking too much. My family’s answer to this is that we’re selling everything we own in an attempt to accomplish more than I’ve ever done in the past – freeing ourselves to go anywhere and to do whatever we need to do. At worst, we’ll be poor-er. So, I’ve got my family. And I’ve got hope. And somewhere, sometime, something is gonna make some sense.


- http://www.juniorscave.com/Miche.html