Michael Shapiro Music

A soulful performance cannot be faked. No amount of vocal wailing or guitar strumming can substitute for hard-edged authentic rock blues. The audience or CD listener can sense easy musical cliches that pass for heartfelt sentiment. The resulting empty echo of made-to-sob pop often leaves the listener cold. Michael Shapiro’s music burns the listener up with emotionally complex lyrics that convey real life experience, and his performance, which has the easy spontaneity of an impromptu jam session, ignites the audience. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

A soulful performance cannot be faked. No amount of vocal wailing or guitar strumming can substitute for hard-edged authentic rock blues. The audience or CD listener can sense easy musical cliches that pass for heartfelt sentiment. The resulting empty echo of made-to-sob pop often leaves the listener cold. Michael Shapiro’s music burns the listener up with emotionally complex lyrics that convey real life experience, and his performance, which has the easy spontaneity of an impromptu jam session, ignites the audience. His debut solo CD Somehow Someway. Michael Shapiro was born in San Jose, raised in Las Vegas and now resides in San Rafael, Ca. He picked up his first guitar at age 13 and trained hard in guitar, vocals, piano and trumpet and attuned his ear to classical opera as well as rock. A chance encounter with a family friend struck the right cord and paved Shapiro’s way into music. At age16, he had the opportunity to jam with Bruce Springsteen. The rocker’s energetic marathon performances spurred Shapiro to develop a taste for a raucous stage presence. After stints in various cover bands in his teens, Shapiro formed the band Trip, released a few CD’s and toured. Being part of the VH1 Rock Across America Tour, Trip opened for such artists as Edwin McCain, Duncan Sheik, The Romantics, and Cheap Trick. It was during an ill-fated gig opening for Great White when a tragic fire struck, that moved Shapiro to deeply reflect on life’s vagaries and whims. He bounced back, releasing his first solo album, Somehow, Someway and toured nationally opening for the band Live. After moving to San Rafael, Ca., he formed the power trio, Reckless in Vegas. Along side fellow music veterans Ryan Low(Drums) & Brian Wilkerson(Bass), they have made major headway with the release of two critically acclaimed albums. There are several influences that peer through his music, for example, the raw and unyielding guitar riffs of Jimi Hendrix, Journey’s Neal Schon and Carlos Santana, as well as the melodic and powerful vocal styling of U2's Bono. In fact, it is "Hendrix's bluesy style" and wild "manipulation of the guitar" that Shapiro credits as a major early influence. The music is seductive with honest and soulful lyrics that rise from the gut and forcefully connect. Shapiro keeps it real. "I write about my own insecurities," he confesses. “It‘s important that people take me for what I am.” What he uniquely is becomes evident from the first listen: a songwriting talent who seamlessly embellishes his melodies and guitar rifts with the essence of a life lived and struggles overcome. The message is positive. It’s one of triumph over adversity. You can’t keep a good man down. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

…shrink me down again