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Thanks for stopping by.... 3 October 2005 "SWEETHEART, YOU'RE FEELING BLUE" FEATURED ON UNSIGNED@WOXY.COM VOL. 2!! Yup, it's true and I'm flattered. Thanks for the continued support WOXY; it means a lot! Check out "Sweetheart, You're Feeling Blue" this week on UNSIGNED@WOXY.COM VOL. 2: Thursday nitgh, October 6th. at 9 p.m. EST!! Re-broadcast Saturday, October 8th, @ 6 p.m. EST; podcast available Friday, October 7th. Also, before I forget to mention it, check out the great review of the Pigeon Club Demo on Splendid (9-21-05 review; thanks Tyson!) Do pick up a copy of it from the music/merch page here on the site if you haven't already. Thanks so much! Yours in rock, Mike 27 September 2005 "SONG FOR FRIENDSHIP" FEATURED ON UNSIGNED@WOXY.COM PREMIERE!! Yes kittens, that's right, "Song for Friendship" was selected for the Unsigned@WOXY.COM premiere webcast scheduled to air this Thursday night, September 29th, @ 9 p.m. EDT. Podcast will be available the next day, Friday, Saturday 30th, and the entire sixty minute program will be re-aired Saturday, October 1st, at 6 p.m. EDT. This is a brand spanking new weekly series, so tune in each week to hear the latest picks. For those unfamiliar with WOXY, it is a wonderful independent station now rocking it solely on the web. Many thanks to Matt Shiv for digging through his office stacks to find my homemade CD-R and placing it in the appropriate pile.... So friends, in closing, support independent radio, visit WOXY.COM, the future of rock 'n' roll, today!! Affectionately yours, Mike F. 13 August 2005 My dog died, my email got erased, I have songs up on largehearted boy.... (Opie as a pup, summer '90...) So yea, my beloved pet, Opus, had to be put down in early July. He was the only dog I ever had and I miss him. He was almost 15. Sometimes I still think I hear him downstairs but it is just random house noise. I was heartbroken and disconsolate in the immediate aftermath of things but am doing ok now. Let me just say, he craved attention and I was perfectly happy to indulge his every whim. The other drama of the summer involved my email from the site getting erased. How does something like this happen? I dont know but it's been a real problem. As I understand it, part of my hosting site's webmail carrier had a system failure and I was among the casualties. Two years of emails and contacts gone with only a partial backup on my part. So if anyone has been in touch, maybe drop a short note re-establishing communication, that'd be swell. Things havent been all bad this summer, don't let this update fool you. I've been steadily recording all summer and have a few things to post. It's been fun and frustrating as recording often is. For now, a home recording done on Ralph's MBOX is up on MySpace. Do take a listen if you haven't already. I like it. In recent weeks, the focus of recording has shifted from the full band rock of "Whispers & Phrases" to an acoustic tenor as we (Ralph and I) prepare tracks for the upcoming release on Sides of Unequal Length (Victory Garden Records). Things are moving along nicely and I'll have some sneak peaks of rough mixes and such up in the coming weeks. In the meantime, positive feedback has continued to come in for "Someplace Between First & Last" and the "Pigeon Club Demo." As of today, largehearted boy has posted a little feature and write up on me as their lead artist on the "Daily Downloads" section of that most excellent blog. (thanks David!) So come listen and read the nice blurb when you have a second, pass it on! 15 June 2005 Greetings! I'm pleased to announce that this week "Song For Friendship" (from the EP "Someplace Between First & Last") is being featured on NPR's All Songs Considered: Open Mic! I'm thrilled to have a song selected and in rotation over there, it's quite an honor! Please stop by if you have a chance and cast a vote for the song. Thanks! 20 April 2005 OK, this is way past due, but I'm back. Had a wonderful time in the U.K., thanks to everyone over there who came out to shows, said hello and bought CDs. Aside from a few worrisome hours where my guitar was "misplaced" by the airline, I had a fabulous time up and down the isle. I know I've been remiss in posting pics and commentary from the trip but I think these two photos are indicative of how things went down: BEFORE. AFTER. Also, Phil from Melting Vinyl has asked me to contribute material for an upcoming release on S.O.U.L--Sides Of Unequal Length--the tape arm of London's Victory Garden Records. This offer came as a total surprise and I am very pleased to have been asked to do it. It's gonna be one side of new recordings, tentatively titled "Invincible Sun" and one side of old demos, covers and whatever else I can dig up. More details soon. 8 March 2005 Off to London, and the beginning of a fun-filled week of site-seeing and show playing, early this morning so I'm in the process of trying to stay up all night so that I will be exhausted and sleep on the plane ride over.... I havent flown since before 9/11 and I must admit I am wee bit apprehensive. I'm not much of a flyer to begin with but I'm hoping to make the best of it. Trying to keep occupied here and by packing and not think about it too too much. But here I am thinking about it.... Anyway, Maxwell's was a blast yesterday. Thanks again to everyone who showed up early; I appreciate it, much. Solo acoustic UK dates up on the home page and the shows page, natch. Help spread the word if you know anyone in the general vicinity of where I'll be at. Oh in a fortuitous turn of events "Lovers Only Love" has been recently added to the UK's MP3SONGS Top 100 Chart at #98, so click and listen as often as you are able, that'd be swell of you.... Thoughtful, archived review up on Delusions of Adequacy, filed under "F," of course, or go here. thanks Chuck! OK time to pack! 28 February 2005 Don't want this to totally get lost in the shuffle of new show news, so before I forget.... Darren from A Bunch of Beatniks Riding a Rocket, a new MP3 label disguised as a blog, asked me to put together some songs for his next release. So I'm happy to say that the "Someplace Between First & Last" recordings finally have a home (other than this one that is.) This request forced me to finally get a cover and insert together and decide on a sequence for the songs. So thanks to darren for that. I know we were both pleased with how this impromptu release came together. Check it out here: Bunch o' Beatniks 006!. Also do check out some of the other releases up on there, they are good! All for now...buh-bye! 26 February 2005 I've been added last minute to do a quick set, solo acoustic style, before Lou Barlow and Graham Smith at Maxwell's next Sunday, March 6th (thanks Todd!). As most friends and acquaintances know, I've been a fan of both these dudes for quite awhile and thusly couldn't be more excited to have a small part in what promises to be a great night of indie pop! Do come out early and show me some love if you are able. (Oh yea, I'm not up on the club's calendar yet, but hopefully will be added soon; I *just* sorted this one out.) This solo show comes at a fortuitous moment indeed for I leave for the UK on Tuesday, March 8th, where I am doing several shows up 'n' down the isle. The first is on Friday 11th March at the Freebutt in Brighton where I will be opening for Misty's Big Adventure and Restless List. Then it's up to Edinburgh the next day, Saturday 12th March, to do a Baby Tiger show at Caledonia Backpackers, opening for fast-risin' Liverpudilian indie folk-poppers The Cranebuilders. Then on Monday 14th March I'm at the Night & Day Cafe in Manchester for their monthly acoustic show, Glass Half Empty. And finally, as of now, Tuesday, 15th March will bring me to the Shed in North Yorkshire. Specifics and links up on the shows page. More dates being added as they get sorted. if anyone knows of record stores, universities or radio stations that do impromptu appearances let me know ASAP. I'll play anywhere! Thanks! Oh and do help spread the word if you have any friends or family in the general vicinty of where I'll be. That too would be a big help... 16 February 2005 heyheyhey, Rutgers Radio was fabulous, as was the show at Arlene's. Next show is Fri., March 4th, at Don Hill's, but you probably knew that already. Do come if you can. A few new reviews in, one from the Scottish monthly "Is this music?"; the other, an old review from Shmat from November, both up on the press page. Which reminds me, if anyone comes across a review or something and you don't see it on the site, it might mean that I don't know about it, so do drop a line and let me know. I try to follow up with these things but I do miss a few. It would be a great help! UK dates are posted on the shows page. Anyone who knows anyone in those areas--family, friends--let 'em know when I'll be in town. More dates being added as they get sorted. And lastly, in case you've ever wondered "why .net?" This is why: mikeferraro.com Need I say more? 1 February 2005 Whew! Finally a moment to make a much needed stop here.... This first piece of news should have been posted at the beginning of last month but here it is now: I'm happy to announce that Oz Beat Music has made me their first featured artist for the new year!!. Thanks to Dem Hopkins (and the rest of the Oz Beat crew) for the inclusion and for the seemingly endless enthusiasm and support. I'm thrilled to be in the midst of so many great bands.... In other news, we've got a rock show coming up on 2/9 at Arlene's Grocery in NYC. This is a big show for us and we're debuting a few songs I've never played live with a band before to mark the occasion.... To better promo this show, Jared Migden, music director of WRSU (Rutgers Radio), and all around good guy, has invited me to drop by his morning show next week, Tues., 2/8, at 9:30 a.m. We'll chat a bit and I'll play some songs while I'm there. Do tune in! Oh yea, several new reviews in as well up on the press page from the fine folks at Atomic Duster (thanks Nick!), Vanity Project (thanks Skif!), and Music Underwater (check the great feature review by Jeremy Cohen while it's still on the front page!). Oh yea I almost forgot, "Lovers only love" is currently available for download on the Dutch indie site Think Small, courtesy of Martijn Grooten (1/23/05).... All that *and* a new recording of an old song up on the music page...dig it! 16 January 2005 Huh-hey, My interweb's been acting screwy as of late otherwise this would have been up sooner... Many thanks and much respeck to EL MADMO for debuting their punk rawk thang with us at Don Hill's Thursday night (1/13). Maddie and Co. couldn't have been nicer to us and I only made a *slight* fool of myself. (What can i say really? I felt slightly ill-at-ease, but hey, it was a surreal night, as any who were there can attest.) Anyway, 'twas fun as heck to share the stage with 'em. Lucky for me, my band is steadfast and unflappable, where as i am considerably less so.... (And lastly, I don't think it's giving too much away here to say that it's really cool to see people try new things, esp. when they don't have to, but simply because they want to, for real.) Yes, I speak in parentheses and 1/2 thoughts, oh yea, Mike 6 January 2005 Happy New Year! Hope the start of '05 finds you in good spirits. It does me. Made it through the holi-daze relatively unscathed with a lot of new stuff going on.... First off, I've got my first show as a power trio coming up at Don Hill's in NYC on the 13th that I'm super excited about... That's right, I finally found me some new bandmates and we're ready to bring the rock. So without further ado, let me introduction the new playaz... On drums, NJ rock veteran, and all around good guy, Ralph Capasso (Hey Tiger, Small AM) and new friend Domenick Tiziano on bass guitar. Honestly, I couldnt be happier about how the songs have shaped up so far. New songs, and old songs alike. So do make it out if you are local and free. Check the shows page for more info. There's more to announce but I think I'll wait a few more days before mentioning it here.... Check back soon to find out what else is going on.... More soon, Mike 28 November 2004 Hey Hope all who had a holiday had a good one. I did. Saw "Alexander" this weekend, against my better judgement and amidst a slew of bad reviews. What a stinker.... (I generally like Oliver Stone films and so gave 'im the benefit of the doubt on this one, but alas a royal turd. And what was up with those accents by the way?!? Horrificly bad!) Anyway, two new reviews up on the 'press' page. One from the fine folks at Smother.net, online as of now... Thanks J-sin. The other from a U.K. zine, No Front Teeth, online next week, but up here now (Thanks Marco).... Hmmmm what else? Got the Nirvana box set...OK booklet and packaging but a lot of mistakes throughout. Looks like a holiday rush job to me. Listened to the first disc so far. It's reassuring to know that ol' Kurt had some real klunkers in the mix, just like anybody else... Could we expect any less really? Not talking shit, I dig.... Oh yea, reading a memoir on Gulf War I by Anthony Swofford called "Jarhead." It's sad and often harrowing, beautiful reading; unflinchingly brutal and honest. 10 November 2004 OK so Bush won. I can take, though I hate it and am disappointed.... my initial response was typical, childish and petty: I'm *NEVER* voting again, followed by: I'm outta here... but now that some time has passed, the post-election depression is lifting, i'm feeling differently.... rather than complain about the polarization and the evangelicals, I'm trying to focus on our commmonalities rather than our differences. I'm staying optimistic. We'll see how long that lasts. At least Ashcroft is outta here.... Some new reviews up on the press page. With more coming in and going up as I get 'em. Thanks to everyone who has wriiten nice things about the demo. I truly appreciate it...later. 2 November 2004--bye bye bushie day (i hope!) Hi! Just got word from my e-friend Maurice in the U.K. that my demo is being featured this week on their Channel 4 Teletext Planet Sound Indigo Demo review page. Havent read the review in full yet, i hear it's highly favorable. And of course I am unprepared for the U.K. folks emailing me about how they can get a copy of the CD. All I can say for now is that I'm working on it. The CDs are, and will continue to be, free (of course anyone who wants to pay a few bucks for theirs is certainly welcome to) but, unfortunately, I cant afford to ship them internationally. Therefore, I'm asking that international orders cover their own shipping via Paypal..its not much, $3.50 (U.S. dollars) but it adds up quickly and I'm poor, so please bear with me on this. I dont know how else to do this. I want anyone who wants a CD to have one as cheaply as possible but I have to be realistic about the finances involved in shipping globally. I may have to ask everyone in the future to cover their own shipping costs, domestic and international alike, though it seems silly to have people pay .60 cents for the cost of domestic shipping. (I'm poor but not that poor; well, I am that poor, but you know.) I'm still working this out. Either way, I'm hoping to have the Paypal ordering squared away as early as today/tonight. Thanks for your patience and, above all, thanks for your interest. I really appreciate it. love, Mike P.S. Oh yea, been reading "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. So good, I can't put it down. Was supposed to read it back in college for an intro poli-sci class but I only skimmed through and highlighted for the required assignment then. Always meant to actually read it.... P.P.S. Also, I voted today. All the hype and build up for two minutes of actual decision making. Am I the only one who feels like their vote wasn't properly registered even though I checked and re-checked the little green x's three times before casting my electronic ballot? Weird, unfounded paranoia...or is it? OK, here's hoping that George W. will be "retired" by morning.... 25 October 2004 Late night I've been neglecting this place big time. Hopefully after this week I can make some much needed additions around here...also, just wanted to mention that I'm gonna be featured in the "North Jersey Notes" column in the Aquarian weekly next week. Should be cool, so check it out. More soon, for real, bye-bye...oh yea go here for hysterical, acerbic political cartoons...xo.... 13 October 2004 Finally! Pigeon Club Demo is available with full artwork. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. If anyone wants one, drop a note here and I'll send it out ASAP. Thamks to everyone who lent a hand to make this happen (you know who you are!). More soon.... Here's the cover, again: 25 August 2004 The first review of the three-song "Pigeon Club Demo" is up on the press page. Written by intrepid NJ singer/songwriter/critic of all things sacred and profane, Tris McCall. Check it out when you can and don't forget to check out Tris' site "The Tris McCall report" too. I don't even know how to begin to categorize it. Go here to experience it for yourself.... 12 August 2004 Hello hello Just a quick stop.... Pop-ups now work (at least on the pics page). Thanks to Anna K. for sorting that out. Hopefully I'll have a bunch of new pop-ups (in the form on individual song windows) happening soon on the music page. That is if I can get my digital camera to cooperate. But for now I've got a new recording of an old song and an old recording of an old song revived. Confused?. Me too. Check it for yourself over on the music page.... 25 July 2004 Rodeo show was much fun. Thanks to Lazlo for having me, and Jonathan Andrew for singing harmonies on a bunch of songs. It was just like old times. Just got word that Indiepages.com, a cool review/info/resource site, has posted some MP's of mine for their ongoing "Demo of the Week" section this week of July 23rd. Thanks to Chris Mac for the inclusion. Check out Indiepages when you can, they've got a ton of cool band and zine links to browse through.... 19 July 2004 Just got in from seeing Thomas Frank read and talk at a swank ass Upper West Side B&N. He signed books and gave away buttons, too. He was super nice and funny to boot. playing the Rodeo Ristra in hoboken this Weds. night (7/21). Do come if you are free. These "Folk You!" shows are always a lot of fun. I'm up at 10 p.m. See the "shows" page for more info.... I'm finally getting CDs pressed of the demo I made back in feb. The art looks great thanks to my pal Chris Pierson's designs. Will have it available here for a few bucks in the next few weeks. Want to say more but I'm tired. Oh yea, new song up on the music page: "Yesterday Was a Burning Plane," listen when you can...later, Mike 10 July 2004 So hey--the Krogh's show on Fri. 7/2 was fun--HT sounded great, as usual, and hanging out with people afterwards was probably what I enjoyed most actually. I think my set went OK. I hadnt played a show in a while but once I got my bearings everything sorted itself out.... So my big plan is to try to update this page more frequently, or at least more thoroughly; have it be my way of letting friends, or whoever's interested, know what's been going on with me to some degree, but not in a psychotic, free-for-all, live journal sort of way. If it gets too out of control I'll have to create a rant page or something. Hopefully I'll be able to contain myself. Basically, I really like all that is involved in maintaining a site. Which is a shock to me since I've never done this before and a) I'm not too terribly computer savvy and b) I'm usually totally creeped out and annoyed by the Internet. But, surprise, surprise, I find tooling around on the site both satisfying and soothing.... With that said, there's much on my mind these days. Saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the third time last nite, this time with my girlfriend and my mom, who voted for bushie in 2000. I've been critical of moore's films in the past, particularly his tendency to self-aggrandize in them, but this film moved me. It puts a very human face on the events and repercussions of 9/11 and the participants, on both sides, of the war in Iraq. Yes it its unabashedly propagandized (I guess), but so what? As if the U.S. government isn't one, if not the, biggest propaganda machines of all time. Moore's film never claims to be unbiased but it certainly does not drag the dialog into the sewer as some right-wing (read FOX news) pundits have claimed; I recommend seeing it for what it is: a compassionate, moving picture.... (visit punkvoter.com for more sticker, shirt, button designs.) Also been reading some good books lately. Just finished "The Human Stain" (2000) by Philip Roth (much better than the movie, which I enjoyed as well). It never fails, in screen adaptations of novels, my favorite parts of the books are always left out of the film; I understand that the filmmakers can't possibly adapt every scene from the novel, but invariably, I always enjoy the books more, everything seems much more real and realized somehow. With this book in particular, I was much impressed with how deftly Roth intertwined late 90s American politics and events (i.e., the Clinton sex scandal and impeachment hearings) within the narrative--a lesser writer would surely have made a mess of it.... Also just got Thomas Frank's (co-editor/founder of The Baffler) new book "Whats the Matter with Kansas?" (2004), a very funny and thorough analysis of the red state/blue state madness of our current political landscape, examining how, over the last 3+ decades, the GOP has been able to takeover historic leftist, liberal (read Democratic) strongholds, (i.e., the heartland). Basically, his thesis is that from the tumult of the 60s arose a "Great Backlash," a style of conservatism that "mobilizes voters with explosive social issues which it then marries to pro-business economic policies, marshaling cultural anger to achieve economic ends" (5); ie.,: "Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in capital gains taxes. Vote to make our country strong again; receive industrial deregulation. Vote to get government off our backs; receive conglomeration and monopoly everywhere and a social order in which wealth is more concentrated than ever before," etc. (7). Or, stated more simply, why do people in some of the poorest counties in the country habitually vote against their best interests? I'm only a few chapters in but it's rocking me pretty hard.... The themes of all three of these works seem to me so profoundly interrelated that I guess I couldn't help but try to articulate that here: Moore's take on the Bush Administration's response to 9/11, Roth's look at the country's perverse and pervasive, not to mention misguided and hypercritical, infatuation with sanctimony at the close of last century, Frank's analysis of the ongoing bamboozlement of the working class and the continued fragmentation of our neat little, well-ordered society.... But I guess my real point here is to advocate making time to better understand our current political/economic/cultural situation, (or at least try to make sense of it) to draw your own conclusions and from there make am informed choice about which direction(s) our country should take. Really not trying to preach here honestly, it's just easy to feel overwhelmed and disenfranchised and surrender to it.... But ultimately with this long post I'm deciding, rightly or wrongly, to be more vocal about my opinions, instead of keeping this site sanitized, free and clear of current non-music related issues, a strictly "professional" site devoted to my music. That seems to me to be disingenuous, since the world we live in informs so much of our daily lives and preferences whether we like to admit it or not. Plus that kinda strictly promotional site creeps me out. I'd rather this be more personal. This is the kind of post I've wanted to write from the beginning but didn't for fear of alienating first-time visitors, that unknown and unknowable viewing audience (read potential new listeners). It was my own unfounded hang-up, but no more, for as old Howard Zinn says, "you cant be neutral on a moving train".... Have a nice day. P.S. as if anything on this site was "professional" looking to begin with. OK I feel better-- liberated--now. Yes, Mike 28 June 2004 Hey. Just a quick stop to announce two upcoming shows for July. First, I'll be opening for my friends Hey Tiger this Fri. 7/2 at Krogh's in Sparta, NJ. Show time is 10 p.m. Thanks to Ralph for asking me to play. Do come if you are free. The other July show is on Weds. 7/21 at the Rodeo Ristra in Hoboken, NJ. Another in the continuing FOLK YOU! series brought to you by BlowUpRadio.com and hosted by Lazlo. I'm up at ten p.m. Also on the bill: Jason Didner, Neil Sabatino (Fairmont), Rik Mercaldi. Both shows are free. Check out the 'shows' page for more info.... Also, new MP3 of an old song up on the music page...check it out when you have a minute, actually two minutes. Ha. --Mike 23 May 2004 Sunday night Been brushing this place up a little bit today.... Some new pics, a new demo up on the music page, etc. Feels good. Oh yea, I realize that when you click on a photo the pic doesn't come up, just a blank box or something else depending on your browser. Something's wrong with the java script I believe; hopefully I'll get it corrected soon. Just wanted folks to know that I know that it doesn't work.... Also, I think I'm gonna make the focus of the 'pics' section paintings of mine instead of sweaty rock photos. They're prettier, and besides, who needs to see photos of me sweating and singing anyway, right? Word. 2 May 2004 Been fiddling around with the site today, think I've got the MP3 links up and running.... * * * * > One of my favorite writers, Hubert Selby, Jr. (Last Exit to Brooklyn/Requiem for a Dream), died this past week. His books were always wonderfully difficult to get through but were (are) tremendously well-written and powerful. Sad. He was 75. Bye-bye, Cubby.... 22 April 2004 Hello and welcome to the site.... It's finally up and running and I'm pretty pleased with it, if I do say so myself...it's not 100% functional yet by any means--will it ever be really?--but the basic layout is all here so feel free to look around and drop a line to let me know what you think...much thanks to Anna K. for the design work and layout.... Oh yea before I forget, for now MP3s are only available at www.purevolume.com/mikeferraro but, god willing, they will be up here soon.... For those that dont know, I did some recording back in February with Wayne Dorell at The Pigeon Club in Hoboken, NJ...since then the songs have been mastered at West West Side Music...stuff will be pressed up soon but for now drop a line with your mailing address and I'll send you a homemade CD-R of the mastered stuff pronto.... OK all for now...love, Mike