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Normally, I am not a fan of tribute songs, especially those composed on the fly right after a tragedy of some sort, but I was moved to tears by one I heard played as part of a medley of songs accompanying footage of the events of the past week. This was shown on NBC's Today Show Thursday or Friday last week.
The song moved me so much, I tried to find out who wrote and played it, but I discovered accidentally late last night watching the local TV news.
The song is "Nine-Eleven" by a young West Palm Beach guitar band, The Curve. They were interviewed and absolutely did not strike me as opportunists. They don't even have a CD out yet. They donate all proceeds from the sale of the CD to the Red Cross or victims' relief funds. - talkbass
I heard musician Mike Sanchez at a Daughtry/SafetySuit concert, and he was quite memorable. Not only were his vocals awesome, he seemed to be a real genuine person. Here’s one of the tracks off his EP “Grove & Third Sessions,” which features three songs that he collaborated with Daughtry and Brian Craddock to write: “Without You,” “Stuck in the Middle” and “Midnight Getaway.” I’ve downloaded each of them and can honestly say they’re are all worth listening to… many times.
Also, here’s a link to his backstage tailgate series in which he covers many amazing tracks, and you get to hear/see even more of this up-and-coming musician: - themusiccentre
DAUGHTRY
With special guests Safetysuit & Mike Sanchez
THURSDAY, MAY 24 AT 8PM
Tickets on-sale Friday at 10am!
Tweet it: Rocker @CHRIS_Daughtry brings his band #Daughtry to @TheJointLV @HardRockHotelLV on Thurs May 24. Tix on sale Fri @ 10am
Las Vegas, NV (Feb 29, 2011) Multi-platinum rock band Daughtry has announced a second round of dates for its highly anticipated Break The Spell 2012 Tour which kicks off this March. The tour will make a stop at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Thursday, May 24. Daughtry is pleased to welcome special guest Nashville-based pop rock group SafetySuit whose new album These Times debuted No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Opening the show is singer-songwriter Mike Sanchez. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am. - AEGLive
Just before Mike Sanchez finishes his set, he whips out his iPhone and snaps a picture of the crowd. “Follow me on Twitter because I’m going to take a picture of the audience and I want you to try and find yourself!”
Mike Sanchez gets it.
HEY, WHO’S THE OPENER TONIGHT?
“From industry standards, you can’t try and out perform the main act. You’re playing there for a reason; you’re opening the show. I’m happy and humbled to be there, so I’m going to set up the best show possible.”
“I’m also going to make sure everyone knows who I am. I’m going to play my tunes, I’m going to tell you where to get them, I’m going to do my Twitter and do my Facebook, I’m going to tell you that I’ll be at the merch table, I’m going to play a couple covers, you know. I have 20-25 minutes to connect. I’m the new kid. People come to the shows and they’re like ‘Who is this guy?’ I have to connect. It’s not like Oh I’m going to see Mike Sanchez, he plays the one song I love, it’s not at that point yet. I’ve got to find connections. So my whole thing is about connecting with the audience.”
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MY WHOLE LIFE… SO YEAH, I’M READY.
Mike spent virtually his entire life trying to make it in music, and right now he’s knocking on the door.
“My dream was to always be the singer of the band. I knew I wasn’t that great of a guitar player, wasn’t the best drummer. I could play bass, but singing I had a little more control of. I wanted to be David Lee Roth.”
Mike got his break like so many before him: with a bit of luck, and a whole lot of talent.
“I met Chris [Daughtry] in California and we became buddies. So when he would come to town he’d call me up and say “Hey man, want to open for us with your band?”
“One night he was playing in St. Petersburg and at that time I didn’t have a band. He called me up and said, ‘Hey man I need an opener for the show, do you want to come and hang and have a good time and open the show?’ And I said ‘Well, it’s literally just me, it’s become just me and a guitar. He said, ‘Well do you still want to do it?’ And I said yeah.
“So I showed up and he’s like you weren’t kidding, its just you and a guitar. And he watched the show and said THAT’s what’s going to pop. Just you on stage with a guitar, that’s your starting point, and we’re going to write songs and make this happen. I had tons of songs but you know, you get your foot in the door and you collaborate with different people and things can really start to happen.”
“It took awhile after that. They had a crazy schedule playing and writing. Then one day Chris called me out of the blue and said ‘OK: you, guitar, let’s go to L.A. and write some songs and see what happens. No promises, let’s just see what happens.’
“So we go, and the rest is history. First night we were there, we got a couple beers, wrote a couple good songs, started recording them in L.A. Then I flew back home. Before you know it, we had about 4 or 5 songs, we did some really solid recordings. And I was like wow that’s awesome.”
“Then he said ‘We’re thinking about taking you on the road with us,’ and I said ‘Well that would be great.’ Of course it’s just talk and you never know. Then I got the call and he’s says: ‘Alright let’s do this. You ready?’ And it’s like, uhh I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, so yeah. (laughs)
IT’S KIND OF LIKE WE’RE SITTING ON THE TAILGATE OF A CAR, JAMMING AND HAVING A BEER
Before every show, Mike grabs his iPhone and records a Backstage Tailgate video. Then he immediately uploads it to YouTube.
“I started right off the bat. First show in Buffalo I took a picture of the audience – I’m like boom follow me on Twitter. I had the record on iTunes at the time, but that’s all I really had. I tried to meet as many people as I could but after the second show, they’re like OK we’re turning people away at the merch table. People want your music but they also want something to sign after the show. Cool. So what else could I do, especially for people who maybe didn’t buy the CD, maybe don’t know the music or follow me on Twitter?”
“Well, with YouTube I can just be like ‘Hey, my name’s Mike’ and post to YouTube and send out a link. So everyday I’m going to set up a camera backstage, usually in my dressing room, you know somewhere special. I wanted to keep it away from the front of the house, where people are all the time, and keep it in the back of the house. I really wanted to let people in to a world they don’t normally see. Most times I’ve been doing covers, sometimes I’ll do one of my own, and I’m just going to do something laid back and chill, kind of like if we were sitting on the tailgate of a car, jamming and having a beer.”
“After I did the first one, people thought it was really cool, because they would see the video, then see the show, then come hang out and talk to me after the gig. It’s relatable to everybody. Sometimes people request a tune and I’ll try to do it. So basically that’s the deal.”
HEY @THEMIKESANCHEZ: DON’T EVER WEAR THAT SHIRT AGAIN
“People love the audience shot. They can’t believe there’s a picture of them out there raising their hands, doing something crazy and fun. People love it because it allows them to become a part of it. And I think people say OK, I’ll follow this guy and find this picture, then they tweet at me telling me they found themselves, and I really try my best to get back to each and every person who tweets at me. And that’s the great thing about Twitter, you know, Facebook, yeah, but Twitter gives you a direct connection, and I think that’s pretty amazing. I think it’s helped me more than anything.”
“For example, someone can say to me ‘Hey @TheMikeSanchez, don’t ever wear that shirt again.’ And I can say ‘Yeah, I agree.’ Or I can say, ‘Hey man, whatever.’ Everything is so instant and at your fingertips. A lot of people come up to me at shows and say Ohh my name is @so and so and you said this to me the other day and it was so cool, so I had to come and see you. It’s that kind of connection that just works for me, and at this point I need it. And if this continues to goes further, which I hope and pray it will, I would be honored to continue to do that. That’s my thing and I’m going to go on and on and on with it.”
Catch Mike on tour with Chris Daughtry and Safetysuit this summer.
***
Kickshuffle is an online news source dedicated to covering the impact of new media on music and music business. Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.
Singer-songwriter Mike Sanchez is currently on tour with Chris Daughtry. In March 2012, Mike released a 3-track MP3 album, Grove and Third Sessions, on his own record label (Dirty University) and plans to hit the studio following the tour. Before every show, Mike uploads a Backstage Tailgate video. Check them out, and be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
- Hypebot.com
Discography
Surreal 1995
Dead Butterflies 1998
Manic 1999
Anything and Everything 2000
Blue September 2001
Forgetting You 2003
The Rescue Effect 2006
Dirty University 2008
ForwardThinking 2010
Stars and Hotel Bars 2011
Grove and Third 2012
Photos
Bio
The Curve is a modern rock band made up of five close friends from West Palm Beach Florida. Each artist has an extensive musical background ranging from a recent North American tour performing with grammy nominated artist Daughtry, to producing events year round at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. They have toured/opened for Daughtry, Train, Bryan Adams, Journey, Candlebox, Safety Suit, The Black Crowes, Of Montreal, Gavin DeGraw, Seether, Switchfoot, All American Rejects and many others.
The lead singer of the band, Mike Sanchez has recently returned from a year long tour with Daughtry in which he opened each evening performing all original compositions including three songs co-written with Daughtry. His latest CD release which includes these three songs have sold in the tens of thousands in the past year. Unparalleled as a frontman and with thousands of shows under his belt, he always has the audience in the palm of his hand with a confident smile and his humble yet powerful disposition. Turning every show in to a full on rock show echoing from the heydays of the 70's and 80's, it is guaranteed that he inspires the audience to participate in several sing alongs which creates complete unity and makes for a very special human experience that we all long for. As a long time West Palm Beach resident and winner of the $10,000 Roxy's Rock Band Karaoke contest on Clematis St., Mike is a local hero here in Palm Beach County. With influences ranging from the Goo Goo Dolls to Led Zeppelin, his broad appeal continues to win over the hearts of all he encounters.
Biaggio Cangiano the lead guitarist for The Curve is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and engineer. He began his musical endeavors at the age of 4 beginning with piano then moving to trumpet, guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. His compositions uniquely blend genres including rock, pop, jazz, electronica, folk and blues. Upon graduating from The Recording Workshop in 1995, Biaggio opened the doors to Digital Tattoo Recording Studios where he continually refines his skills in the art of music production by recording and producing his own music as well as countless bands over the past seventeen years. With 25 years of experience writing, producing, and performing original compositions, his depth of understanding and perspective on all aspects of music creation and performance is exemplary. Constantly writing, recording and performing, he painstakingly works to craft songs that evoke pure emotion. With a thirteen year history of writing and recording with Mike Sanchez, the musical bond can not be broken and it is evident in all of the songs and performances of The Curve. Currently an Event Production Manager at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Biaggio adds a level of precision in the performance/production aspect which is unparalleled by most musical groups.
Chris Cartrett, the bass player of The Curve recently ended a national tour with major label indie rock artist Of Montreal. As the opening act for Of Montreal, Chris has gained a deep understanding of musical performance in large venues and has a newfound love of connecting with each and every member of the audience. Known as the cool, quirky, comic of the band, his even tempered disposition and years of experience are an essential part of the direction and uniformity of the band.
Gary Morrocco on drums rounds out the rhythm section with accuracy, perfected dynamics and a level of natural musical ability that most musicians could only hope to obtain. With decades of experience opening for acts such as Journey, Bryan Adams, and the Black Crowes, Gary's experience is a vital part of the bands success. Not only a drummer, he writes songs on piano and guitar and operates a recording studio where he produces music for many up and coming artists.
Last but not least, Daniel Dillon, the genius in the band, has many unusual aspects to him that add a whole new level to the band. Graduating college in the top 1 percent of his class at PBAU at the age of 18, Dan had already written and recorded several albums of music. Because of the depth of his intellect coupled with his keen natural ability to emotionally connect with people, his music is both complex and easy to listen to. As the second guitar player in the band, his sense of style and complexity adds yet another dimension to The Curve while at the same time creating the common ground in which everyone stands. He is the glue that keeps the band together. While independently touring the Northeast of the U.S., he was in one of the last few bands to perform at CBGB's in New York before the closing of the iconic venue.
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