I discovered Mike Viola while listening in my car to XM
Radio early last year. Thank God for XM, they're playing music that
deserves to be heard, but just doesn't fit into the narrow playlists on
corporate radio.
Anyway, it was actually a Candy Butchers song
that grabbed me, from the album "Hang On, Mike" it was "What To Do With
Michael" and I loved it. I had to make a recording in my cellphone
since I couldn't find a pen, a note to self to look for this album.
Shortly thereafter, I heard an Artist Confidential show with Mike and
that was it for me.
After that, I had to track down all the released albums that were available and listen to it all.
Last
year, he actually came to town and performed. He opened for Inara
George and it was great. He performed music from his then-most-current
album, "Just Before Dark" and he really shined. So, he's being added to
the collection of Liner Notes here, I've got a bit more to add. The
biography down below is from All Music Guide.
You can do some further exploration of Mike Viola at his website:
www.mikeviola.com
And some great music and a lot of information on his myspace:
www.myspace.com/mikeviola
I highly recommend his music, it will grab you too.
More solo Mike Viola Liner Notes by following the link below:
Mike Viola
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Biography by Jason Ankeny
Power-pop
singer/guitarist Mike Viola was born and raised in Boston, issuing a
self-released solo album before teaming with schoolmate Todd Foulsham
in the short-lived 80s band Snap! Viola and Foulsham then relocated to
New York City and formed the Candy Butchers; Viola also played with
local pop bands including Ivy and They Might Be Giants' John
Flansburgh's side project Mono Puff. With Ivy's Adam Schlesinger, he
co-wrote and sang the title song to Tom Hanks' 1996 rock-'n'-roll
comedy That Thing You Do!; that same year the Candy Butchers signed to
Blue Thumb and issued their debut EP Live at La Bonbonniere. The duo's
self-titled debut LP went unreleased after Blue Thumb went bankrupt,
however, and in 1999 the Candy Butchers finally landed at the Sony
affiliate RPM to issue Falling into Place.
Content Provided by All Music Guide. Copyright 2007-2008 All Media Guide, LLC. 