Band...
Michelle Schmitt
is a talented singer/songwriter who was born in Detroit and
started playing guitar and writing songs when she was 12 years
old. She moved to San Francisco in 1977. In 2005 Michelle was
asked to contribute a song on a record featuring 6 Grammy winners
and 2 Rock & Roll Hall of Famers (including Bonnie Raitt,
Kenny Loggins, Bill Medley, Roseanne and Johnny Cash, Rodney
Crowell, Beth Neilsen Chapman and John Denver). Michelle worked
with Robert Hayes (of Smash Mouth fame) at Sound Management
in San Jose before opening Lilysong Records in Marin County.
In 2006, Michelle opened the doors to her state of the art San Francisco studio, Harrison Street Records.
Michael Rodriguez
has worked as a recording engineer in the music industry for the last 20 years. He has worked in LA, NYC and Nashville and is known for his skill in working with women singers like Bonnie Raitt & Beth Neilsen Chapman. He was the Sound Engineer for Boz Scaggs at Meac Studio in San Francisco before joining Michelle at Lilysong Records in Muir Beach and then Harrison Street Records in San Francisco. He is the Master Sound Engineer and Studio Manager. Michael engineered & mixed Boz’s record, 'Come on Home', which was nominated in 1997 for a Grammy. Michael is also an extraordinary piano and keyboard player. He produced and arranged Michelle’s new record “Home”. He attended Berklee School of Music in Boston.Garrin Benfield
is an accomplished guitarist, songwriter and an exceptional performer who has a strong following in San Francisco. He has opened for and played with Boz Scaggs, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ricki Lee Jones, David Gray, Blues Traveler, Steve Winwood & Norton Buffalo. He is a favorite at San Francisco’s famed Great American Music Hall, Café DuNord and Mill Valley’s Sweetwater. Check out www.garrin.com to learn more.Ricky Fataar
is a South African musician and drummer. He is famed as a member of The Rutles in South Africa. In 1968 the band moved to London and began touring England. On one of their tours, a member of The Beach Boys, Carl Wilson, spotted them. He was impressed by their talent and offered to sign them to the Beach Boys new record label Brother Records. The band moved to Los Angeles and they recorded and released their 1970 album The Flame with Carl Wilson producing. The Beach Boys then recruited Fataar in 1971. Fataar has also been involved in film and television scoring and produced the music for various films including The Coca-Cola Kid. For the last twenty years, Fataar has been a member of Bonnie Raitt's band.Russ Gold
“Inventive”, and “an uncanny combination of power, drive, and delicate touch”, is how David Berkowitz of CBS Records describes the talent of drummer/percussionist. He has toured extensively throughout the US, Europe, and Asia., performing with jazz, rock, fusion, and theater groups. “His musicianship and timing were extraordinary”, wrote Joe Watts of the Montrose Voice in Houston, acclaiming Russ’ performance as solo multipercussionist with the American Repertory Theater. Russ’ performing experience includes work with musicians as diverse as Gary Lyons (producer of Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead) Johnny Colla of Huey Lewis and the News, Seth Justman of the J. Giles Band, CBS Fusion artists Full Circle, and jazz greats Sam Rivers, George Coleman, Dave Douglas, and Howard Johnson. During his tenure with Full Circle, the band won “Best Jazz Group” at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival, and garnered Boston Music Awards “Best Jazz Record on a Major Label”. His talent has also been recognized by endorsements of Sabian cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks, Fishman transducers, and Kurzweil synthesizers.Marc Levine
Marc Levine is an accomplished bass player. His first gold record as a session bassist was with Johnny Rivers, playing on the song "Slow Dancin', Swayin' To The Music". Some other artists he worked for either live or in the studio included Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Melissa Manchester, Michael Damien, David Hasselhoff, Burt Bacharach, and Kid Creole in the pop music field: Dianne Schuur, Rosemary Clooney, and Gerry Mulligan in the jazz arena: The Undisputed Truth, Freddie Stewart ( Sly Stone's guitarist brother ) in the funk zone: and K.T. Oslin in the country music area. He also played on sessions for Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain ( 2 members of the rock group Journey), and guitarist Jimmy Crespo, who was with Aerosmith at the time.Damian Sol
Damian Sol is the newest member of Michelle's band. He is an accomplished violinist. Damian's first recording with Michelle was "Christmas on PIne Mountain". Damian began his musical journey at an early age, playing the violin. Under his mother's diligent tutelage, he soon began winning concerto competitions by age eight. He won several awards and solo symphonic performances. Damian went on to co-found five-time Sammie-award-winning Sacramento art-rock favorites Las Pesadillas (including three awards in one year), and produced several local CDs to critical acclaim. He is now an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, engineer and composer living in Lake Tahoe, CA.Custom website design by ComBridges.
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