Listening Room Presents for March of 2020 in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles

I put together another great month of original music in my neighborhood of Eagle Rock at Talon Tap and Wine every Thursday night, for the month of March.

As with last month, I’ll be performing a 30 to 35 minute set with my friend Tom Bremer joining me on guitar.

Listening Room Presents is an evening celebrating talented songwriters from the local community in a listing room environment, sharing their unique stories in song.

Each Thursday night, we feature an evening of music with no cover charge, consisiting of two different singer/songwriters from the community as well as a performance from Mike Vitale and Tom Bremer.

We have an absolutely awesome lineup for the month of March, including Geoff Pearlman from #echointhecanyon band, Adam Levy (extensive credits as both a songwriter and guitar wizard on many popular albums including Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me", "Feels Like Home", and "Not Too Late"), Luke Wade (finalist on Season 7 of "The Voice"), Dan Navarro (co-writer of the Pat Benatar hit "We Belong" with David Lowen), Terra Naomi (who built a world wide fan base from her hit on Youtube "Say It's Possible"), as well rising talents Amber Leigh Farris, Anastasia Lynne, and my partner in crime Daniel Blake.

It's a free show, but we ask everyone who attends to support the venue and purchase a drink or two from their extensive collection of craft beer and wine!

Talon Tap and Wine
1353 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041

Music starts promptly at 8pm and ends at 10pm, ever Thursday night.

We are working diligently at creating a listening space for artists to share their unique music with a quiet and attentive audience.

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February Calendar for Listening Room Presents in Eagle Rock

I put together another great month of original music in my neighborhood of Eagle Rock at Talon Tap and Wine every Thursday night, for the month of February.

As with last month, I’ll be performing a 30 to 35 minute set with my friend Tom Bremer joining me on guitar. I’m working on seeing if I can bring out a band to perform with me on February 20th and February 27th as well. I’ll keep you posted.

If you are interested in attending, there is no cover and Talon Tap and Wine has a wonderful selection of craft beer and wine to choose from.

Talon Tap and Wine is located at 1353 Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, 90041.

Music starts promptly at 8pm and ends at 10pm, ever Thursday night.

We are working diligently at creating a listening space for artists to share their unique music with a quiet and attentive audience.

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New Weekly Shows in Los Angeles Every Thursday Night Starting January 9th 2020

I would say that one of goals this year is to play as many shows featuring my own music as possible. I have already been doing this—but a key ingredient in the continued success of such is finding a room where people will listen.

So, I created an event called “Listening Room Presents.”

I figure that I and many others, are trying their best to propagate some positive vibes on this planet, so why not try to do it every week! Every Thursday to be exact—right down the street from where I live. For free. No cover.

I’ve been very fortunate to meet a lot of talented folk in this area, and I wish to share all the wonderful music I have been running across, with my neighbors as well as any and all lovely people who are willing to listen.

The event is taking places at Talon Tap and Wine. A very warm thank you to Tom, the owner, for providing a space for us to share our original music.

The event runs from 8pm to 10pm, every Thursday, featuring two special guest singer-songwriters that I admire, as well as myself and my friend Tom Bremer, playing an acoustic duo set of songs I wrote at around 9pmish.

It is open to the public, and we would love to have you there to listen.

Talon Tap and Wine has one of the largest selections of Craft Beer and Wine in Eagle Rock! It is also an affordable location to have a few drink. They have one of the largest selections of high quality craft beer in my neighborhood, hands down, that can be purchased for as little as $2.50, and can be enjoyed right on the premises for an additional $2 taping fee. There’s not many places around town to enjoy such fine quality libations for $4.50. They also have a fine selection of craft beer on tap, and a selection of wines to enjoy on the premises as well.

January 9th is the first of many shows, and we would be honored to have you there to listen, and even more honored if you spread the word and brought a friend along with you.

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My First Music Placement and Homelessness

Hopefully, this is something that I won’t forget. It took me 39 years, but I finally had a piece of music picked for use in either a tv show, or a movie (forgive me for not knowing which it is). It’s an independent production called “House Broken.”

From what I am told, they are in the post production side of things, but I have been paid a synchronization fee for the song, so, it’s a done deal in terms of their interest in using the tune. They are pitching it to festivals and networks as soon as they complete the project.

Naturally, my hope is that anyone who works hard on their creative project, finds success with it.

It’s a project that deals with the subject of homelessness. The main character is based off of a real life person by the name of Fred Smoot. Fred was a stand up comedian in the 70’s who found success in his career and made several appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. This was a big deal for standup comedians in the 70’s.

Later in life, Fred developed dementia and eventually became homeless, living out of his car with his dog. He became a man of few possessions. Literally, he had a trophy, his car, and his puppy.

Fred’s circumstances are far from unusual. A friend of mine and I were watching a documentary called “Lost Angels: Skid Row is My Home” that came out in 2010, regarding Skid Row and it’s homeless population. Many of the people that call downtown LA their home, have preexisting mental conditions—Manic Depression, Schizophrenia, and dementia being several of many.

“House Broken” will be a project that addresses the homeless crisis we see here in Southern California. I see it in my own neighborhood of Eagle Rock. If you are a Los Angeles or Orange County resident, I am sure you do as well.

The song that is being used is my most recent. It’s called “The Incredible Shrinking Brain.”

Here is a private link to check it out if you feel so inclined:

The Incredible Shrinking Brain

words and music by Mike Vitale

I feel like a mime with a painted on sad face touching an invisible wall

And it’s a crime I can’t see this behind my shit talk fueled by jealousy and alcohol

Sure, I’m overly critical, but by now I should know better

Maybe I’m just too hard on myself and it doesn’t really matter

The longer I live the less I know for sure

When I was a younger man my certainty was premature

There’s all these abstract explanations I could conjure up in vain

But I’m the man with the incredible shrinking brain

Do you feel like an actor dressed up in black face

We’re really just canaries in a coal mine

Carried out the shaft like a suitcase, soot trace, smeared across our face and brow

The war on race, preference, sex, and creed are indelible

and noxious as the fumes

And right before we lose our consciousness collective conscience looms

The longer we live the less we know for sure

When we were a younger brood our certainty was premature

There’s all these explanations we could conjure up in vain

But we’re people with incredible shrinking brains

Our incredible shrinking brains

Create the fertile furrows from a farmer’s plough

“Two fathoms deep” shouted across the bow

“Anger and hatred are caustic to the vessel in which it’s stored

Far more than to anything on which its poured”

The longer we live the less we know for sure

When we were a younger brood our certainty was premature

There’s all these abstract explanations we could conjure up in vain

But we’re people with incredible shrinking brain

We’re people with incredible shrinking brains

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Push the button

About two weeks ago, or so, my friend Monika Lightstone did a photography shoot with me in my neighborhood of Eagle Rock, in Los Angeles.

This is one of my favorite shots from that photoshoot.

It's about 4 blocks from where I live.  It's one of those huge intersections where they have blinking crosswalk units to help people not get hit by cars in the dead of night.  Monica was really digging the way the blinking crosswalk activity light (not pictured in this shot) looked above my head when I would push the crosswalk button (pictured in this shot).  So, she kept having me push the button—repeatedly—non-stop.

Traffic would stop.

Traffic wouldn't see anyone crossing the street.  They would just see some ass hat stooped in front of the botton (pictured above).  They honked their horns.

I would push the button again, because Monika instructed me to do so.  

More cars stop.  More cars honk their horns—a few even lay into his/her horn like a New York City resident resolutely trying to get a point across: "HEY DICKHEAD, STOP PUSHING THE FUCKIN' BUTTON."

Monica asks me to push the button again.

I politely suggest that I don't push the button again, because it seems to be agitating the traffic around me.  She tells me that she's trying to get a cool shot, and begs me to push the button one more time.

I push the button.

Maybe I really will do anything in the name of art (I really love this shot).

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