​7 BRIDGES ROAD

 

Michael is a guitarist, singer, and musical director for 7 Bridges Road. He has been playing guitar for most of his life, and playing in bands for almost as long.

 

Drawn to music (specifically the guitar) at 6 or 7 years old, he and his older brother constructed their own guitars from cigar boxes, scrap wood and fishing line. They listened to folk music by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and blues by Muddy Waters, Leadbelly and the Seagel-Schwall Blues Band. Eventually, the Beatles invaded America, and Michael was off and running. He learned guitar from Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and many more. He learned to sing listening first to the Four Seasons, then the Beatles, the Hollies, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; he learned to perform by watching all of them.

 

2002 - Present: guitarist, singer and musical director for Moose and the High Tops. The High Tops have also spawned several other projects: Michael and Moose (acoustic duo), Michael, Moose & Scott (acoustic trio), and Alive She Cried (a tribute to the Doors featuring Moose, Michael and Pete from the High Tops and Rhode Island’s Joey Sullivan on drums).

 

Equipment:

Electric Guitars: '62 Reissue Fender Esquire (built '92) modded with a second pickup in the neck position (essentially making it a Telecaster) and a Fishman piezo system for acoustic guitar sound; '95 Fender Stratocaster, also with piezo; 1968 Fender Telecaster; Gibson SG Standard (2004); 2002 Gibson SG Special Faded; 2003 Gibson LP Melody Maker; 2000 Ibanez Artcore hollow body, modded with TV Jones Gretsch pickups and Bigsby vibrato; Danelectro 12-string. There is also a custom-made white solid-body guitar by the late Frank Luccessi which is owned by his shop, now called Luthier’s Co-op, in Easthampton. It’s a fine instrument that I should never have let go; thanks to Steve and Jane for buying it back for the shop.

 

Acoustic Guitars: 1958 Gibson Southerner Jumbo flat top; 1990 Yamaha APX acoustic-electric. 2005 Schecter 12-string Mandolins: 1930’s Stradolin; 2009 Oscar Schmidt acoustic –electric.

 

Amps: a variety of amps are used, depending on the venue. For small shows, VOX Night Train, Fender Blues Jr, Bugera V22. Medium sized venues sometimes require the use of two of the above. For large venues, two Fender Bassman amps (both 1967) each with a 2-12” speaker cabinet are used, usually one at a time.