ϕ: A New Album by Mike Vitale
News, information, music, and performance schedule for the Los Angeles, California singer, songwriter, and producer, Mike Vitale.
I got lost in making this yesterday. It’s a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay.”
I am a storyteller, songwriter, singer, 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:
In Buddhism, our nature within The Universe is described as self-excitatory intelligence, or in other words, The Universe creates itself, which in turn, creates us, to perceive itself as a Universe. We are all a small piece of some larger cosmic entity, when one stops to think about it.
In Taoism, Verse 1: “The Tao (or way) that can be told, is not the Universal Tao (way). The name that can be named is not the Universal name. In the Infancy of the Universe, there were no names (there was no one to perceive it). Naming fragments the mysteries of life into ten thousand things and their manifestations.”
This is to say, as smart as we might think we are, we do know the Universe. It is a mystery to us. One that we feel, rather than try to rationalize by giving it a name, or giving God a name.
Bill Hicks, a young stand-up comedian, would end his sets with this short sentiment written below. This was a man who had cancer, and knew he was going to die. He started experimenting with hallucinogens to try and help make peace with his own ultimate and rapidly approaching demise:
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here’s Tom with the Weather.”
Think about that for a second. It is powerful. You are capable of so much. You are capable of expressing yourself, and bringing joy to others, to create jokes that bring people together in laughter, or to write a song that unites folks under a common thread.
Have you ever thought about how art is the medium in which truth is universally accepted by the masses? That is how comedy works. We laugh, because it’s true. We sing, because it’s true. Truth is subjective. We are all experiencing the Universe subjectively.
SOCIAL MEDIA
UPCOMING SHOWS
Silver Lining
music and lyrics by Mike Vitale
Dancing in the dark
Awkward in the light
Destroying all hope
With hindsight
Reaching out on the phone
Feeling all alone
No eye contact
Throwing shade
Leave me here sleeping in the bed I made
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
Chattering thoughts
Solemn in the mind
The glass is half-empty and I'm resigned
Reaching out on the phone
Feeling all alone
I cup my hands
The wrong wolf's fed
Now I'm exercising demons that are in my head
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
Raining on parades while the sun is shining
Finding dark clouds in every silver lining
Every silver lining
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
I just got done taking a master class from a young Harry Connick Jr.. I’ve been working on transcribing his version of “If I Only Had a Brain” from the album 20. In my own humble opinion, it’s a masterpiece, and I cried the first time I accidentally listened to it. I was so moved by its grace, that I knew I needed to learn it and sing it.
It’s a beautiful piece of music to begin with, but Connick’s use of chord substitution is pretty cool and sophisticated—he also creates some beautiful tension in his chord voicings, using many terse intervals such as m2 and M2 in his chord inversions, which are my favorite. Lots of suspensions. I learned a lot. I learned too much. Still trying to absorb the information. Bottom line, it just sounds boss (in a very touching and emotional manner), despite all the bullshit jargon I just prattled off: that’s what I’m after. That’s what I got.
I did my own thing with it and deviated from his arrangement as I saw fit.
I recorded the vocals using an AT4033 and SM57 on the guitar amp. If you dig it, please like the video and subscribe to my Youtube Channel. The support is invaluable and deeply appreciated.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone on Patreon for helping me to make these videos
Oh shit, I'm in the newspaper, mom.
Nate Jackson with OC Weekly and OC Weekly Music, did a write up on me and it goes to press next week. However, it was released today, online.
Here is a link to read the full article if you're interested in doing such:
https://www.ocweekly.com/mike-vitales-life-hacks-as-a-working-musician-are-starting-to-pay-off/
The article explores my recent activities using the live streaming app Periscope to broadcast my shows from home and from gigs that I am playing around town.
I also talk about how I am using Patreon to crowdsource my music releases. I've had a steady stream of new music releases since May of this year. My new single No Vacancy is available everywhere you listen to music, so feel free to check it out.
Artwork by Joshua Jon Day and Mike Vitale
I'd say I'm dropping new music—but it's more like a drip—from a broken water faucet.
I'm releasing a new full band single called NO VACANCY on Tuesday July 31st 2018. It will be available for streaming as well as digital purchase that day on all your favorite music streaming haunts: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Google Play, Youtube, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, etc. AND if you are a really amazing person who still buys music (bless your heart) you will be able to purchase it as well on iTunes, Bandcamp, Google Play, Amazon, and every other digital retail location that is known to man.
In all honesty, this is one of my favorite songs that I have written and produced with friends. It turned out really lovely and I am so very thankful to have had such a wonderful cast of musicians who helped to flesh out the arrangement: Frank Reina on drums, Brad Cummings on bass, Scott Dibble on rhodes piano, and Tom Bremer on electric guitar. A song is only as good as the people you have playing on it and I am very fortunate to be surrounded by all these beasts of badassery.
The song was mixed by Ryan Lipman and mastered by Mark Chalecki. Thank you guys for making this sound so beautiful and pristine. I am in awe of your talent.
Artwork was done by myself and my friend Joshua Jon Day. I took the photograph and he helped me fashion a fabulous album cover out of it. I really find these old neon signs to be so beautiful.
I make no allusions of being a phenom when it comes to new releases. I cross my fingers that songs will connect with people and they will share. This song is no exception. However, I do try to do my part to find avenues of exposure for songs such as this. Spotify recently started a submission process for playlists on unreleased songs, and I submitted this tune for their consideration. Keep your fingers crossed that the curators find something to like in this song and select it for many a playlist.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone on Patreon who helps me to release this new material. I mean this with all my heart: I can't do it without you (I tried). This is working: what we are dong together. I am more prolific as an artist than I have been in years because of your financial help. I want to take a second to thank all of these individuals especially for their continued contributions and help: Erik Gomez, Amy Armitage, Heather Renz, Brandi, Bob Emerson, Joshua Jon Day, Carey Brown, and Tim Grobaty.
My deep and sincere gratitude for letting me do what I love to do: make music and play it.
I recently had the opportunity get some press for my new acousitc album EMPTY CIRCLE by the Long Beach Independent. Here is a link to checkout the article below. Thank you kindly to Jewell for the interview!
http://www.longbeachindependent.com/2018/05/listening-to-mike-vitale/
Oh, why hello there. Good to have you here.
So, in tandem with my last post, I'm balancing my time a lot more efficiently.
I began using a spreadsheet yesterday to help keep track of how long I work on things. It's allowing me to do a whole bunch of different tasks all in one day—and, Presto:
Here is a mix I was working on this morning in my three hour window. It's for a song I wrote called Moon.
The first lines of the song came from a story that my friend told me.
He was visiting an animal sanctuary populated by former circus animals who were rescued once their tenure with the circus had ended. One animal in particular captured my interest and my sympathy. It was an elephant.
My friend Josh told me that the elephant would take three steps forward, and then three steps back, repeatedly, for an indefinite amount of time, which was very peculiar—so much so, that he asked the person who was giving them a tour of grounds, why the elephant was behaving that way.
The tour guide said that the elephant was chained to a pole for most of its young and adult life. The chain would allow for enough slack to take three steps forward, and then three steps back.
Three steps forward. Three steps back.
Three steps forward. Three steps back.
That was life for that elephant—an intelligent and beautiful creature.
While there are many elements to this song, this is one of them—and we all deserve to be free.
It is amazing how powerful a habit is.
However, outside of the context of this song, I had a lot of fun putting this together. My friend Tom Bremer played lead guitar. I sang and played rhythm guitar. I also mixed the song. I engineered this one myself too. For audio nerds (like me), it was recorded through a Universal Audio preAMP that I've never tried before called a Twin Finity 710. I used an AKG C414 on the lead guitar and used my AT4033 on the rhythm guitar. Vocals were through the AT4033 as well.
It probably sounds like amateur work, but I do the best I can—and I'm learning.
I hope this finds you all smiling and well and that perhaps you my find something to like in this tune. It has deep sentimental value to me and my life.
- Mike
Aside from all the full band material that I have been working on over the past few years, I am also nearing the completion of an acoustic album. I'd like to share one of the tracks with you. It's a song called EMPTY CIRCLE. I just posted a video of it today on my Youtube Channel.
It deals with the end of my last relationship. In hindsight, it was a good thing. However, at the time, I felt like a small child lost in the woods at night, walking in circles, trying to find his home.
EMPTY CIRCLE
words and music by Mike Vitale
I was a table
But now I'm a rug
It's raining outside
Your shoes are covered in mud
I was a Christmas Tree
But now it's past Christmas Day
I got tossed out
With the crumpled gift wrap you throw away
It was fun while it lasted
But now I'm left here feeling slanted
Walking in footsteps
Don't seem to be mine
A snowy path of prints
Through a forest of pine
Off in the distance
There's a vanity light
It shines through the window
Of my home at night
Wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday
Chill of snow numbs my pain
As this crooked line
Becomes and empty circle
I was opine
But now I'm non-verbal
I am a footnote
To your storied life
I'm all alone
You're someone else's wife
A tiny table
Place setting for one
The holiday supper
Has already begun
As a child lost in the woods at night
I search for a pathway towards the light
As this crooked line
Became and empty circle
I was opine
But now I'm non-verbal
