Blues Guitar with Michael C.

Michael C.

While studying arranging and composition and guitar at Berklee College of Music I met and was influenced by Bill Leavitt, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessell and Joe Pass in Boston. Soon after I studied more big band with Tommy Tucker at Monmouth College while trying to get as much information about playing jazz from Tal Farlow back in New Jersey who just happened to live near by in Sea Bright. I played with a several bands in New Jersey, mostly rock and actually hung out with Bruce Springsteen in Long Branch and Asbury Park at night after the clubs were closed. I joined several bands on the New Jersey shore, some top 40 some rock. I formed Lost In The Shuffle with a friend and we played the coast sometimes sharing stages with some great bands. I also worked for a while at Big Man's West in Red Bank, a club owned by Clarence Clemons, where one of Springsteens head sound guys taught me how to run live sound, mics, setting up the p.a. amps, the works. He was good and taught me a lot. It paid off as I sometimes run into a gig where they need a sound guy. Later I joined an international show band, Casa De Carr in Atlantic City. We toured the country. Later, I toured with Class Action, another show band that came out of Casa De Carr and then joined several rock, country and variety bands and lived on the road. I stopped off and wound up living in Denver in the 80's and played a lot of jazz clubs, usually 5 nights a week in Denver with a few different jazz, blues and funk bands. I did a lot of studio work there. I still have the cassettes to prove it! Mostly recording but I also did some producing. That's where I started focusing on albums. I got back on the road with a country band, I cant think of the singers name, he was a great singer. We wound up in Jackpot Nevada. I joined up with a country rock trio and moved to Twin Falls Idaho where the band I joined had some locked in house gigs. I Moved to Elko Nevada for a while. Played weekly for charities. I'm not sure how that came about. Seems I was always in the local paper playing for the American Cancer Foundation or raising money for the Lung Association or some other needy cause. It was strange but fun! My wife and I (got married in there somewhere) moved to Las Vegas and I joined different bands while playing at all the casinos on the strip. Played mostly 6 nights (when it wasn't 7) till I was asked to join up with a satelite gig for Legends in Concert. Wound up playing at the State Line in Wendover for half a year or so. That was a great gig! Good players. The three of us worked very well together. Moved back to Vegas. I was teaching guitar then out of Mahoney's Drums where I would run into B.B. King every now and then (great guy!) and played in bands again on "The Strip". Eventually I came back to Denver. I focused on teaching, started my own business and played weekly with the Denver Dances for Universal Peace. I've also worked with Steve Altermatt, a local country talent, a few other country bands out of Greeley, Zen Agenda (a progressive rock band out of Boulder) and a bunch of others. I decided to start my own act as I am also a songwriter and created my band, Cherry Veil. It's been mostly that for a few years. I'm actually the lead singer and guitar player and songwriter or singer/songwriter as we call it. It's a great gig! I have done a few gigs with my friend in different blues and rock bands including Mo'Betta Blues and will sit in with people in the small boulder clubs or play a single at a coffee house in Castlerock, etc . . . It's been wonderful!

Cherry Veil

Cherry Veil is my project. I'm the singer-song writer, lead guitar player and band leader. It's fun! You can check us out. It's wonderful playing your own songs for people. I have some great musicians I work with.

Steve Altermatt Band

Steve's an incredible writer. Country music at its' best!

Rezen / Zen Agenda

A couple of amazingly creative musicians and I put this progressive rock band (all instrumental) together. It's a kick!

Bhindi Kiss

Gayan Gregory Longs band. An incredible percussionist and writer. It was my pleasure to work with him.

Forward Motion

Lead guitar, vocals and music directing for a wonderful act in Vegas called Forward Motion. We played a great many of the clubs on the strip, usually six nights a week.

Freddy Bell Band

Lead guitar for one of the greatest acts in the world, Freddie Bell!

Mahoney's Drum Shop

Taught all guitar studies at an icon shop in Las Vegas. Greats would come in all the time. I met B.B. King there so many times he used to tell me to say hello to my son Zach before leaving! Great guy!

My Brother and Me

Lead guitar and back up vocals for a great act in Vegas.

Legends In Concert (satelite group)

Played lead guitar, sang harmonies and announce acts in Wendover Nevada for Legends in Concert. That was one seriously good group!

Private Business; Elko Nevada

Taught all styles of guitar and other instruments to advanced players in Elko Nevada.

Black Powder Band

It was a fun gig! A trio where we all shined in Twin Falls Idaho. We somehow locked in the two best gigs in town and just went back and forth between the two, changing from rock to country as we did.

Steve Michael's Band

Played lead guitar and sang background vocals for this well versed country band, toured the country.

After Touch

Played jazz clubs constantly in Denver. That band had quite a different but wonderful sound!

Class Action

Lead guitar and vocals. Toured.

Casa De Carr

Played lead guitar and sand harmonies. Toured the U.S. Met in Atlantic City.

Blue Note Music

Taught all styles guitar and music theory.

Big Man's West

I did everything I had to, put up chairs, stocked the bar, mopped the floors, cleaned the bathrooms, whatever it took to still be employed in the evening when the sound man (one of Bruce Springsteen's best) showed up to set up sound and run the board. He trained me by telling me what to do and how it worked. In the evenings he would let me come back in and run the board for him. It was a great lesson in sound production from one of the best! The place, Big Man's West was owned by Clarence Clemens (Springsteen's partner and Sax player, ie.. the Big Man).

Lost In The Shuffle

Rock a billy, rock band. I played lead guitar, sang harmonies and a few leads. We toured the East Coast.

Red Bank Music

Taught private lessons at Red Bank Music in Red Bank New Jersey. All styles including reading of music, improvising, chord comping, performance, etc . . .

Berklee College of Music

Pace University

Brookdale Community College