Given our pseudo-theme of the month, I felt it was only appropriate that we carried on for a couple more weeks. This month has all been centered around power-pop artists and this week is yet another artist who has the ability to belt out catchy, meaningful, and often playful tunes. While power-pop may not be everyone’s favorite style of music, this blogger finds that it is an often underappreciated style of play and one that contains some of the brightest lyrical minds in the music world. This week we recognize an artist who just nearly made legendary status. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Mike Viola to Enter the Shell’s Artist of the week.
When you bring up the name Mike Viola, not many people are going to jump up and say “yeah, I know that guy, he’s a great musician!” And while he is certainly a great musician, the reason most people won’t jump and hoot in support of Mr. Viola is that they probably haven’t heard of him…that is until you tell them what he’s worked on. Much like last week’s Fountains of Wayne (who Mike Viola is close friends with), our artist has been a part of film and has collaborated with other artists who seem to get more attention than he himself does. Mike Viola co-wrote with Adam Schlesinger the title song for That Thing You Do! (he performed it, too) as well as many of the songs for 2007’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Aside from those movie initiatives, he has also been Mandy Moore’s musical director, and toured with acts like They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, and Robyn Hitchcock.
Mike Viola is an artist who has been in the game for many years. He’s played in various bands, collaborations, and teamed up with others to help add to their music (or just to have fun). A Massachusetts native, Viola had been in the music scene since the 80’s, but it wasn’t until his mid-90’s band, the Candy Butchers, that his music really began gaining attention. It was during this time that he and Schlesinger penned the title track for That Thing You Do! that reached number 41 in Billboard’s Hot 100 songs of 1996. The Candy Butchers demonstrated Viola’s exquisite writing abilities, which often focused on the eternally relatable subject of failing and functioning love lives. The Candy Butchers were excellent at writing songs that you could tap your toes and sing-along to all without getting embarrassed about what it was you were listening to.
While the pop songs were great, it was 2004’s Hang On, Mike that really displayed his talent and emotional spectrum as a writer. Dealing with topics from his best friend’s introducing him to Kiss Alive II, to bringing children into the world, to the tragic story of coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. The mark of a great power-pop artist is not only to write catchy and lyrically astute music, but to be able to bridge the spectrum of emotions by drawing from personal experience. I find few better at this than Mike Viola.
Though Viola has dropped the Candy Butcher moniker, he has gone on to work in other collaborative efforts and has pursued his own solo career. Having recently moved out to Los Angeles, those local readers who think they might want to check him out will definitely have their opportunity. Mike Viola’s most recent venture was 2011’s Electro de Perfecto which continues to prove his musical prowess by serving up an offering of more tunes worth singing-along to. As usual, get your fix below. Enjoy!
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I am a HUGE admirer of MV work and really appreciate your coverage of this hidden master. However, one fact you got wrong is that he did not co-write “That Thing You Do”, which was indeed penned by Schlesinger- he co-produced it (and nailed the performance). Every other writer gets this point wrong so you’re not the first 🙂