mike grutka: Bio
Mike Grutka
National recording artist Mike Grutka is a vital and exciting singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has a sound that draws on influences such as: REM, DMB, Neil Young, Counting Crows and Radiohead and also incorporates world pop elements. Layered vocal harmonies and instrumental hooks abound. Mike has released 3 albums of original material. His current release, "Myself Again", has been added to 141 AAA/college stations, including 5 core stations, with 111 reporting medium or higher spins and stayed in the Top 20 of the playlist of WXIN in Providence, RI for over 6 weeks and charting #11 KSAU, #13 scadatlantaradio.org, #3 Evolving Artists Engage Internet Radio, #8 WCLH. "Good songs. Great voice. And compared to most of what I hear, I actually enjoyed listening. Which says a lot these days" Jim McGuinn PD y-Rock on XPN, WXPN
This is the latest in a string of accomplishments since Mike has returned to music full time. He released he first single to commercial radio in winter 2007. "Song for the Rain" charted #12 Indie Up and Coming and #29 Indie Top 30 FMQB. The song cut across genres and was added to Hot AC/AC/Modern AC/AAA and Country stations. This year has also seen Mike headline the south stage at the 4th Annual Troy River Street Festival sponsored by 102.7 WEQX. There he and his band, 'The Mike Grutka Project', played to 20,000 people and shared the bill with They Might Be Giants, Stars of Track and Field, Mink and Last November. They performed at a Major Label Showcase in NYC this past July. Two songs appear on Neil Young’s ‘Living with War Today’ website. A tour of the northeast brought Mike and the band from Syracuse, NY to Newport, RI and from Plattsburgh, NY to NYC to Harrisburg, PA. The 2008 Millenium Music Conference has recently selected Mike to showcase at the 12th annual conference in Feb. 2008.
Growing up in upstate NY, music has always influenced his life. Beginning on Violin, later adding multiple instruments including: French horn, bass, keyboards, and guitar to name a few, Mike realized his calling. Songwriting came as the next logical step, and the music has been met with acclaim: "the... passionate Mike Grutka recalls the brightest songwriting superstars of the 70's." (Tim Estrada-Artrocker Magazine)
Following the release of the debut CD, his newly formed band toured the east coast, returning to several hotspots from Plattsburgh, NY to Alexandria, VA. Mike’s fan base grew and the CD's began selling quickly. After a year on the road, he began writing songs for his second CD, “Reach.” The album was hailed as, “an enjoyable splurge of rhythmic tunes…” (Tom Diamopolous). “Reach” marked a shift in style as well as sound. The second disc was quickly embraced by his growing fan base, which was drawn to the growth and depth in the songwriting as evidenced by a sold out CD release show in his hometown of Saratoga Springs, NY at the world famous folk venue, Caffé Lena, (with a rock band no less!).
Three months after the release of “Reach,” Mike lost his mother. Taking a break from touring, he focused on the things most important to him, and his music. He poured his passion into his songwriting that resulted in, “Myself Again,” his newest CD.
The Mike Grutka Project is the name of the touring band. The group is adaptable to any performing environment from an acoustic café, to a full on electric band setting. High-energy live shows that showcase the passion and drive of the songs have always been a hallmark of Mike’s style whether solo or with the group. "Simply one of the top 5 bands I have ever seen." (Barry Muscatello, booking agent, Franklin's Tower, Albany, NY). With a focus on Mike’s original songs, the crowds always end up dancing and singing along at his live shows.
“Myself Again,” his latest release, is the perfect combination of singer-songwriter lyrical focus, bouncy rock arrangements and the catchy sing-along quality that has popped up on all of Mike’s CDs. The overall sound is ‘acoustic-based, funky modern-roots rock-n-roll.’ Hard driving rock songs like “Yesterday is Here” or “Myself Again,” give way easily to the longing and hope of songs like “She Wants,’ “Shine” or “Mountain Song.” While easily identified as his style, there is a shift on the new songs to a more catchy, pop oriented sound. While “Reach” was dedicated to his mother, and life before her passing, “Myself Again” focuses on the future. These new songs both entertain and are incredibly powerful.
A new album is being recorded with a summer 2008 release expected.