Mike Errico is an America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

n singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 and music supervisor whose acclaimed releases include Wander Away, Songs from Lift, Pictures of the Big Vacation, Tonight I Drink You All, Skimming and All In.

Bio

New York City-based musician, producer and writer Mike Errico has built his name on the strength of critically acclaimed releases Wander Away, Pictures of the Big Vacation, Tonight I Drink You All, Skimming and All In. Errico’s rock-driven style showcases sharp lyrics and soaring vocals, whether fronting a band, string trio, or playing in a solo acoustic setting.

Since his first major gig, a solo slot at Woodstock ’99, Errico has shared the stage with artists including Jonny Lang

Jonny Lang

Jonny Lang is a Grammy award-winning American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter and recording artist. Lang's music is notable for both his unusual voice, which has been compared to that of a forty-year-old blues veteran, and for his guitar solos...

, Guster

Guster

Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...

, Soulive

Soulive

Soulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York, and is known for its solos and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno , Alan Evans , Neal Evans...

, Bob Weir

Bob Weir

Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...

, Amos Lee

Amos Lee

Amos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. Lee has four albums on Blue Note Records and has toured as an opening act for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Merle Haggard, Van Morrison, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Adele. In...

, Rusted Root

Rusted Root

Rusted Root is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania known for their unique fusion of acoustic, rock, world and other styles of music, with a strong percussion section that draws from African, Latin American, Native American, and Indian influences...

, Dido

Dido (singer)

Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...

, North Mississippi Allstars

North Mississippi Allstars

North Mississippi Allstars is a Southern rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson , and Chris Chew...

, Ari Hest

Ari Hest

Ari Hest is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Riverdale in the Bronx borough of New York.-Early life:Ari took piano lessons as a child and later, as a teenager, taught himself to play his mother's nylon string guitar by ear with influences from both his parents' record collection and...

, Longwave

Longwave (band)

Longwave is an American indie rock band. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Steve Schiltz, guitarist Shannon Ferguson, bassist Dave Marchese and drummer Jeremy Greene.-History:...

, Keller Williams

Keller Williams

Keller Williams is an American musician from Fredericksburg, Virginia, who began performing in the early 1990s. He is also known by the names K-Dub or just Keller, when performing. Williams' music combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative rock, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, and...

, Jonatha Brooke

Jonatha Brooke

Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...

, Dan Bern

Dan Bern

Dan Bern is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist and painter. His music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello....

, Dar Williams

Dar Williams

Dar Williams is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk.She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.-Biography:Williams was born...

 and many others.

Selections from his discography have been used in feature films including Where We Are and Puccini for Beginners

Puccini for Beginners

Puccini for Beginners is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Maria Maggenti. The film debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival...

.

Errico has written dozens of TV theme songs, most notably VH1’s hit series Pop Up Video. He has contributed composition, performance and music supervision to shows including The Voice (NBC), Tucked In (Sundance),
The Vanilla Ice Project (HGTV, DIY Network), The Best Places I’ve Ever Been (Travel Channel), The Truth About (AOL Web series), American Pickers (History Channel), Last Chance Highway (Animal Planet), Pet-O-Rama (Animal Planet), TXT MSG (MSG network), Photo ID (Verizon FiOS), Monday Night Football, Band in a Bubble (MTV), It’s a Mall World (MTV), My Coolest Years (VH1), Maxim’s Swimsuit Issue DVD series, Blender magazine’s SXSW and Lollapalooza coverage, It’s a Zoo Out There (Animal Planet), Hollywood Makeout Party (E!), Talkshow U.S.A., The Baby Taddie Show Hollywood Peep Show and many others.

Errico’s independent spirit inspired him to form Tallboy 7, the company that provides a home for his creative work.

Errico was also a judge for the 7th and 8th annual Independent Music Awards

The Independent Music Awards

The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....

 to support independent artists' careers.

Mike Errico official site: www.errico.com

Discography

Wander Away (2011)

Songs from Lift (2010)

All In (2007)

Skimming (2004)

Tonight I Drink You All (2001)

Pictures of the Big Vacation (1999)

Bite Size (1997)

Wander Away (2011)

Wander Away, Errico's sixth release, is lush pop-rock that expands his signature songwriting style with new instrumentation — including dobro, string sections, harmonium, and pedal steel — a varied group of cowriters, and a vocal vulnerability only hinted at previously.

In welcoming cowriters for the first time, Errico says, "I think of it as social networking within the artistic process. I’ve toured with (Soulive

Soulive

Soulive is a funk/jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York, and is known for its solos and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno , Alan Evans , Neal Evans...

’s) Eric Krasno and Ari Hest

Ari Hest

Ari Hest is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Riverdale in the Bronx borough of New York.-Early life:Ari took piano lessons as a child and later, as a teenager, taught himself to play his mother's nylon string guitar by ear with influences from both his parents' record collection and...

, met Raul Midon

Raul Midón

Raúl Midón is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City. He combines his distinct voice, strumming, beats, and vocal mouth trumpet sounds to create a one-man performance. His unique style shows influence of virtually every musical genre which came before him,...

 and (Goldfrapp/Peter Gabriel keyboardist) Angie Pollock through friends, and worked with (Grammy-winning producer) Ben Mink

Ben Mink

Ben Mink is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.Born of Polish parents, Mink was raised in Toronto Ontario. He got his start performing with the rock/country group Mary-Lou Horner, which became the house band at bar and nightclub....

 before. Together, we went places I wouldn’t have thought of on my own." Errico also showcases his skill as a guitarist in an intricate arrangement of the Tom Waits

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...

 classic, "Johnsburg, Illinois

Johnsburg, Illinois

Johnsburg is a northwest suburban Chicago village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,391 at the 2000 census.-History:...

." "The song has such an aching quality to it, and I just needed to arrange it, so I’d always have it with me," Errico says.

For Wander Away, Errico reunited with producer Ken Rich

Ken Rich

Ken Rich is an American producer/engineer/ composer and musician. He began playing violin at age 5, tuba at age 9 and moved on to the electric bass at age 15. After majoring in philosophy at Oberlin College while pursuing intensive jazz studies with Wendell Logan and Donald Byrd, he moved to New...

 at Grand Street Recording. "Ken and I go way back," he says. "I have always respected his naturalistic approach, and felt it would be a great match for the songs I was writing. We both introduced fantastic musicians to the mix, and he kept me open to choices that made me vulnerable and were deeper as a result." Together, they reached back into Errico’s catalogue, rearranging "1000 Miles" and "Someday" and orchestrating "You Could Be Anywhere" and "Count to Ten", songs that were originally released as solo performances.

A surprise addition to Wander Away is pedal steel master Bruce Kaphan

Bruce Kaphan

Bruce Kaphan is a musician who has worked on many studio projects, often as a pedal steel player, from 1970 to 2011. In particular he was a member of American Music Club.-Albums:Albums he has worked on include:* Schoolyard Ghosts* Everclear...

, known most for his work with Mark Eitzel

Mark Eitzel

Mark Eitzel is a musician, best known as a songwriter and lead singer of the San Francisco band American Music Club.-History:Eitzel spent his formative years in a military family living in Okinawa, Taiwan, Ohio and the United Kingdom. He moved to America in 1979.He started making music while he was...

 and American Music Club

American Music Club

American Music Club is a San Francisco-based alternative rock band led by singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel.-History:Although born in California, Eitzel spent his formative years in Okinawa, Taiwan, Great Britain and Ohio before returning to the Bay Area in 1981...

. After hearing the rough tracks, Bruce enthusiastically joined the album, trading takes over the Web from his studio in Northern California. "The first track he came back with was 'Wish You Well.' My jaw hit the floor," Errico says. "There aren't many guitarists I'd die to have on one of my records. There's Angus Young

Angus Young

Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...

. Eddie Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

. And Bruce."

Errico’s mother, the painter and sculptor Angela Errico, provides the cover art. "She had the painting hanging in her Chelsea studio, and I found myself returning to it when I went in to see her new work. It's called 'Toxic Walk in the Park.' I don’t know what the figures are doing, what they're walking away from, or towards. I do know that they're outfitted for a tough journey, and they're together, maybe walking out of the frame entirely." He says, with a laugh, "For better or worse, I can relate."

For all its expansion, Wander Away is, at heart, Mike Errico at his most focused and distilled. "I don’t know that I've ever been prouder of anything I've ever done," he says. "The combination of my writing and the artistry that was brought to it–it's an unrepeatable moment."

Podcast

In 2011, Mike launched the Mike Errico Podcast, featuring stories, songs, interviews and onstage riffs that are a staple of his live shows. The podcast is available for free on iTunes and his own Web site, www.errico.com.

Writing/Editing

In addition to his musical career, Errico worked as Senior Online Editor for Blender magazine from 2006-2008. He has conducted interviews with major figures in music and pop culture, and covered music technology and national music festivals including Lollapalooza, South By Southwest, Ozzfest, Bonnaroo and CMJ. He has also lectured on songwriting and the music industry at Yale University and Berklee College of Music.

In the media

USA Today on "Count to Ten": Love hurts so good in this achingly bittersweet ballad from Errico's new album, Wander Away.

Wander Away is...a perfect showcase for this supremely gifted performing songwriter – Performing Songwriter

Popdose.com interview with Mike Errico, by Jeff Giles

Errico has a distinctive voice and has been described as someone who can "balance compelling arrangements and addictive melodies that rock, with stinging lyrics that always make sure you're listening to what he has to say."