Music
Press
Michael On Fire is so good you’ll be searching for new adjectives to describe it. He’ll make you laugh, cry, see God and tap your feet, all at the same time.
- Bill Locey
The Los Angeles Times
As far as lyrical content, professional musicianship and a magnificent charisma that permeates to the very core of the audience, Michael On Fire is one of the finest musicians I’ve had the pleasure to see perform. - Wendy Kale
The Colorado Daily
“Michael on Fire projects a combination of musical strength, unbridled energy, and pure joy that continually elevates those around him.”
- Dave Zimmer
(BAM Magzine, MCA Music
and author of Crosby Stills & Nash: The Authorized Biography (St. Martin’s Press)
“Michael on Fire is one of our leading troubadours. He has the elusive, inspirational quality of a cult hero.”
- Bobbi O’,
The Rock City News (Hollywood, CA)
“Songs about spiritual advancement, and the evolution of the individual on the human level. Trustng in the intellect more than most artists do, Michael on Fire has attracted a loyal following who feel a deep personal connection to him.”
The Rocky Mountain News
“One of the Top 10 CDs of the Year!”
- Ventura County Reporter
“When an album is released containing no weak tracks and each cut outshines its predecessor it quickly earns recognition as a classic. Keepers of the Flame is surely a classic.”
- Michael Hull
The Promised Land
[Grand Junction, CO]
Michael On Fire weaves his considerable talents as a songwriter, vocalist, guitar player/multi-instrumentalist and producer into an aural tapestry that brings favorable comparisons to J.J Cale, Dire Straits, and Van Morrison.”
- Norman Hunter
Board Of Trustees,
Association for Independent Music
Michael shares the rarified air of artists who can truly effect, and affect,emotional well-being through their art. The perfect confluence of loving message and captivating music.
- Sean Dooley,
Country Music Greats Radio Hour
www.rockgreats.com
As the music industry dictates who and what is valid, the lifers, like Michael On Fire, keep finding new ways and new stages by which to express themselves.
- Stephen Brundage
The Herald-Palladium
(St. Joseph, MI)
- Many
I found your music from your videos on YouTube. I have been listening for months. Your music has changed my life by leading me to places in myself that I had either forgotten about or never suspected were there and I want to thank you for that.
What you put into your music is exactly what the world needs today.
Ann
March 7, 2009
I just saw your video on the United Nations Relief Agency Home Page...I am not one bit surprised...you are now, as you ever have been, an ambassador of Hope and Light....
Dagney T
June 23, 2008
I met Michael in the winter of 1991 when my band, The Bead Band moved to Van Nuys, CA.
From the moment I shook his hand until this very moment, no one has had a more direct influence on the journey of my life than Michael. I learned more by playing music with him than a 100 lifetimes could teach me.
As my dear friend or teacher, he has taught me how live my life through my music, which is all of our music. God Bless you Miguel.
Todd Glass
January 26, 2007 - www.michaelonfire.com
I had the really wonderful opportunity to host Michael On Fire at a house concert recently and I will tell you it was a truly magical evening that went way beyond even my high expectations.
I have been loving Michael’s music for decades and I relished the chance to share that love with a diverse group of friends from all segments of my life. Michael read the audience and its wants masterfully, and he built the performance for the night as he went along. People were riveted. They were moved. They were hooked, and we all were blown away by the intimacy, the virtuosity, the pure connection and collective experience. It cannot be called anything other than the blessing that it was. I don’t want to sound kooky, but, truly, it was a sacred experience that I will never forget.
One of my girlfriends said it was the best thing she had done for her soul all year.
I cannot endorse or thank Michael on Fire enough
With awe and gratitude,
Colleen Pobur
I want to thank you for a very magical evening; it is one I will never forget.
It was a spiritual event. I left feeling that I had taken something with me, and it has stayed with me ever since.
Thank You
Carl Larsen
I book live music five nights a week, concentrating on blues, folk and rock. Prior to my experience here, I owned a 200 seat nightclub in Austin, TX that booked live music seven nights a week.
I have booked both national and local acts including Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, Billie Joe Shaver, Joni Mitchell, John Hammond, David Allen Coe, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel among many others. I can attest that Michael on Fire is as good or better than any I have booked. I have never worked with an artist that is as committed to quality on stage and professionalism with the club owner as is Michael. I recommend Michael on Fire without qualification.
- Mike Watson
Michael on Fire performed a concert at our home in January of 2009, and it was a magical evening. Michael touched all of our hearts and dazzled our senses with his brilliant performance. My Friends, business clients and family all came away with a better sense of community, yes, but more importantly were treated to a great night of entertainment, which is really what we promised and were able to achieve.
David Katz
- from people who hired Michael
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
In a career that has spanned four decades, Michael on Fire has traveled millions of miles and performed thousands of dates, playing original music all over the United States. His emotional performances and soul-stirring songs have won him a fervent grassroots following across the country and around the world.
While still a teenager in his native Detroit, Michael was signed to a songwriting contract to Groovesville Music by legendary music producer Don Davis, who took him to record with the renowned Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (who played on many of the greatest rock, soul, R&B and country music recordings ever.)
Michael (excerpt taken from a filmed interview):
“I never wanted to be a pop star or a rock star. I was always suspicious of those guys, the way they were being portrayed. I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to respect myself in what I did. The first time I ever went into a recording studio, I was blown away because I was sitting there with The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - and it had nothing to do with stardom. These were a bunch of older guys who were just great players. So fortunately, I got to see the greatness I was striving for.”
After touring nationally on the college and festival circuit with his Country Rock band, Old Buck, Michael then founded the avant garde jazz group, Prismatic, which released several records and performed in concert with many of the top names in the world of jazz, progressive rock and reggae music. He also teamed with European clown Jango Edwards as part of the acclaimed Friends Roadshow. Michael co-wrote several of the songs for the troupe, including the international hit – “Bicycle Seat,” which achieved Gold Record sales in several countries.
In the mid-80s, Michael relocated to Los Angeles and started performing under his current moniker. The first Michael on Fire record was co-produced by Michael along with Stephen Stills and Joe Vitale. It was followed by the live Commanche Moon CD (named one of the years 10 best in an L.A. Times critics’ poll,) Keepers of the Flame, Venus in the Daytime, Colone Alone, Here I Am, Oh My God What Am I Doing Here – Live at Tales from the Tavern, and The Essential Michael on Fire, all of which received rave reviews.
Michael’s Enchanting Holiday Music CD has been heavily programmed on The Weather Channel for the last 11 years in a row during the holiday season, and his Instrumental Themes CD is in rotation on the network throughout the year. His music has been featured in the award-winning films – Reservoirs of Strength and From Ground to Glass, and he has performed live on national television [NBC’s Entertainment Tonight and CNN,] as well as numerous regional and local TV and radio stations.
Michael: My uncle was a musician and band leader. He gave me clarinet lessons and an alto saxophone, and we always had music from Cuba playing. From the first time I heard the rhythms and the romantic melodies my path was clear to me. Rock and Roll was like religion - I grew up in Detroit and Motown music was like a prayer - then Dylan - he opened up my brain to poetry and mysticism … Duke Ellington, Coltrane, The Bird, Louis Armstrong Fats Domino - further expanded my awareness. I learned harmony from the Everly Brothers and the Beatles and Brian Wilson. I learned attitude from John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. I learned humility from Joe Pass and Oscar Peterson and Chet Atkins. I was in many garage bands as a kid and had the good fortune to play with some great young musicians. I watched as the music business developed. I’ve had more opportunities than most. I’ve played on stages in front of 50,000 people - in arenas and at festivals and in funky little bar room dives to nobody. I’ve had great bands and lost great bands and friends along the way...I can name drop with the best of them but I have long since gone into a place of silence and humility. These days I mostly play solo which is the most easy and the hardest …
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