Michelle's E-Newsletter
Enter your email in the field below and click subscribe to stay informed of the latest news from Michelle Schmitt.
Band...
Michelle Schmitt
Michelle Schmitt is a 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. Gifted with a soulful voice, the ability to express her feelings through her heartfelt songwriting and a talented band, Michelle delivers songs that stand the test of time. A modern 70’s vibe best describes her sound… beautiful harmonies, soothing and intelligent melodies. Growing up in Detroit, Michelle was exposed to great music and credits artists like Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Carole King, Eva Cassidy, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Sade, Stevie Nicks, Aimee Mann, Dido and Alanis Morissette for her inspiration. In 2005 Michelle was asked to contribute a song on a record featuring six Grammy winners and two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers (including Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins, Bill Medley, Roseanne and Johnny Cash, Rodney Crowell, Beth Neilsen Chapman and Mike & the Mechanics). 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 and opened Pine Mountain Studio in Alexander Valley in 2008. Michelle serves on the honorary board of Meals on Wheels of San Francisco. She and her bandmates will be performing at the annual Meals on Wheels SF benefit concert Thursday, December 2nd. Giving back in gratitude for the gifts in her life is very important to Michelle.Michael Rodriguez
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 has engineered for many singers like Bonnie Raitt and 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 record “Home” and has joined Michelle in co-producing "Another Winter" and "Christmas on PIne Mountain". He attended Berkley School of Music in Boston.Garrin Benfield
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, Credence 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. Garrin recently relocated to New York and is splits his time between the east and west coast. Check out www.garrin.com to learn more.Ricky Fataar
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. Ricky has played on MIchelle's last four records and is also a valued member of her band.George Marinelli
Born in Staten Island, NY, George Marinelli has over 40 years of experience in the music business, both on guitars and vocals, as well as writing and producing. Living in Los Angeles from 1963 to 1991, Marinelli played clubs, recording sessions, wrote, and toured. George played guitar for Billy and the Beaters from 1978 to 1982, for Jimmie Wood and The Immortals from1980 to 1984, and was a founding member of Bruce Hornsby and The Range from 1982 to 1991. Relocating to Nashville in 1991, George has continued his career through session work, writing, and producing. In 1993, George joined Bonnie Raitt's band, and has been with them ever since. Marinelli has been recording and producing indie projects in WingDing Studios, after forming WingDing Records briefly in 2000. Additionally, George is currently performing and recording solo and with Air Parma. George has joined Michelle and her band for her latest record “Being Here” (release date December 2010) and plans on continuing to play on future projects as well as performing at Michelle’s live gigs. www.myspace.com/georgemarinelliMarc 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. Marc joined Michelle's band in 2009 and has played on her last two records.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.Aaron Burnham
Michelle is happy to welcome Aaron Burnham who has joined Harrison Street Records and PIne Mountain Studio as part of the engineering team. He worked on “Christmas On Pine Mountain” as well as “Being Here.”Custom website design by ComBridges.
© 2010 Michelle Schmitt Music (ASCAP). All rights reserved.