Mike Moran Makes his Mark

Mike Moran is one determined guy. In the time it took most of us to be
toilet trained, the Michigan native has elevated himself to skilled
musicianship and local acclaim as a performer to keep your eye on. During
this time, he has weathered fraud, a botched studio cd, a six-month bout
with mono, and the disintegration of his summer tour. Despite these
obstacles, Moran‘s musical gift and sheer strength of will have earned him a
bright future and growing popularity throughout Northern Michigan.
Moran plays emotional, feather-light pop rock with a wordy, nostalgic
lyrical style. “It‘s happy stuff,“ he says. “It puts me in a good mood, and
it seems like it puts other people in a good mood. It‘s fun music.“
His sound has been compared to Dave Matthews (“They‘ll say that about any white guy with an acoustic guitar.“), John Mayer and BareNaked Ladies. His musical
influences include Elton John, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, Paul Simon and John
Mellancamp -- sounds he heard coming off his parents‘ record player as a kid
in Clarkston, MI. Although no one in his immediate family is musical, his
grandmother was at one time offered a record contract. “She has a beautiful
voice, although I‘ve only heard her sing along with Rod Stewart,“ Moran says
with a smile.
Perhaps the most remarkable fact is that Moran first picked up a guitar only
three and a half years ago. As a testament to his resolve, he‘s now a sophisticated
acoustic player.
Not to mention humble. “I‘ve always tried to do the best
with what I have. I‘m not the greatest guitar player in the world. But I‘m
doing alright with what I‘ve got.“ Together with sing-along lyrics and a
great stage presence, he can‘t help but attract an audience.
Before transforming himself into a songwriter, Moran was running a dj
business in his hometown. Although it was successful, the monotony of
playing other peoples‘ songs started to get to him.
“I couldn‘t stand the music anymore. I wanted to make my own stuff,“ he says. He gave up djing and put all his efforts into becoming a musician.
In the fall of 2001, only a year and a half after strumming his first chords, he started performing at coffee shops in Lansing. The response was encouraging and by early 2002, he
had entered the studio to record his first album, “221 Cedar Street.“
Next began a chapter in his life that might be called, for lack of a better
name, shit luck. Due to lack of professionalism, the cd turned out to be a
big disappointment and financial loss. Shortly thereafter, his ATM card was
stolen and he lost a good chunk of the money he had set aside to launch his
music career. Then he came down with mononucleosis. (It gets worse.) Despite
his debilitated state, he managed to get a band together and line up summer
tour dates throughout the Midwest. What would have been a chance to be heard
on a large scale turned out to be a big setback when the band dissolved at
the last minute, leaving him permanently blacklisted in a few clubs and with
nothing on the horizon. Discouraged and still under the weather, he decided
he needed a change.
Moran‘s decision to move to Northern Michigan was due in large part to his mother. Unbeknownst to him, she mailed his cd to several studios
in the area. It ended up in the hands of producer Ivan Greilick, an
accomplished musician and multitalented instrumentalist. He saw through the
less-than-perfect recording to Moran‘s unmistakable talent and invited him
to make a record. Collaborating with local musicians Josh Havens on guitar,
bassist Dale Sword, Jason Kott on backup vocals, Dave Collini on percussion,
drummer Roger Tarczon, and Ron Getz on classical guitar, and with musical
contributions from Greilick himself, they recently finished work in
Greilick‘s Cradle Wave Studios. The album, titled “Where Were You?“ features
12 original songs.
Meanwhile, things on the gigging scene are looking up. Way up. In only eight
months as a Traverse City resident, Moran has earned himself some key
engagements around town. You can check him out every Tuesday night at Union
Street Station, Thursday nights at Mackinaw Brewing Company, and you can
usually catch him on Sundays for open mic at The Loading Dock. As far as the
band goes, the chemistry and timing seem to be right. Under the name Mike
Moran and The Big Ones, the singer will be backed by Havens, Sword, and
drummer Sterling Hill. Their first show is May 9 at Union Street and
future tour dates throughout Michigan are pending.
In a side note, Moranís musical territory seems to have already
sprung a leak. One of his songs, “This Is Goodbye“ was chosen as class song
for the graduating seniors at Davison High School, near Flint.
“I have no
idea how they heard it,“ he says. Flattered and a bit puzzled, he‘ll be
traveling downstate to perform the tune for the graduation ceremony.
Asked to talk specifically about the content of his songs, Moran generally
declines. However, he does offer some insight into his personal favorite, “I
Can‘t Make Everybody Happy.“ It‘s an anthemic statement of independence, an
answer to the din of opinions about what he should do with his life.
“Everybody wanted me to do something different. But you have to make
yourself happy first, asking yourself every day, ‘Was I really the person I
wanted to be?‘“ (Yeah, he really does this. And hint: the answer is “yes.“)
Considering what most of us know about the hard road to fame -- you know, from
reading Rolling Stone and stuff -- Mike Moran still has a long way to go. But
any doubts you might have about his perseverance should be put to rest. He‘s
not giving up any time soon. Between songwriting, playing gigs, booking
shows, and promoting a record, he is determined to make this happen. And
he‘s only 22 years old. Check out Mike Moran and The Big Ones on May 9 at
USS.
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