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New music from Mike!
July 2010 - Mike has released a new single, Love is Free.
The song features special guests David Wallimann (guitar), Randy George (bass) and Van Hunsberger (drums).
Love is Free is available for download at CD Baby and Bandcamp.
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A song tribute to Will Rogers
June 2010 - Vertical Alignment has released a new single, Native Son.
The song was written by Mike with Pete Jorgensen, and sung by Mike.
Native Son is an unusual look at humorist, writer, radio personality, and actor Will Rogers.
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Mike plays ELP
February 2010 - Mike has posted a video to YouTube.
In this video, Mike performs two pieces solo from Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer - 'Eruption' and 'Stones of Years'.
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Mike sings with Everlasting Arms
October 2009 - Mike performed with Everlasting Arms at their cd release concert for "On Broken Wings" in Staten Island, NY.
Mike thanks group co-founder and friend Eddie Jerlin for trusting him to sing on two songs.
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New song posted
October 2009 - Mike has posted He Won't Last.
Featuring the talents of David Wallimann on guitar and Jaymi Millard on bass.
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ProgRock Honors!
August 2008 - The Progressive Rock Hall of Fame has selected a song by Mike to be included on their first promotional cd release, "Soundscapes Volume 1".
Mike is honored to be included along with many other fantastic independent artists; as well as some of the 2008 award winners.
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CPR Volume 3
July 2008 - The latest Christian Progressive Rock compilation cd is now officially released.
Included is a brand new song by Mike written specifically for this cd.
Mike is grateful to be a part of the CPR community and to be associated with all the wonderful people that comprise it!
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| Bio |
Mike Florio enjoys working on a variety of projects in his personal studio in the suburbs of New York city.
His musical tastes range from progressive and classic rock, to electronic, new age and film music.
He has been a keyboard player, lead singer and songwriter, as well as a composer of soundtrack and production music.
Realizing music was his calling when he joined his first band at 15, Mike went on to study music formally.
He always considered himself primarily a rock musician though, and was never too interested in classical music or jazz outside the classroom.
"When I was starting out I really just wanted to write songs and play in a rock band; but I also wanted to explore and study other musical disciplines and incorporate those elements that attracted me into my writing."
After many disappointing years of singing and playing keyboards with local bands, Mike finally decided to produce his own album.
'Arisen', released in 2006, is the result of that endeavor.
"As I got into my 30's and saw no apparent end to the frustration of trying to find the right musical situation, I started thinking about doing a solo album.
I had recorded plenty of home and studio demos, but this was the late 90's, and producing a quality self-funded independent album was a new reality that I was well aware of, especially with the emerging presence of independent music on the internet.
However, I was scared out of my mind, for once not having the security blanket of a band to hide under!"
Making 'Arisen' turned out to be a long and arduous process for Mike.
Assembling a workable home studio and looking for the right musicians proved to be difficult.
"The whole affair was beset with many false starts and setbacks that I felt I would never overcome, including a fair amount of self-doubt and indecision on my part.
In the end, I was very fortunate to find the people who made it all possible.
Although it took seven years to complete the album, I'm hopeful that future releases will be easier to come by now that I have an infrastructure and process in place."
In addition to writing and recording songs, Mike's musical endeavors have also taken him into exploring composing to picture.
"A while ago I started to seriously study the craft - and the business - of film scoring, and look for opportunities to practice it.
I was in a real creative phase, and did a lot of experimenting.
While I would still like to pursue it, I've found it extremely difficult to find satisfying work, as the market is just over-saturated with talented composers these days.
Also, there's only so much time available for networking, and sometimes the most I can do is just stay on top of my own album projects and promotion.
Such is the plight of the independent artist I guess."
Currently, Mike is hard at work on the follow-up release to 'Arisen', and is also collaborating with other artists on various projects.
"One thing I know I would like to eventually do is to get back into performing.
I've been at the studio thing for so long now, and I really miss being in front of an audience.
However, putting a band together is something I just don't have the resources for right now, so I'm open to various alternatives."
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| Discography |
Arisen, Mike's first album, released in 2006, features a potent blend of progressive and classic rock.
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CPR 3, released in 2008, is the latest in a series of Christian Progressive Rock compilations.
Mike's contribution is a new song, The Wise Man.
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Soundscapes is a promotional release from the Progressive Rock Hall of Fame in 2008.
Mike's song Fractured was chosen to be included.
(cd no longer available).
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Production Music is a collection of Mike's electronic instrumental work compiled from various side projects between 2003 - 2005.
Available by request only.
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Land and Sky contains two singles released by Vertical Alignment in 2010.
Mike sings lead on both songs, and wrote the B-side tune, Native Son.
Available at Thundersongs
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Lost in Space is primarily an instrumental release from Vertical Alignment.
Mike's piece The Viking Mission appears on this 2009 cd-r.
Available at Thundersongs
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| Press |
Reviewer Comments:
Arisen, Mike's debut release, was very well-received by the progressive rock community, and has garnered enthusiastic reviews world-wide:
"Supported by a formidable cast on guitar, bass, and drums, Mike keeps things clean and punchy, alternating between passionate vocal sections and dramatic instrumental passages. Florio's voice also is a cut above; his clear, resonant sound fluid and effortless."
Progression Magazine
"Each of the seven tracks are well written and executed... Wonderful vocals from Mike, signing in a style that will bring to mind an era long gone for many younger listeners, but for myself, simply a reminder of how far the current music scene has lost the art of good vocals. This guy can sing!"
ProgGnosis - full review
"Virtuoso keyboards and great vocals plus top notch production equals best new artist of 2006!... Florio weaves songs of richness and lyrical depth, oozing with subtle spirituality... Florio uses his faith as a fulcrum to comment on society, without beating the listener over the head with dogma... Arisen is a well crafted and recorded progressive rock gem..."
Virtuosity - full review
"...this album deserves to be in many a collection for prog fans that like their music beautiful and well constructed. I simply have to give it top rating!! ...this is top notch Progressive/art rock music!! The production is superb, with every instrument and voice clear in the overall picture, and nicely balanced too."
Progressive World - full review
"Arisen is an album with a '70s soul and an '80s attitude. If that makes any sense, go buy this album, you'll enjoy every second of it. Mike Florio has mastered that art of making songs that are both musically interesting and emotionally involving..."
Dutch Progrock Page - full review
"...tastefully composed, carefully arranged and truly professionally executed. ...many would envy the coherency that Mike Florio and his colleagues have achieved... lyrics which are fully meaningful, on various topical themes, and are delivered with a deliberate passion."
Progressor - full review
"Production values are of the polished and professional sounding variety, coming across crisp and clean and allowing for a near perfect separation of the instrumentation. ...lyrics are very well thought out in addressing topics ranging from our technology driven world, the corruption of youth, the news media and the perspective of the natural man."
Angelic Warlord - full review
"...one of the better artists in modern progressive music... one of my favorite releases in 2006..."
ProgNaut - full review
"...honest, refreshing and undeniably musical."
Sea of Tranquility - full review
"While it's Mike Florio's name on the cover, the material and the band sound like a single entity. ... Melodic without being cloying, musical without being too precious or baroque, Arisen shows Florio to be a solid talent with quite a bit to offer."
ProgScape - full review
"The progressive element of the album is of the acceptable kind that never meanders and gets to the point without ever disappearing into over-complicated, jazz style workouts. Mike handles all the keyboards and vocals and does a sterling job on both fronts."
PowerPlay Magazine
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