I discovered Mike Viola while listening in my car to XM Radio in 2006. 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.
On June 20, 2006, he actually came to town and performed. He opened for Inara George at Tangiers in Los Angeles 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 Mike Viola Liner Notes with his group Candy Butchers by following the link below:
Candy Butchers
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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. 