Music
Press
"Editor's note: Last friday, local musician Mike Krum and his self-titled band performed to a packed crowd at the Inn, his debut show in Long Beach. Hundreds of guests filled the venue to see Krum, an emerging act in the New York City rock scene. The band will return to Long Beach on Aug. 3, and will have a record-release party at the Knitting Factory in New York City Aug. 23. Below is a review of Krum's most recent show submitted by Michelle Dodd.
This Friday the 13th, as some watched out for black cats most of Long Beach found themselves casting aside superstition to head to The Inn to bask in the sound that is Mike Krum.
Mike's infectious blend of rock, folk, and indie has broken the rule when it comes to musical genre proving you do not have to conform to get the crowds singing, swaying and addicted.
Mike Krum is a musician with a witty sense of humour yet, does not lack the emotional tones needed to connect with the crowd. This was confirmed by the mass of women and men singing along and shouting for more. Most notable were songs "Sunday Morning", "I Didn't Mind" and "Summertime".
"Sunday Morning" invoked an image of surrender under palm trees and a balmy breeze, while "I Didn't Mind" left the women melting at the heartfelt sentiment and the men nostalgic about the one who got away. Meanwhile, "Summertime" is an i-Pod must have! Listening to Summertime left me longing to create a memory to the song as it provided a giddy sensation of a time past.
Overall, Mike Krum craftfully unites lyric and sound to create a custom blend that will leave even the most skeptical musical snob humming along and agreeing that Mike Krum rocks."
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"Mike's strong and mature voice is among the most unique and immediately appealing sounds to hit the New York rock stage this century," said John McMahon of MSL Productions. "Placed on top of his well-crafted, guitar driven songs, which are replete with power chords, ripping solos and infectious acoustic parts, the end result will have you asking when and where you can see him next." - Michelle Dodd -- Long Beach Herald -- July 19, 2007
Discography
Do You Mind Me Asking -- Music Video, Single and Part of EP
I Have -- Single and Part of EP
I Didn't Mind -- Single and Part of EP
Summertime -- Single and Part of EP
Sunday Morning--Single and Part of EP
Photos
Bio
During his formative years, self-taught songwriter/musician Mike Krum listened to music more than he played it. But with the radio dial locked on 92.7 WLIR for most of his youth, the fire within was sparked by the likes of The Police, The Bogmen, The Ramones (as well as just about everything else out of the East Village in the 70's and 80's). Despite his growing passion, bred from the working class, he always thought of music as more of a hobby than a profession, and paid the bills with a variety of jobs, including salesman, plumber and 8th grade English teacher. But that mentality changed in an instant at a Counting Crows show at the Wetlands in 1994. Feeling somewhat mesmerized having just witnessed the band in a photo shoot in the venue's basement lounge, he was heading upstairs when he heard one of the most captivating voices he had ever heard in his life – there on stage in a white v-neck tee stood Jeff Buckley, crooning what the world would come to know as the song "Grace." Right then, Mike knew he was going to write and play music with the intention of being heard.
Within two weeks, he bought his first guitar and taught himself (by ear!) the Nirvana Unplugged album from beginning to end. Drawing from his vast and unique life experiences, Mike was writing songs faster than he could write them down. But the difficulty came when he tried to assemble a band. Diving in head first, Mike brought together a group of players to live under the same roof in Long Beach, NY, but that chemistry yielded two years of frustration, culminating in a single show and a break-up. Soured by all the material used, he wrote a new crop of songs for another band, which again met with discord and never even saw an audience. Craving the stage and music, Mike abandoned the band idea, and began playing acoustic covers in various Long Island clubs. The live experience was valuable, and Mike developed quite a loyal following practically without intention, but his creative desires could not be stifled, and the cover songs quickly wore thin.
Then, one day in early 2006, his cousin and music producer / guitarist Dave Chiappetta listened to Mike's repertoire for the first time, and insisted that the two immediately assemble a band and attempt to take Mike's music to the world. In that moment, Mike's heart was back at the Wetlands, and he eagerly accepted Dave's invitation. The two locked themselves in an apartment with the goal of culling an album of material from Mike's catalogue, which had grown to more than 100 songs. But when they emerged one year later, only one song had survived their brainstorm (Sunday Morning), and Mike had written what he considers to be his most accomplished set of music to date – a group of songs that sublimely capture the rekindling of his musical passion and his rebirth to what he believes to be the other side of his life.
In March 2007, Mike took the rock stage for what really amounts to his first time - and it was everything he dreamed it would be. Creative juices flowing and rock and roll scorching through his veins, Mike has no intention of ever looking back. And on September 12, 2007 Mike Krum released his first self-titled independent EP at The Canal Room in NYC, 5 blocks away from the site of the now-closed Wetlands - where music became his reality.
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