Mike G & Associates

Mike G and Associates are:

Mike Gendron-lead guitar, vocals
Peter Gendron-keyboards,harmony vocals
Jason Carpentier-bass guitar
Kevin Ferschke-drums

Mike started his Bar and Grille tour June 4 with a bang~ he announced that he had been nominated for the Providence Phoenix's Best Male Vocalist.
He genuinely looked surprised, but shouldn't have been. After all, he came in second in the recent Providence Motif contest for Best Male Vocalist.
Mike hails from Rhode Island's own Blackstone Valley, where he rocked the Lincoln High School talent show with a memorable performance of 'the Cats in the Cradle' and has had a following ever since. What began as a grassroots hobby of garage band sound and melancholy lyrics has become a profitable living. It began with 'Damaged Goods' to 'Mike G & the Vacations'to years with Grand Evolution. Mike's brilliance as a confessional songwriter is at the forefront now that he is leading his own band again, and he has come into his own. Not only is he a mainstay of the local music scene, he is a force to be reckoned with.

To all you 20 somethings out there: it's time to transfer out of the super massive black hole that is the club scene~and appreciate local artists.

Mike is a musician first, and a fisherman second ~ he hooks a line, reels a rhyme, and works for a dime. During the gig, Mike mixes his own original songs in with recognizable covers. The bandmates innately recognize Mike's capacity for depth; after ring of fire one acknowledged, 'You kind of have that far away look in your eyes, brother'. Peter Gendron, who is a dead ringer for John Lennon, introduced a Beatles tune as 'Modern Rock'; the sarcasm was as dry as melba toast, but there's something to be said of a band that likes to have fun while taking their rock and roll seriously.
The originals are a treat from top notch musicians that utilize blended techniques to incite an emotional response from the audience. "Close your eyes, my baby" written and arranged by Peter Gendron started out as a lullaby for his daughter, but didn't finish that way. There is an edge to it and it it turned into a slow rock and roll song turned "may you rest forever in peace."

Some are very psychological, such as "Skeletons" where he wails on the harmonica with the vendetta of a broken heart. Others, such as 'Julie Blue' wistfully acknowledges the need to reconnect with that one person in the world, perhaps, that ever understood us.

"Infinity" rolls like an angsty love ballad, with lyrics of "heavy is the heart that's shut." As with any strong musician, the pictures are ambiguous; spitting into a fan is obviously symbolism, but of what?

Every song is an emotional catharsis that brings you through a labyrinth. Vague and disorienting as his songs may be, Mike strums from the heart.

Somewhere, hearts and flowers bloom in the spot where he lost his love as he leans into the microphone, and bitterness scatters like rose petals in the wind."Poison Love" is a long hard lesson in love you won't soon forget, this lesson being from his own father.Hence the lyrics in another song, "Keep your heart safe, and your eyes on the road." It is an autobiographical, versatile expression of a man who is living with little regrets; he's seen beauty and wants to share it with you. It is not sordid, but sublime; he loves life in all its facets and his easygoing attitude proves he is a survivor.
Mike G and Associates are truly diverse, with two shows unalike. There is a distinct twang to certain vocals, as Mike's main influence is Neil Young; in fact, he also plays in a Neil Young Tribute band, "Young Rust". Mike ends every song with a solo or a jam, and aced "Keep Rockin' in the Free World."

"All along the Watchtower" was a screamin rendition of the Dylan cover, and Mike rocked as if his guitar was a fire hose that he could hardly contain.

He may sound Americana and wear a cowboy hat, and but don't call him 'Country Mike'.The Associates have played with Soul Asylum.
The mysticism and intrigue of Old New England, and the Blackstone valley especially, is an apropos location for a deep thinker like Mike Gendron. Be sure to pick up a copy of 'The Traveler's Diary' at their next show, currently selling for the bargain price of $5.00 a copy. That's below wholesale for a professionally produced CD that is self-arranged and written. Just in case Mike's not your thing, they have a 'generous return policy'; Mike's tongue-in-cheek remark to non-creative people that never want to pay artists what they're worth. With stellar reviews in the Phoenix, Motif, and Limelight, keep your eyes and ears peeled for Mike G and Associates; they just might be the next big thing to come from the Rhode Island music scene.