Michael Elsner

Raised in the artistic community of Woodstock, NY, music has been a fundamental part of my life since as far back as I can remember. Experimenting with various instruments since the age of 8, I discovered and fell in love with the guitar at the age of 12 and immersed myself into a rigorous practice regimen, often spending up to 8 hours a day becoming more and more proficient on the instrument.

Right out of high school I founded a retro 70s style rock band that concentrated on hook oriented songs with tight vocal harmonies. We recorded and released two independent records, played countless performances and received regional radio airplay and press coverage. However, like many young bands aspiring to achieve greatness in this business of music, after three years together we had grown apart musically and each decided to pursue other musical opportunities.

The fall of 1998 began a new chapter in my musical journey in that I moved to Nashville, TN, to focus more on songwriting as well as live performance. Within a few weeks I was in the studio working on projects with such artists as Michael McDonald, Sixpence None The Richer, Jon Anderson from YES, Take 6, and Jaci Velasquez to name just a few. In 2000 my career as a producer began when I produced my first full length album "The Healing Pool" for Dioscuri Records recording artists Phileo. As is typical in the music industry, one thing quickly led to another and I spent the next 3 years touring with various artists and in the studio producing and/or playing on numerous sessions. During my four and a half years in Nashville I became the Fret Talk columnist for Nashvilles Rock & Read magazine, completed my first instructional book Introspective Guitar, had 15 songs of mine recorded by other artists, and was credited on a number of records that achieved multi-platinum status.

Since June of 2003, I've been living in Los Angeles, CA, where I have been busy playing on sessions for Miramax Films, Chrysalis Music Publishing, CBS and various television, album and film projects. Some of those projects include the "Ella Enchanted" soundtrack, "The Young & The Restless," "The Bold & the Beautiful," and "Cold Case." I have signed publishing deals with 2 production music libraries and my songs have been placed in various television shows and commercials. Some of the companies I have written music for include: Audi, Mazda and Rent Way. Recently, I produced an acoustic guitar virtual instrument library for Big Fish Audio called "Acoustic Legends." I have also just released my first solo record "Stained Voodoo."