6/3 - NEW MOVIE, NEW SONGS: Get Him To The Greek, TOUR DATES Lots of news over here...
"Get Him To The Greek" -- starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill and P Diddy -- finally comes out in the States a week from tomorrow, Friday 6/4 (later in June for the U.K. and Australia, elsewhere in August and September). I wrote a bunch of songs for "Greek," most of them with Dan Bern like we did a few years back for "Walk Hard"...check out some of that here:
A few days ago I had the chance to perform with the cast and other songwriters of "Greek" at The Roxy here in LA, including Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, and Carl Barat of The Libertines. Some pictures of that below.
In July I'll be doing a series of duo shows with my old friend Adam Schlesinger from Fountains Of Wayne. For now it's 2 shows in NYC, 1 in Philadelphia, and a private show...but maybe we'll get around to booking more in the future. Expect a combination of songs from our catalogs and movies. More info below.
Within the new few weeks, I'll also have some info on vinyl releases and a few albums I've been working on over the past few months including the long awaited Mike Viola & Kelly Jones duet album (limited vinyl with mp3 download release only!)
Hope to see everyone out there real soon!
lvmv
4/27 - Hang On Mike on VINYL. New band VICTOR I've been combing through the master recordings of Hang On Mike compiling bonus tracks for the LP release. Whoah.... there's loads of stuff! Outtakes of full songs that never made the cut. Original demos and work in progress recordings of songs. Full blown home demos of songs... Recordings of snippets of studio hijinks. Most of it "for fans only"! But all of it compelling in relation to the record and the energy and focus that surrounded and inspired it. I'm releasing a remastered version of Hang On Mike on high quality vinyl and I got in touch with the original designer and he did an incredible job translating the CD artwork to glorious LP 12" gatefold. The bonus tracks (right now there are 39 but... I may edit a few) will be available as an mp3 download card. So if you DON'T have Hang On Mike in your collection now you can have it on vinyl with free mp3 download version plus the bonus tracks on top of that. Not sure when it will be done and released but I do know it's a VERY limited edition. You guys know that CDs aren't long for this world right?
New band VICTOR. New album "Electro De Perfecto"
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Here we are! Victor! standing out in front of Hollywood Sound where we've been carving out the new record Electro De Perfecto. We originally were going with the name Winston but... Victor seems to be sticking these days. The record is about 7 tracks deep so far. We're all a bit busy this summer but plan on finishing sometime in June. For those of you who have been catching my live shows lately the LP includes "Soundtrack Of My Summer", "El Mundo De Perfecto", "Me and My Drinking", "Stars Are Against You"... VERY stoked about this record. I plan to post "Soundtrack Of My Summer" on myspace once we get the final touches on it. The band is: me on guitar, Victor Indrizzo on drums and Sean Hurley on bass. More on it's way! lvmv
Victor
3/27 - Finishing Ned Brower Solo LP Still in Medford Mass at Ducky's studio putting the final touches on Ned Brower's solo record tentatively called "Great To Say Hello".
Ned plays drums in Rooney and writes catchy tight pop infested with ear worms.
anyway, here's some pix!
Ned Brower and Mike Viola Ooooing and Ahhhing Ducky Carlisle and Mike Viola at his beloved Hohner Clavinet.
Another MedPop masterpiece on it's way soon! lvmv
3/3 - Mike Viola Kelly Jones recording a new EP! Mike Viola and Kelly Jones EP in the making. Recording up in Hudson New York. Pete Donnelly producing, Henry Hirsch engineering.
12/16 - Merry Christmas Everybody!
8/26 - Time for Time: Woodstock and Work Update
photo by Tracy Bonham
Been going at such a clip these days I decided to kick back for a spell on the East Coast, see some friends, let some birds shit on my head. Recharge. The new songs keep coming, elbowing each other to be heard. Kind of like Roxxy’s kin at the kennel where I picked HER on that snowy New England morning. Fighting to be heard, seen, preened and machined. So yeah, got some good ones lined up for fussing. Aired out some ideas up in Woodstock over the weekend. Picked details out of the familiar woody East….the peepers at twilight in tune to the iPod shuffle. Some bullshit, some magic. Had a Joe’s Pub gig last week (forgot to post it here…whoops) GREAT crowd. I played for a long time, just me for a change. Silly I didn’t bill it Mike Viola and Nobody. Lots of new projects coming up. One of which I’m immensely proud of is a recording I did with Rachael Yamagata. It’s a song by Paul Williams (love that guy) for the Muppet Movie that Gonzo originally sang called “I’m Going To Go Back There Someday”. Ducky and Paul Ahlstrand where on board once again, adding another artist to the MedPOP roster! (The Major Labels, Bleu, Mike Viola, Kelly Jones, Mandy Moore, Rachael Yamagata) I wish I could post it here for you to hear but….it’s for Disney and I’m SURE I’d get spanked for that shit. So….when it’s released I’ll let you know when and how you can snag it. There’s a Canadian artist you’ll love called Jeremy Fisher. I’ve been writing with him, he’s coming to LA for a few weeks to crank out more tunes. Check him out here.
New shows listed as well…hope to see you out there while I still am. lvmv
5/22 - Mike Viola with Mandy Moore on The Tonight Show New Album
3/17 - New Pix and Video! Pictures of shows at the Vega in Copenhagen Denmark by Gitte Gammelgaard
Video of Good Ideas Grow On Trees by Michael Arthur
2/3 - More and Moore Itching to make a new record. Lots of new bits of songs nagging me to be brought to life. Feel I found a secret entrance into these new songs in a way I’ve never done before. I mean, it’s different every time for sure, the process that is, but this time feels especially disjointed. Phantom hands at work. Mirrored surgery. Buried sub conscious stuff….noisy plumbing. Banging the pipes way too early in the morning. So early it’s too late at night. Songs like “Elephant Moon”, “Burn At Both Ends”, “Chemical Night”…keeping the ideas immediate and the production even more stripped down than Lurch.
Ahhh Lurch….still ambling his way through the world! Got a little deal in Scandinavia and they’re setting him loose for the Tim Christensen shows coming up. OH! A word about Tim Christensen. He’s a super talent. If you like my stuff you’ll flip over Tim. Think Stephen Bishop singing lead for Wings! (More teeth than that but….you get the idea) I co-wrote his hit single “Superior”. Check it out, buy it at iTunesHERE.
Just finished Mandy Moore’s new record. I think you’re gonna freak out over it. We recorded it at Ducky’s a few months ago. Mandy, Me and Duck under a blanket of snow at the edge of Wright’s Pond. This is the record I’ve been trying to make for a long time. There was something about the record she WANTED to make and the record I NEEDED to make…they met on a blind date, got drunk at the airport bar and the rest is history. Or it will be anyway. Man she can sing. Not sure when they’re going to release it but I’ll keep you posted.
Heading to Japan on Friday to start promoting it over there.
Got a few East coast shows coming up with Fountains Of Wayne (I think they’re all sold out at this point). The shows with them have been fantastic. Hope some of you were able to get tickets to the last of them.
Yes that’s a 100 dollar bill. The big bucks folks….
Sneaking a New York show in there while I’m at it. Best to check the SHOWS page for an actual chronology of gigs!
11/4 - Lurch On 180 Gram Vinyl with FREE mp3 download still available! Included with the purchase is a full color 4 panel pull out of original art by Mike.
Also included is a BONUS 7" of unreleased songs "Motel Mood", "Something Electric", "You've Got To Find Somebody To Love" There is an insert inside the jacket sleeve with a unique digital code that will allow you to download mp3s of Lurch with all the bonus tracks for your digital device.
10/13 - September Morn Thanks to all the east coasters that came out week after week city after city to see my September shows. I had the best time. I'm in Japan now in my hotel room waiting for the shuttle bus to return back to LA. Here are a few pix of the East Coast jaunt. Japan update coming soon. Lvmv
9/4 - Lurch Tour, Japan, Kelly Jones, The Major Labels, Mandy Moore, Vinyl!
Wow September crept up on me. Check out all the SHOWS coming up. Lots of East Coast dates, then off to Japan!
Make sure you get tickets for any of the shows you want to go to cause they’re selling pretty good right now, especially if you’re coming from out of town. Would suck if you couldn’t get in. (been there…) There are links to buy tickets on the
SHOWSpage….so go for it.
Kelly Jones
The adorable poptastic Kelly Jones will be performing a set at all the Joe’s Pub shows and one of the Lizard Lounge shows (Sept 20th). I’ll be playing bass in her band and singing…. I wrote some songs with her and produced her new record. It’s uh….pretty GREAT. Stream it here!
SheBANG
The Major Labels
And how about The Major Labels!??? We’ve got some shows coming up too. New York, Philadelphia and Boston. If you haven’t heard our record Aquavia you can check it out here.
Mandy Moore
Califorina….I’ve been busy in LA the past few months writing songs with Mandy for her new record. We’ve played a few shows together at Hotel Café, got some positive feedback on the new tunes. We plan to make a classic LA record, CSNY, Joni Mitchell meets Nilsson and…..Wings! Plan on recording it live in her house on an old Studer tape machine…. Something like that anyway….too early to tell. But man….I can’t wait to get all tangled up in Ampex tape in when I get back from Japan.
Lurch On Vinyl
Lurch on vinyl will be available at all shows while supply lasts. Tee shirts that Audrey designed too! Preorders will be taken on mikeviola.com soon. They will ship in October when I get back from touring.
And In The End....
I’ve got plenty more to tell you but I’ve run out of time…gotta pack for a month away…Isabel gave me her little pink argyle sweater for the trip….killed me!…She’s been binging on Jem these days….that shit is all on youtube….better than Hannah Nebraska right?…anyway…these will be my last East Coast dates for a while so…..hope to see you there!!
Lvmv
7/24 - Lurch is released on vinyl in Japan
Oh yeah.....thanks to Darren Paltrowitz, my trusty "assistant", Lurch is now on an end cap listening station somewhere in Japan. (Tower Records and HMV I think) I gotta say....the Japan version of Lurch is really cool. They added a booklet, some bonus tracks. I've been getting loads of emails asking about Lurch on vinyl, Lurch on iTunes, new Lurch CDs.....Well, Lurch on vinyl will be available in a few weeks! I'm stoked about it. If you like the way it sounds on CD wait till you hear this. It has a 4 panel insert and a BONUS 3 song 7. Motel Mood is one of the bonus songs and will ONLY be available with this edition of Lurch. And lastly, it comes with a FREE mp3 download of all the songs. So if you don't have Lurch, this would be the best time to buy it. And if you have Lurch, this would be the best time to buy it again! One more thing before I go back into the studio, there's Lurch Merch on the horizon....and a SLEW of shows in September back East....I'm out.
lvmv
5/19 - Didn't Take Long To Grow Wings
We all made it to LA, the Girly Worm, The Strawberry Blonde, Roxxy, and this version of me anyway. So far I’ve been making more music than I can handle. Partly inspired by my new surroundings but mostly from the physical and emotional upheaval of leaving New York City, my home…..my friends. I’ve built a little studio in what used to pass for a garage, have all my gear set up to record for hours on end. Which is all I’ve been doing. About to go to Boston again to finish up the new Kelly Jones record I’m producing. We’ve written most of the songs together. Part Chiffons, part Kirsty MacCall with a splash of Petula Clarke and The Bangles …. Don’t want to give too much of it away but….it’s some fo the best music I’ve ever been involved with. Kelly is a natural, you won't be able to take your eyes and ears off her. We’re recording it at Ducky’s place in Medford Mass, where Lurch was spawned. More news to come. Japan release of Lurch and Japan tour, Joe’s Pub fall 2008 residence, Boston residence in the fall too….and tee shirts….and Lurch on vinyl of course!
From the front yard. LVMV
Vinyl VS. iPod by Shelby Lynne
3/8 - Long and Winded News Update From Mike Last Night Of The Joe’s Pub Residence: Feb 29th 2008
All photos by Billie Jo Sheehan
Lurch is Coming! Lurch is Coming…..on VINYL!
Lurch keeps a diary
Lurch finds Don Knotts hysterical
Lurch does not believe in petting on the first date
Lurch cannot whistle
Lurch has an excellent credit rating
Lurch hates the term "Butler", and prefers "Manservant"
Lurch is allergic to shellfish
Lurch prefers Beatles
Lurch's favorite cheese is Jarsberg
Lurch is double jointed in his left shoulder
Lurch loves waffles
Lurch has never seen Fiddler On the Roof
Lurch loves The Major Labels
This summer I’m going to release Lurch on vinyl at last. There are 2 extra tracks that Ducky and I recorded when we recorded the rest of the songs on the CD version of Lurch. They’ll now be on vinyl exclusively. (I’ll also include that stray extra track I put on my site for free- You’ve Got To Find Somebody To Love- on this version of Lurch too) I’m still putting together all the details, cobbling together some money, but….looks like it’ll be 180 gram virgin vinyl and also there’ll be extra artwork and maybe liner notes. And best of all it will come with a free mp3 download as well. This technology wasn’t available to me back in 2005 when I released Just Before Dark but now it is! I’m pretty sure I’m not going to print up anymore CD versions of Lurch. It will live on vinyl (a very limited run) and it will live on iTunes.
Lurch is HERE!
I put aside a box of Lurch to mail out to the press….but….because I was busy writing new songs and playing live shows and being a musician….I NEVER DID IT! So I have no reviews to share with you (but you don’t need to be told what you like right? Lurch is great! Come on!) NOW I have a bunch of Lurch on CD available for sale. Remember, this is a home operation here at Good Morning Monkey Records. The Strawberry Blonde, Girly Worm and I are back in uniform and will be shipping these ourselves before we move to California. So if you want anything autographed say the word! (there should be a comment box in the Paypal checkout…just write us a note) . Special thanks to Mark Piro who has been manning the Good Morning Monkey shipping and receiving department from his NYU dorm room while I’ve been busy.
Lurch Merch
Once we move to California we’ll start getting together some Lurch merchandise. (more room to store stuff…sub basement!!!) Tee shirts, Girly Worm onesies! Maybe even a bobble head doll of me as the Wolfman. (by the way that really IS me as the Wolfman) Anyway, look for all of that to happen
Tomorrow and Tomorrow
I poked around a little to see if I could get a little indie deal for Lurch, get it out to more people. A few solid ideas came out of it, a few solid offers, but at the end of the day I feel like the music business is shifting so rapidly…it almost feels unsafe in a way….tough to tell which way to turn, so I’m following my instincts. I figure the only way for me to reach more people is to get back on the road. So I’m gonna try and figure out how to do that, maybe this fall. Some MONO tour with a bunch of friends. Sex on the bus! Fistfights! Throwing people through windows over bad ideas! In the meantime, I urge you SHARE LURCH. Rip him, burn him, give him away, point people to mikeviola.com
2/26 - Joe's Pub Feb 22nd joined by Fountains Of Wayne all pictures by Billie Jo Sheehan
2/20 - Marshall Crenshaw joined us last week! all live Joe's Pub pictures by Billie Jo Sheehan Yup! We played Someday Someway, Walk Hard and I Don't Want To Spoil The Party. All of it a blast. a big wave of pop. Marshall and I wrote a cool new song that afternoon too. Very Simon and Garfunkel meets Simon and Garfunkel.
Kelly Jones has an incredible voice. you MUST hear her sing. In this picture she's being very patient, waiting to sing.
This band is not to be missed....but you will if you don't make it to this weeks show. this one is Jason Loughlins last one! Special Guests this week are Tracy Bonham and Adam and Chris from Fountains Of Wayne. Check it!
2/14 - You Think I'm Waving Hello, But I'm Waving Goodbye Mike Viola and Everybody Else delivered a little bit of everything last Friday. Played into the wee hours we did. This week we have a new chunk of music for you all, and Marshall Crenshaw is gonna play with us too. This is our party and you're all welcome to come. BUY TICKETS HERE
Been into my Gretsch lately...and she's into me...giving it back Brooklyn style.
Here's the gang in action. 5 people in this line up. By the end of the Joe's Pub residence there will be 100 people onstage give or take a few.
I'm happy. People are enjoying themselves and I'm happy. And I'm playing with a great band. Okay this seems like the perfect time to break the news to you if you've made it this far with the "news". Audrey, Isabel and I are moving to Los Angeles California. So...I won't be playing that much at all on the East Coast for a few years. We're going for the adventure of it, and....we lost our apartment so....seems like a great time for some drastic change. Yeah yeah yeah I'm an East Coast guy. I even spell it with capital letters but...time to poke around a little. So there you have it. We were packed at Joe's last week so if you want to come get tickets now and definitely come back stage and say....hello.
lvmv
1/19 - Joe's Pub Shows Right Around The Corner!
CLICK HERE TO BUY JOES PUB TICKETS!!!!!
Hey guys, mike here...I want to thank all you who purchased the first run of my new album Lurch. They're sold out on the site now…but there will be some available at the Joe’s Pub shows for sale along with what I have left of my catalog. The idea of printing 1,000 was to sell enough copies so I could pay for the cost of making the record…being an independent and all…. Now I think I need to find a home at a little label somewhere so I can get Lurch out to the world...if anybody has any ideas email me!! my name at mac.com okay? There is so much new music cranking in my life right now....I couldn't be happier. If you love Lurch please tell friends, rip Lurch, share Lurch, pirate Lurch…I want the music to get out there! And bring them to the shows! Come back stage and say hi. Anyway, I keep jangling along. I've put together an amazing band for the Joe's Pub shows….I can’t wait to play. People have requested songs from Falling Into Place so I'll do those (which the cover of Lurch resembles in a haphazard unintentional way) and some songs from Walk Hard, a string quartet will join us on one nigh. Each night will be different and the venue is offering a deal if you buy tickets for multiple shows. Give Joe’s Pub a call for that deal. I’ll be at Sundance next week on Jan 25th if anybody is in town come by and check out me and Dan Bern.
See you all soon lvmv.
12/11 - What I've Been Up To The Past Few Weeks Been out here on the road promoting the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. (for what THAT is see youtube clips below). The first leg of the Cox Across America tour is ending in New York City on Dec 19th at the Knitting Factory, come check it out! lvmv
Mandy Moore
Califorina….I’ve been busy in LA the past few months writing songs with Mandy for her new record. We’ve played a few shows together at Hotel Café, got some positive feedback on the new tunes. We plan to make a classic LA record, CSNY, Joni Mitchell meets Nilsson and…..Wings! Plan on recording it live in her house on an old Studer tape machine…. Something like that anyway….too early to tell. But man….I can’t wait to get all tangled up in Ampex tape in when I get back from Japan.
