Fellow UMass student Michael Maloney is showing great promise with his musical abilities. They are not only apparent listening to his album First Step which is available on iTunes and Amazon, but also through the many gigs he has done. Singing since the age of nine, this driven artist put a large amount of time towards improving his vocal sound and getting his music out there for the public to enjoy. His weekends are filled with gigs at local churches, nursing homes, and the occasional wedding. During the week he teaches the a capella group 8 Voices, on campus (which you can join by contacting him at [email protected]) and also teaches a music class at Snowdon High School once a week to students who have little to no musical experience. Michael was nice enough to sit down with the Mass Media for a few minutes and answer some questions.
When did you start getting into music?
When I was little my parents told me that I used to wave my hands around like a conductor. I started getting more serious with music after I hurt my hip and couldn’t do sports; music was always there. I started singing for my church choir at the age of nine and performed in plays every summer during middle school.
What instruments do you play, and when did you start playing them?
I began piano at age eight, then guitar at 13, drums, bass and violin during high school, ukulele at 19. I play all the instruments on my album. When you do that it’s more of an autobiography and you own every inch of every song. You know me and get to know the deepest side of who I am.
Do you write your own music, and if so do you draw inspiration from your life?
Yes I do, and yes totally. For example “Taller” was about a girl who received prosthetic limbs. Once she had them she was so confident that even though she was still shorter than the rest of her classmates she was still like “I’m cooler!” And I thought about confidence and what a relationship should be like and how you should complement each other. I happen to be in a long distance relationship right now. She’s in Berlin this semester. Even though it is hard, she’s lovely, so I draw a lot of inspiration from our relationship for my music. I’m a corny guy.
Do you perform or have any gigs?
I sing at three to four different churches, perform at nursing homes, do the occasional wedding or funeral. I’ve also done a few fundraisers and have one coming up at my old high school for senior scholarships. I’m also performing at Best Buy on Newbury Street in June.
Were you ever in a band?
I was in a band for 2 years, in high school, and then going into UMass Boston. There were a lot of late nights. The lead singer was 35 and the rest were in their 30’s and then there was me at 17. I met them at an open mic night in Malden that I went to every week. The band was rock, pop and called Airtraffic Controller; the lead singer was an air traffic controller.
Very impressive, have you ever received any awards?
In 2007, on WROR 105.7. I’m a big fan of the oldies. they were having a contest for writing a parody about your hometown and I wrote “The long and winding road to Medford.” There were over 100 people from all over, from Maine to Massachusetts and I came in first place. I was on 950 AM WROL this past Sunday; they do Irish music on Saturdays and Sundays. They’re having a contest called “Irish Idol” and I called in, I didn’t win but I was in the 5 finalists. I performed live at a pub this past Sunday and it went across the air and they have about 5 million viewers.
Lastly, do you have any advice for student songwriters and musicians?
Keep your eyes and ears open, and always keep a pen and paper on you to jot phrases, words, and ideas down. Many of my songs originate from a phrase, which typically becomes the title, from there I map out a story that the title implies, and build the song around that. Also, record your music and perform your music, get it out there to be heard. And write what you know, from your own experiences.
Lets all keep an eye out for this talented young artist. Make sure to look up his album First Step on Amazon and iTunes. Also check his music out on YouTube at YouTube.com/michaelmmusic.com, you can also “like” him on Facebook.