A Chair—and a Tour

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“If a chair were a pedometer, it might be lousy at its job—or maybe it wouldn’t have one—and if it were just a chair, it can be fun to sit in.”

I’m working on my aspirational quotes. I was figuring the internet needs more of those.

The internet also needs to know me touring using bad grammar, with pictures courtesy of the sorceress supreme Mushka @lightstonpix

June 5 - Songwriters at Play at Humdinger Brewing - San Luis Obispo, CA

June 8 - Santa Cruz House Concert w/ Echoes and Artifacts - Santa Cruz, CA

June 9th - Secret Song Club - Sebastopol, CA

June 12 - La Baguette Music Cafe - Ashland, OR

June 14 - Levy & Stone House Concert - Portland, OR

June 15 - Backyard at the Barage - Vancouver, WA

June 16 - Spinellas Off the Wall - Gresham, OR

June 18 - Artichoke Music - Portland, OR

June 21 -  Quarterdeck at the De Moines Marina - Des Moines, WA

June 29th - Teton’s Shadow and Sound - Victor, ID

June 30th - Fresh Folk Festival at Clydesdale Outpost


I’m under the influence of my ventriloquist’s wishes.

WHO IS MIKE VITALE?

I am a storyteller, singer, songwriter, music producer, traveling musician, Jungian dream analyst, all-around curious fellow (Spiritual, Mathematical Historical, Scientific), Taoist, and much much more, based out of Los Angeles, California. I’m constantly releasing new music, in all sorts of different genres. You can listen to me below, on Spotify:

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UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Two Shows in Southern California Before I Hit the Road Again

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What up party people. I’ve got two shows in Southern California before I hit the road again for the month of June on my Spring Tour on the United States, through California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada.

The first show is this Sunday June 2nd in my home away from home, Long Beach, California playing at Vine on 4th Street with my buddies Brenda Carsey and Manuel the Band. That is from 4pm to 7pm, followed swiftly by more friends, Alyssandra Nighswonger and R. Scott performing from 7pm to 10pm. All of this goodness is free and 21 plus

The second show is in Hollywood, California playing at The Hotel Cafe with Aaron Bowen and Jesus Gonzalez coming up from San Diego, California as Marc Erickson, my fellow Angeleno.

Tickets are available in advance and are ten bucks:

https://new.hotelcafe.com/event/mike-vitale-aaron-bowen-jesus-gonzalez-and-marc-erickson/

WHO IS MIKE VITALE?

I am a storyteller, singer, songwriter, music producer, traveling musician, Jungian dream analyst, all-around curious fellow (Spiritual, Mathematical Historical, Scientific), Taoist, and much much more, based out of Los Angeles, California. I’m constantly releasing new music, in all sorts of different genres. You can listen to me below, on Spotify:

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UPCOMING TOUR DATES

The Kickstarter Campaign is 22% closer towards Success!

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We are at 29 backers on Kickstarter as I write this.

22% of the project is funded, with a goal of $25,000.

The current amount raised is $5,394, which I am so thankful for. The campaign ends in seven days on Sunday May 26th at 9:15PM PST . If we do not meet the goal of $25,000, I get nothing.

My friend Matt is stellar, and signed up for the $2,000 tier to host a house concert at his place in Michigan. I met him just a few months ago while playing in Nashville, Tennessee at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge. You are such a blessing my brother. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Speaking of thank you’s…

Thank you to Rudolph Finamore for joining the $750 songwriting tier along with Derek Horne! What a blessing. I met both of these Gentlemen when I was living in Fullerton, CA playing a weekly Wednesday night show at Plush Cafe. I built my first fanbase there. I am fortunate to have you both in my life. My gratitude.

My cousin Mia Whiting Thompson is extraordinary, along with my cousins Bob Whiting and Helen Terrell Whiting, all three of which signed up for the Autographed Vinyl and T-Shirt tier at $100.

My friend Nicole signed up for a $25 pledge, along with my friend Jeanine who pledged $50 for the Desert Dog T-Shirt and digital download.

Here is a link to pledge if you are interested in doing such:

http://kck.st/44seqP8

Please know, your pledges do not need to be so large. Anything and everything helps to get to such a large goal. It all amounts to success. I believe in this. I want you too as well. It is amazing what can be accomplished, together.

I am leaving for the Kerrville Folk Festival to perform on Thursday May 23rd and will be there in Texas when the campaign ends, next Sunday May 26th. Fingers crossed.

This is a video I made, discussing the Kickstarter campaign in more detail, including what it is going towards and the reason why I am asking for such a substantial sum of capital to invest in my business:

A special thank you to everyone who has pledged:

Devon, Nicolassa, Dustin, Ruth, Dane, Geoff, Taylor, Don, Jonny, Michael, David, Bob & Helen, Derek, Laura, Jeff, Heather, John, Jeremy, Vince, Devan, Sigi, Susan, Matt, Tesh, and Christine.

I am a very lucky person. Thank you for being in my constellation and for allowing me to be in yours.

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UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Small Victories

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There are small victories for hard work. I do that: work hard I mean. Every day. It is not something to complain about. It is simply the way I derive meaning in my life.

Working hard. Being goal oriented. Manifesting my life. Willing my dreams into existence.

This morning I woke up to Buena Vista Social Club reposting one of my songs on their Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7CTNoyvehQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

That is kind and lovely of them. 95% of the comments are kind. There are few that hate my rendition. Such is life.

I will focus on the positive though. This is a small victory. Back to work for me.

I hope this finds you all in good spirits.

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UPCOMING TOUR DATES

A New Kickstarter Campaign for DESERT DOGS

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Friends,

I am releasing my new album DESERT DOGS this year, and I need your help to make it a success. It can be a success. It will be a success. It is all a matter of belief. I need you to believe in it.

I have never felt as strongly about anything I have done with my life, as I do about the skills that I have harnessed as a performer and storyteller, and the work I have put into this album

I would be honored to have you be a part of it. I have been playing original music since 2005, and 2024 is the culmination of my life’s work and efforts.

I need to raise a minimum of $25,000 as capital to make this album take off. This will not just be about marketing and videos. I explain this in full detail within the Kickstarter campaign which launched on Sunday May 5th at 9:15PM. If I don’t raise $25,000 by Sunday May 25th 2024, I get nothing. This is all or nothing.

I have a label that is interested in helping me to tour festivals with a full band after hearing my song SILVER LINING, which is the first track off of this album.

I have been getting up at 4AM every day since getting back from my last tour, to work on building a Kickstarter Campaign that explains not only why I need such a large sum of money, but also explains how upside down the music industry has become, how music as an album has been unceremoniously de-commodified in the eyes of consumers, and how difficult (almost impossible) it seems to pursue a full-time career in music, while keeping a roof over one’s head.

I need the love, support, and belief of people who are in my constellation, to lift me up on their shoulders and help me to achieve what I know is possible. I feel in my heart and soul that my dreams are possible, otherwise I would have given up long before this.

I have dreams at night that tell me this same thing.

I have watched many of my contemporaries give up. I refuse to. I know what my calling in life is. It is to tour the world playing music that will be helpful to the human race. I want to help. This is how I do it. So, in turn, I need your help. Do what you can, and I will as well.

This is a video I made, discussing the Kickstarter campaign in more detail, including what it is going towards and the reason why I am asking for such a substantial sum of capital to invest in my business:

If you are interest in learning more about this Kickstarter campaign, please visit this page to learn more:

http://kck.st/44seqP8

This is an all or nothing campaign. If I do not reach my $25,000 goal by Sunday, May 26 2024 9:15 PM PDT, I get nothing, and no one is charged who pledges an amount.

Thank you for your time, energy, support, and belief in my dreams in life. It is my everything. My joy. My love.

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UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Just the Way You Are | Billy Joel

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I’ve been hearing that Billy Joel just released a new song.

Hallelujah.

The first song of his that I remember connecting with was “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. That was 1989. I was 10 years old, jumping on a gigantic trampoline, at my friend Deiter’s house. Deiter was Belgian. He still is Belgian. Not quite sure why I am talking of him in the past tense—perhaps because we haven’t seen one another in 35 plus years. I digress though. He had this giant trampoline, and we were bouncing on it, doing back flips and forward flips, listening to Billy Joel be incredible.

That’s how Billy Joel makes me feel: like I’m jumping on a trampoline when I’m 10 years old. He always will. Thank you for making more music and putting it into the world. I imagine it means the world to a lot of us. It does to me.

This is me playing the first few sections of “Just the Way You Are” feeling like I’m 10 again, jumping on a trampoline.

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UPCOMING SHOWS

Delicious Salads, Plaid Shirts, Brian Wilsons, and Bison

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The first music I ever connected with, consciously, in my life, was The Beach Boys. I was in Elementary School at the time—perhaps 4th grade? Regardless, their music moved me in a way that I can’t quite capture in words. So, I showed my appreciation by making an arrangement of one of their songs.

As an adult, I can only marvel at the wonderment of Brian Wilson, and how marvelous it feels to sing something so gorgeous and perfectly crafted from top to bottom. Like nature: balanced and beautiful.

Last year, while I was on tour in Idaho/Wisconsin, I filmed a bison, as I was eating a salad by my car, in the Old Faithful parking lot of Yellowstone National Park. I posted it later that night to my Mike Vitale music page, and forgot about it.

I logged on a few days later, and was shocked to see that this silly bison video went viral. I received nearly one million views in the course of a few days. Comments. Lots of comments. Pretty wild. It seemed that most the activity around that video was fueled by vitriol… people telling me how stupid I was or how dumb the person in front of me was. You know. That sort of thing.

This video I shared with you now, doesn’t have any bison in it, as far as I can gather. It does feature me wearing a plaid shirt I regret buying.

However, I might be mistaken. Perhaps I could proclaim with some small amount of pride, that this video is in fact very much like a bison walking through a parking lot, towards a forest, only to be lost from the eyes and ears of human spectators once again, on its way to who knows where, for who knows what.

That would be whimsical—and perhaps that is the stuff that delicious salads, plaid shirts, Brian Wilsons, and bison even, are made of.

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TOUR SCHEDULE