“Setlist for a Drunk Birthday Girl,” (w/Podcast)

“Setlist for a Drunk Birthday Girl,” (w/Podcast)

Every other week, I’m releasing a new story that comes with music, playlists, podcasts, and photos. I call it “The Solo Show.” NEW: “Setlist for a Drunk Birthday Girl“ In honor of the cold snap that has gripped much of the country, here is “Miracle on Ice,” if the “ice” were a barroom floor in Indianapolis and the “miracle” were a drunk birthday girl who *really loves* AC/DC. BONUS: Download a live version of this story on the Mike Errico Podcast (free) Indiana had been battered with a cold front that had cleared the roads of most everyone but emergency vehicles and me. The weather drove sideways into rows of houses along I-80 and scratched against my windshield like coarse sand. I had a gig at a club called Birdy’s, and had driven across two states, stopping only for peanuts and gas… read on… Setlist for a Drunk Birthday...
“What Design Sounds Like” – A Design Observer Symposium

“What Design Sounds Like” – A Design Observer Symposium

I’ll be doing this on Saturday. Amazing lineup. I’m honored to have been included. My contribution is “Dancing About Architecture” – the interplay between sound, architecture, composition and meaning. I’ll be talking, playing, and spinning J.S. Bach, AC/DC and FKA Twigs. Despite that, I’m fairly sure it will make sense. The SVA Theatre is located at 333 W. 23rd street, between 8th and 9th avenues. Directions can be found at svatheatre.com tix: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-design-sounds-like-tickets… Tweets at ‪#‎WDSL‬ For more about Design Observer:...
The dying art of the last song on the also-dying art of the “album.”

The dying art of the last song on the also-dying art of the “album.”

Plus: A 59-song playlist of happy(-ish) endings. [This is an excerpt from “Hi. I’m Your Songwriting Professor,” from the ongoing story series “The Solo Show,” by Mike Errico, on Cuepoint.] “…I love the last songs on albums, the ones where the agendas and obligations lift like the dampers of the piano, allowing all creative strings to vibrate at once. This is when the artists reveal themselves, tell their inside jokes, and foreshadow their ambitions. I know that the whole idea of an “album” always was a construct — once upon a time, album length was determined by the amount of music a graphite disc could hold — and if that construct disappears completely, no one will even know what I’m talking about. There won’t be “last songs,” there will only be “unpopular” ones. UnPop music. Maybe that’s what I like.” Check out the rest of the article here: The dying art of the last song on the also-dying art of the “album.” And see what I’m talking about with this playlist of last songs from “albums”...
Mike Errico, “Count to Ten”

Mike Errico, “Count to Ten”

Lilting and lovely…You’ll wanna go there, we promise. – Guitar World I pass in too little time Too fast you slip from my mind I cast you here and I see you shine Over and over again Over and over I count to ten Blink and I see you then Hiding like spies among desperate lives Til we meet again Lightning in luminous beams Lost kings and exiled queens Waiting in the garden of only a dream I want you I need you I miss you “Count To Ten” written by Mike Errico, Angie Pollock (Sky Blue Coupe De Ville Music, ASCAP/ Angie Pollock) Mike Errico: Vocals, guitars, percussion Matt Beck: Guitars Ethan Eubanks: Drums Jeff Hill: Bass Angie Pollock: Backing vocals Andrew Sherman: String arrangements Rob Moose (violin), Hiroki Taguchi (viola), Garo Yellin (cello) Cover art by Angela Errico “I wanted it to feel like you’ve walked into a fantastical place that you can’t quite pin down.” (Interview, originally published in Guitar World): The “Count to Ten” video feels like you’re walking in a dream. How was that vibe created? Thanks. The minute the song was done, I noticed that it had something special, so doing a video was a natural next step. I shot the footage using the 8mm app on my iPhone. I’ve done that once before, for an acoustic guitar version of Tom Waits’ “Johnsburg, Illinois,” which is the same record, Wander Away, and I just really love the mood those old timey filters provide. The whole record has that lush, otherworldly vibe, to me. Where did you shoot? Well, that’s kinda funny, because we...
Mike Errico Holiday Show: Dec. 19th, Joe’s Pub

Mike Errico Holiday Show: Dec. 19th, Joe’s Pub

TIX ON SALE NOW: http://joespub.publictheater.org/en/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/2014/M/Mike-Errico-Holiday-Show/?SiteTheme=JoesPub Related show Artist: Mike Errico Date: 12/19/14 Time: 7:00pm Venue: Joe’s Pub City: New York , NY Address: 425 Lafayette Street Venue phone: 212.967.7555 Country: United States Admission: $20 Box office: 212.967.7555 Notes: The Mike Errico Holiday Show is a highlight in a year that has been filled with them. While maintaining a career as a recording artist and producer for TV and film, he has been teaching at Yale University and NYU’s Clive Davis School of Recorded Music, where his guests have included Amanda Palmer, Benny Blanco, Jonathan Coulton, Ryan Miller, and others. In keeping with a long-standing Holiday Show tradition, Mike will distribute gifts, known as “Holiday Omens.” (For a full explanation, click here: http://www.errico.com/dear-mike-what-are-holiday-omens/) Recipients will be invited to interpret the Omen’s personal significance in the coming year. Hilarious, poignant or cautionary, they have proven to be alarmingly...
My Top Tracks (Source: Soundexchange)

My Top Tracks (Source: Soundexchange)

Soundexchange reports arrived, and while you’re bullish on vein-opening despair (“Run”), you’re digging the new stuff even more (“Waving Goodbye”), which made me high-five myself. Special thank you for unearthing one of my personal favorites, “Better Here,” a deep cut that took a long time and a lot of patience to bring to...