Michael Levine Band

1 Cup Peter Gabriel
1/2 cup Counting Crows
1 heaping tablespoon of Rhythm
Preheat oven to highest possible setting. Mix ingredients well. Makes 1 serving Michael Levine.
The scene is SLAB Spring Fling or SSF for short. These festivals are smaller versions of SLABFest in April or May. We're at CJ's Landing in Buckhead. It's 1999. Michael Levine, whose incredible precision and ability on the guitar has amazed audiences everywhere, has just traveled from Alabama to play an acoustic set at SSF on a Saturday afternoon. He gets to play 45 minutes or so and is pretty psyched about the scenario. He hits the stage and jaws begin dropping like sledgehammers as he fills the room with his acoustic guitar prowess while accompanied by an effects unit that is looping grunts and breaths that he recorded in front of the audience right before he started the song. And he does it again and again. By the end of 45 minutes, people are cheering and singing along. He's used to this. The set ends and it's over. Then a conversation begins taking place outside. The owner and the head bouncer begin discussing the fact that the Saturday night solo act for the patio hasn't shown up and isn't going to make it. Michael's going to play for another 2 hours or more. And he does. And can you believe this joker? He actually comes back again for SLABFest in November just a few months later. What a sucker for punishment.
And you should expect nothing but a stellar performance from a man who has shared the stage with Dave Matthews, Counting Crows, and many others. He's so big that he doesn't even know it. Local papers in his home state write article after article and yet, nobody knows his name. The CD is called Under The Water that is loaded with track after track of great sing along songs in the vein of the Indigo Girls. Catchy songs like Why Go Home and Over My Head are filled with emotion and spunk that is so contagious that Grandma is going to have whip up some serious voodoo juice to cure what ails ya. Tastes of Peter Gabriel are dripped into his vocal chords and the guitars are wrapped with intricate fills that are so fluid you don't even notice them. And don't even pretend for one moment that you can't hear the Dave Matthews influence bleed through.
So while you're out and about looking for some good local music, visit Michael's website at http://www.michaellevine.net and see where he's playing first. That's going to be your best bet for your entertainment dollar. Oh yeah, and he'll also appear in Broadcast 2 of the SLAB Music Radio Show.

- Southern Local Artists Bands