My Pet Dragon

Artist Information

Biography

MY PET DRAGON

Recently featured in Filter Magazine's 'Discover The Undiscovered' and nominated by Deli Magazine for Best of NYC 2011 Emerging Artists, My Pet Dragon’s anthemic songs & powerful live show has drawn comparisons to Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Flaming Lips. MPD is led by singer/guitarist Todd Michaelsen & actress/dancer Reena Shah. They are joined by Mario Padron on bass & Rajeev Maddela on drums. Michaelsen's soaring vocals & strong pop melodies define My Pet Dragon's latest LP, Mountains and Cities. Deli NYC describes the album as "the ideal soundtrack for that cross-country, convertible drive under Augusts’ everlasting sunshine”.

MPD’s unique performances include Shah’s dancing influenced by the classical Indian dance style of Bharata Natyam, & nods to electronic music & stadium rock. My Pet Dragon headlined the 2012 Breckenridge Beer Fest in Colorado in April presented by KSMT - The Mountain. MPD is scheduled to appear at numerous music festivals this summer including Summerfest in Milwaukee -- NXNE in Toronto -- the inaugural Catalpa Music Fest in NYC -- the KahBang Music Fest in Maine -- with more Festival appearances being announced soon.

Fuse TV featured My Pet Dragon’s official music video for their single Moonshine, which is currently in-rotation on radio stations across the USA. MPD is honored to have their song Love Anthem as a part of the Music for Occupy compilation Occupy This Album to support the movement. The compilation includes songs by Yoko Ono, Mogwai, Patti Smith, Tom Morello, Ani Di Franco, Thievery Corporation, Yo La Tengo, & more.

Roll Magazine says, "As U2 & Muse are packing stadiums around the world... it’s really only a matter of time before My Pet Dragon is doing the same. Thanks to Michaelsen & his musical compadres, they’ve already got the hooks & chutzpah to make it happen. Now all they need is opportunity to knock on the door."

"This is big, audacious & brimming with hooks. Considering that’s only kind of rock that gets the big boys to notice anymore, do not be surprised if you’re hearing more from & about My Pet Dragon, and soon."
--John Norris (Noisevox, ex-MTV News)

Mountains and Cities was produced by Stephen George, the former drummer of the band Ministry. George has worked with a wide range of pop artists including Iggy Pop, the Cars, & Common. The LP includes contributions by members of Mercury Rev, Gov't Mule, & Hurricane Bells.

Michaelsen has collaborated with world-renowned artists Karsh Kale, Nina Paley, & Anoushka Shankar. In 2006, he sang & co-wrote 3 songs off Karsh Kale's "Broken English" including Dancing at Sunset which received rave reviews & heavy radio airplay in Europe, India, & the U.S. In 2007 he co-wrote a song called Abyss on Karsh Kale and Anoushka Shankar's stunning "Breathing Under Water" album which also featured Norah Jones and Sting. In 2008, Michaelsen composed the score & wrote original songs for Nina Paley's critically acclaimed animated feature film "Sita Sings the Blues" which has won numerous awards around the world & continues to garner a huge cult following. Most recently he teamed up with Kale again on his gorgeous "CINEMA" album on the song Phoenix Rising on which he sang & co-wrote.

Shah was the speaking voice of Sita in Sita Sings the Blues as well as the rotoscoped dancer & singer in the film during the Trial by Fire - Agni Pariksha scene. She was the Assistant Choreographer & a dancer for the Universal Pictures film, The Guru, where she taught Indian dancing to Marisa Tomei, Heather Graham & Michael McKean. She has appeared with Conan on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in a comedic Bollywood Skit. She has also appeared in numerous Indie Films & Theater Plays worldwide, & has narrated documentaries. Reena has taught workshops & performed Indian Dancing at Lincoln Center for Midsummer Night Swing, Kennedy Center, White House 2011 Easter Egg Roll, Sundance Film Fest, & the Brooklyn Museum.

Instrumentation

Todd Michaelsen - Guitar, Lead Vocals, Songwriter
Reena Shah - Vocals, keys, Percussion, Dance
Mario Padron - Bass
Rajeev Maddela - Drums

Discography

2011 - "Mountains and Cities" LP
2010 - "Flow" maxi single
2010 - "Lover in Hiding" maxi single
2006 - "First Born" LP

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• Follow Lead Singer/Songwriter Todd Michaelsen
• Follow Dancer/Singer/Actress Reena Shah
• Lead Singer/Songwriter Todd Michaelsen's Website
• Actress/Dancer/Singer Reena Shah's Website
• My Pet Dragon - Bandcamp

Audio

• Moonshine
  Listen  
• Love Anthem
  Listen  
• Majestic Lovers
  Listen  
• Flow
  Listen  
• Lover In Hiding (Reprise)
  Listen  
• U R
  Listen  
• Between Us
  Listen  
• Lover in Hiding
  Listen  
• Lightning Inside
  Listen  
• Siren
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Moonshine
• Love Anthem
• Majestic Lovers
• Lover In Hiding
• Lightning Inside
• Flow
• Between Us
• Siren
• U R

Video

My Pet Dragon - 'Moonshine' Official Music Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Discover the Undiscovered: My Pet Dragon [+ Show ]
  

  Strong pop melodies and lead singer/songwriter Todd Michaelsen's soaring vocals define their newly r...Strong pop melodies and lead singer/songwriter Todd Michaelsen's soaring vocals define their newly released LP, Mountains and Cities. The 5-piece melodic rock band has been compared to Coldplay, the Smashing Pumpkins, and the Flaming Lips.

• My Pet Dragon's Love Anthem featured on Occupy This Album with Yoko Ono, Mogwai, Debbie Harry, Tom Morello, Third Eye Blind, and more... [+ Show ]
  

  Occupy Wall Street now has an A-list soundtrack: the compilation Occupy This Album, which was announ...Occupy Wall Street now has an A-list soundtrack: the compilation Occupy This Album, which was announced today and will be released sometime this spring. The record will feature music from Debbie Harry, Jackson Browne, Yoko Ono, Third Eye Blind, Crosby and Nash and many more. Several of the contributors, including Joan Baez and Crosby and Nash, performed at the New York OWS site while it was still active.
  
  Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/occupy-wall-street-album-to-feature-tom-morello-crosby-nash-yoko-ono-20120123#ixzz1kVVY7JTh
  

• Musical Giants: My Pet Dragon headline a big show at The Space in Hamden on Feb. 4 [+ Show ]
  

  My Pet Dragon is not your typical Brooklyn N.Y.-based rock band. Seemingly gimmick-less, this five-p...My Pet Dragon is not your typical Brooklyn N.Y.-based rock band. Seemingly gimmick-less, this five-piece creates sweeping, anthemic, atmospheric rock songs, and sounds larger than five members strong. With vocals that soar, a multitude of layers, and a handle on catchy melodies, My Pet Dragon bring their enveloping sound to The Space on Sat., Feb. 4. If ever there was a band on the rise coming through town, this would be it. Don't miss it.

• My Pet Dragon are the Ambassadors of Great Music [+ Show ]
  

  The response from radio programmers to the My Pet Dragon single “Moonshine” has been stellar, and on...The response from radio programmers to the My Pet Dragon single “Moonshine” has been stellar, and one look at this studio performance of the track for Indie Ambassador TV will tell you why. Enjoy!

• My Pet Dragon aims to raise the roof on an arena near you. [+ Show ]
  

  "Majestic Lovers", the band’s wise choice lead single, is chimey anthemics — and that’s this band’s ..."Majestic Lovers", the band’s wise choice lead single, is chimey anthemics — and that’s this band’s sweet spot. Equally soaring, "Love Anthem" takes the guys into Muse/Coldplay/Temper Trap, even Linkin Park alt arena territory, “Crystal Ball” is pretty and driving, & “Lover in Hiding” recalls Bono & Co. circa Atomic Bomb. Which is not to say they don’t throw a few curve balls. The retro bounce of “Darling”, the rollicking "Moonshine" and the wistful, acoustic "Siren" are nice departures. Still, this is big, audacious & brimming with hooks. Considering that’s only kind of rock that gets the big boys to notice anymore, do not be surprised if you’re hearing more from and about My Pet Dragon, and soon.

• My Pet Dragon's Love Anthem featured on Occupy This Album with Third Eye Blind, Yo La Tengo, Ladytron, Devo, Crosby and Nash, Lucinda Williams, Jackson Browne, Warren Haynes, and more... [+ Show ]
  

  As NBC New York has been reporting, storied songwriter Jackson Browne, alt-rock survivors Third Eye ...As NBC New York has been reporting, storied songwriter Jackson Browne, alt-rock survivors Third Eye Blind and LA folk-rockers Dawes plays Zuccotti Park on Thursday. This will be the first time high-profile musicians have played for Occupy Wall Street protesters since the park was raided two weeks ago. Jackson Browne and Third Eye Blind will also appear on Occupy This Album, a benefit album compilation organized by Music for Occupy.
  
  A final tracklisting is not available yet, but Crosby and Nash, Jackson Browne, Warren Haynes, Aeroplane Pageant, DJ Logic, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, Devo, Stephan Said, Lucinda Williams, Toots and the Maytals, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, Third Eye Blind, My Pet Dragon, Alex Emanuel, Joel Rafael, Ladytron, Chroma, Cosmonaut, Jennie Arnau, Dylan Chambers, Global Block, Mystic Bowie, Harry Hayward, Mike + Ruthy, Jay Samel, Matt Pless, Mike Rimbaud are listed as appearing.
  
  Music for Occupy will donate all proceeds from the album to, as its website says, "directly towards the needs of sustaining this growing movement."

• "Todd Michaelsen has a tenor voice that falls somewhere between Thom Yorke & Muse's Matthew Bellamy." [+ Show ]
  

  “My Pet Dragon plays well-crafted alt-rock and vocalist/songwriter Todd Michaelsen has a tenor voic...“My Pet Dragon plays well-crafted alt-rock and
  vocalist/songwriter Todd Michaelsen has a tenor voice that falls
  somewhere between Thom Yorke & Muse's Matthew Bellamy."

• My Pet Dragon featured on Indie Ambassador TV with a 3 Song Live Taping at Strewnshank Studios [+ Show ]
  

  Sessions: My Pet Dragon (Brooklyn) Written by Aidan Rush Posted in: Sessions on January 10, 2012 ...Sessions: My Pet Dragon (Brooklyn)
  
  Written by Aidan Rush Posted in: Sessions on January 10, 2012
  
  Serendipity is a word defined as “an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.” It’s also the term Todd Michaelsen used to describe how he met band mate and now wife, Reena Shah. Now if Todd's desirable discovery stopped there it wouldn't be newsworthy, but Todd and Reena's happenstance was just the beginning of the serendipitous journey that would soon befall Brooklyn-bred five-piece family My Pet Dragon.
  
  Through his newly formed relationship, MPD core songwriter and founder Todd Michaelsen suddenly found himself half a world a way in India where the people and the culture impacted his songwriting more than he could have imagined. Just as Todd and Reena had thrived despite their economic hardships in Brooklyn, the people of India were loving life despite the immense poverty they were a part of. The result of this musician boy meets dancing girl, travels to India, and gets engaged fairytale is an aural experience that’s upbeat, anthemic, and life-affirming. Think similarly global sounding bands like Coldplay or U2 before they were international superstars and the music was still authentic. Add in Reena’s classical Indian Bharata Natyam dance and you’ve got one hell of a concert.
  
  Over the past five years, members of My Pet Dragon have composed original scores for film, collaborated with famed DJ Karsh Kale, and had a record produced by Stephen George, the original drummer of legendary act Ministry. The band's future plans include pushing their project in an up-tempo and psychedelic direction, and playing regional dates around New England during spring 2012. While you’re waiting for new material to drop, be sure to look for their song “Love Anthem” off Mountains and Cities as part of the Occupy compilation coming out in February, also featuring the likes of Lucinda Williams, Jackson Brown, Ladytron, Yo La Tengo and many more. For the closest thing you can get to an MPD concert without being there in person, check out the band's performances of "Flow", "Love Anthem" and "Moonshine" in our latest IAtv Session!

• My Pet Dragon Nominated for Best of 2011 Emerging Artists by The Deli Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  "My Pet Dragon singer Todd Michaelsen belts his tenor up to the rafters. Playing anthems better suit..."My Pet Dragon singer Todd Michaelsen belts his tenor up to the rafters. Playing anthems better suited to arenas than small Brooklyn clubs, it's really only a matter of time before this band is all over the radio."

• Against the faded flags of many Brooklyn outfits, My Pet Dragon stands out sharply. [+ Show ]
  

  The group moves away from the roughed-up sounds of its noisier contemporaries, favoring a more highl...The group moves away from the roughed-up sounds of its noisier contemporaries, favoring a more highly refined approach that recalls the anthem hits of U2.

• "Catchy vocals, melodic guitar riffs, and steady drumbeats meld into a breezy indie/pop-rock album." [+ Show ]
  

  "the ideal soundtrack for that cross-country, convertible drive under Augusts’ everlasting sunshine...."the ideal soundtrack for that cross-country, convertible drive under Augusts’ everlasting sunshine." -- Madi Silvers

• "An upbeat, soulful soundtrack. The kind of album you play from beginning to end and along the way you find yourself lost in the melody – your head swaying, with a smile on your face because the lyrics were written for you." [+ Show ]
  

  "Brooklyn-based band My Pet Dragon just released their new album, Mountains and Cities on Gimme That..."Brooklyn-based band My Pet Dragon just released their new album, Mountains and Cities on Gimme That Sound Productions– and it’s a winner. Already receiving rave reviews, Mountains and Cities is your – drive down the coast, wind blowing your hair, destination unknown – kind of album." --Geetanjali Dillon of Republic of Brown

• "As U2 and Muse are already packing stadiums around the world... it’s really only a matter of time before My Pet Dragon is doing the same." [+ Show ]
  

  "As U2 and Muse are already packing stadiums around the world... it’s really only a matter of time b..."As U2 and Muse are already packing stadiums around the world... it’s really only a matter of time before My Pet Dragon is doing the same. Thanks to Michaelsen and his musical compadres, they’ve already got the hooks and chutzpah to make it happen. Now all they need is opportunity to knock on the door." —Crispin Kott

• Todd Michaelsen becomes a Top 4 Finalist for the 2011 Peacedriven Songwriting Award for 'Love Anthem' [+ Show ]
  

  “Love Anthem” has aggression in the music and unity in the lyrics, overall delivering a song that i...“Love Anthem” has aggression in the music and unity in the lyrics,
  overall delivering a song that is so fitting in a year filled with global outcry." –Peacedriven

• "Hazy, Flaming Lips-Esque ethereal tunes highlighted by a melodic tenor"
  

  "Hazy, Flaming Lips-Esque ethereal tunes highlighted by a melodic tenor" --CMJ Festival Guide

• "A band to keep your eye on in 2011 -- My Pet Dragon" [+ Show ]
  

  "A band to keep your eye on in 2011.... MPD’s music has influences which range from U2 to mid-80s ..."A band to keep your eye on in 2011....
  MPD’s music has influences
  which range from U2 to mid-80s electro pop...
  in addition, backup singer Reena Shah’s Indian dancing
  keeps the band visually exciting."

Setlist

45 minutes - 1:30 hour setlist

Basic Requirements

Calendar