MJP (Mike Petraglia): News

It's been a long hard road but " Inside Out" sould be out and gigging real soon.
It's pretty much a dance band and we're only doing covers right now but it should be fun.
I'll still be doing my solo shows and hope to eventually do some originals with the band.
There's something special about electric guitar. So much power and such a variety of sounds. I compare it to skiing in that acoustic is like cross country sking an electric is like downhill. It's about controlling all that power.
It can become noise very easily.
For those of you who have been to my shows, this band is a total departure and I only sing a couple of tunes at this time but I think you'll appreciate the vocal talent of Lucy and Doug. I already have over 75 tunes to remember for my solo show and it's more than enough to tax the hard drive in my head. I hope to see you out here sometime

I can't believe it's been a year since I retired from Delphi already. I honestly don't miss the place at all. I worked with some great people that I'd like to see again . Sometimes some of them come out to my shows which always gives me a lift.
I've heard it said that after awhile you're so busy that you wonder how you ever had time for a job. Well it's true. I've been so busy with music and occasional side jobs that I have tons of things yet to be accomplished. I guess I'm not gonna get much done rambling on so time to go.

I'm happy to say that "Inside Out" may be out soon. We just finished up a studio demo and we're beginning the booking process. There are a few rough edges yet but things will smooth out over time.
I've posted the band on musicforte http://www.musicforte.com/member/rockit so check it out.
I'm still going to continue my solo work and I've started recording a new CD
so I hope to see some of you out and about

The Daily Grind has just undergone a much needed expansion. The owner Tom has just about doubled the size of the place and has put in an elevated stage, with lighting. The place looks and sounds great.
Last week was standing room only and there were a bunch of people out on the patio. It's definitely a place worth checking out.

It's been a good summer and I've had a chance to play a good number of outdoor gigs. Hopefully next year will bring even more.
The electric band is taking longer to come together than I hoped but we are making progress. We should be gigging soon.
Between doing solo work and practicing with the band I haven't written much original stuff but I've started to make an effort to find the time and have composed half a dozen tunes in recent months. Some are more refined than others but they're taking shape. I may start recording for a new CD this fall and perhaps by next spring I'll have something worthwhile.

I just got an e-mail form American Idol Underground and my song Goodbye Yesterday is number 12 on the charts so I'll be curious to see if it can make the top ten.

I've been jamming with an electric band called "Inside Out". We have a female lead singer with a strong voice and we do Bonnie Raitt, Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow and all kinds of good stuff. Our bass player sings and I sing some too so we've got some nice variety.
I haven't done a lot of vocals in the rock bands I've been in. My voiced is too easily drowned out but I do get a few licks in in this band.
We should be ready to hit the road sometime in August and it promises to be a lot of fun.
I'll keep you posted
Mike

I found out how the Basket Factory got it's name. There must be a hundred wicker baskets hanging from the ceiling.
The place has lot's of atmosphere and I'm looking forward to the May 12th Gig
It's at 2 Watson Ave in Middleport, NY

The Show that was scheduled for April 25th has been cacnelled. There's a new director and the show was set up by the previous one. It appears that the new director does not want to have the show at this time.

On May 19th I'll be doing a two and one half hour show at "The Daily Grind" I do a lot of open mics there and I'm not a big fan of their sound system.
I'll be using my sound system set up just the way I want it and it should make a huge difference. I'll be raffeling off some of my CD's and the more people that show up the more CD's I'll be giving away. It's a Saturday night so I hope some of you can stop in.

I just entered a song from my new CD into the the American Idol Underground Rock Genre competition and it's in the top 50. Not too bad for an old guy. The song is "Goodbye Yesterday" and if you go to americanidolunderground.com just click on rock and type mjp in the artist search field. If that sounds too complicated, come on out to a show and get a copy of the new CD it's so pretty.

It's been three months since I retired from Delphi and I've setteled into a nice routine. I spend much of the morning on the internet going through e-mail, and updating my sites. Sometimes I play guitar but I usually do that in the afternoon.
The cold weather has pretty much kept me off the streets and I haven't pushed my solo act much.
I've been getting more into electric guitar and am practicing with a band which hopefully will make and appearance by spring.
I've discovered that having two dogs is like having ten. The puppy is wild but I love her to death.
I only have a few songs left to record so my fourth CD may be a while in the making. If you don't have "Deep Inside A Song " yet I always carry copies with me at my shows.
Hope to see everyone soon and stay warm.

I've uploaded a song off the new CD which is finally finished. This song is upbeat and electric. It's called "A Different Song" and you can check out the whole thing.
January 13th, I'll be doing a show at Higher Grounds Coffeehouse and will have some copies of the new CD available. I'll be adding more tunes from the CD soon so check back when you can.

In 1973 I bought a Guild S-90 solid electric guitar. It's the finest instrument I've ever owned and it's still my favorite electric. After 30 years I finally broke down and bought a hard shell case for it. Not the most exciting story but I have to wonder, why'd it take me so long????

I've spent the last two
Friday nights playing the open mic at the Daily Grind and quite fraknly it's been a blast. It's a hole in the wall place but it's been filled to the brim and the crowd has been great. Tom the owner runs the open mic and also performes. If you're in the area, check it out.

I've finally reached the end of my non-musical career. After 30 years I'm retireing fron GM/Delphi. It's kind of scary but imagine the possibilities. I can put more time into music and all those other things I've been missing.
On a sad note, The Brewhaus is closing down as of Saturday so no more open mics there. It was nice while it lasted but there are plenty of other places and perhaps someone else will take it over.

I found a nice site to post my music, pictures and other stuff. It's a lot like myspace.com but more for musicians.
Check out musicforte.com/member/mjp or go to the links section of this site and click on music forte and it will take you there

The Gazebo Gig was a good time. There was a good crowd and the atmosphere was nice. There's always sometihing special about playing outside. I even came home with some Amish baked goods. Hope to do that again next year.

The new CD is finally starting to come together, . I've removed "Goodbye Yesterday" and "One More Song" from this site for now. I'm waiting for my copyright registration to come through.
The new disc will be titled, "Deep Inside A Song" and has been greatly influenced by my live shows. It has lot's of harmonica in it.
Hope you like it.
I've updated the music page, by adding two more downloadable cover songs and now have full versions of many of the songs and longer clips.

It was 1964 and my brother and I were not quite teenagers. These two sisters, slightly younger than us moved into the house on the corner. It soon became our daily destination as we spent all our free time hanging out with, Joni and Toni.
One day my brother Bob and I knocked on their door and when they arrived they both stood their and said, in unison,
" We don't love you anymore, we love the Beatles". Dazed and confused my first thought was "Who the @#!! are The Beatles. I had no idea.
The two sisters moved away that summer and were soon forgotten.
I still have Beatle music runnng through my head on a regular basis.

There's a ton of digital companies out there. My CD, "Safer Ground" has been sent to 49 sites and has only recently started to appear on some of them.
I've listed some of the sites that have my stuff up and running. Check out the links section of my site.
You can download single songs or the whole CD. The rates vary quite a bit which I found surprising.
I just recently set up, "In Good Time" for digital distribution so it will take awhile before you can download individual songs.
I'm looking for a few brave souls to download a song or two so I can find our if there are any problems with the system