NEW SOLO ALBUM
∞ Time for a Turnaround ∞
OUT FRIDAY, JAN. 17, 202514 fresh originals. One acoustic guitar. One baritone vocal. Spare, intimate sonics. Tight, no frills tunes with lyrics touching on globalism, terrorism, child abuse, poverty, love good and bad. And the inalienable right to breathe and dance! Enjoy a spicy stew of 'timely' blues, rock, folk, country and reggae. Visit
mikehallal.com for the full album preview. Email: mikehallal@usa.com.
Latest News
Time for a Turnaround | New Album Title Track LYRIC VID
- Live-action lyric vid PREMIERES here 10 a.m. EST Friday, January 10.
- NEW solo guitar & vocal ALBUM drops everywhere Friday, January 17.
Mike Hallal | Music Bio
I was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in booming 1952. It was a very good year in the USA!
When I turned 12 my grandfather bought me my first guitar, a natural blonde Harmony acoustic. A year or so later I wrote my first proper song with it, inspired by Beatles and Rolling Stones and teenage blues. Who wasn't then?
A month or two after that, my older cousin's hot shot, high school rock band covered my song. I had my first placement!
BOSTON BOUND
Moved to Massachusetts when I was 19. Old-school 'earned' a B.A. and M.A. (English & American Lit). Did some feature writing and interviews for New England Performer Magazine. Gigged and recorded solo, and then led a handful of bands.
Most were short-lived, but productive recording-wise, like Sunday Project, Hallal & Co. and Sojourn - true to its name. Two morphed and stuck around for awhile: Cryin' Licks, and the longest running, Mike Hallal Band.
Got great airplay and accolades around the world for 'Rock of Ages Fall' in the '90s. And even more for 'Red Sox Blues' in the early 2000s. Ended up living over 40 years in and around Boston, dedicated to making music - songwriting, gigging, recording, releasing, listening, learning... Rinse and repeat.
I'm now living and breathing well in the mountains of western Maine. With new songs still always in my head. Lucky like that.
THEY MOVED ME
I feel fortunate to have met and worked with many awesome musicians and music lovers. Some who've influenced me most:
- Singer/Songwriter Robin Lane: Onetime mentor and guest backing vocalist on my indie/lo-fi slow-burner, 'Swat Team'.
- Blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Jimmy D. Lane (no relation) and drummer Ted Harvey: I got to hang and play with these 'jovial giants of the blues' for a too brief warm-up set, during a winter weekend fest in Boston. 'Nobody arga!'
- Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Brian Maes: Making 'Red Sox Blues' and the album Chains of Being with him was 'wicked good'.
- Songwriter/Author John Braheny: Among his mentoring gems was a 'free elevator consult' he gave me back in the day at an LA Songwriters Showcase. His ground-floor advice: "Go Johnny, Go!"
- Blues producer/promoter Ron Bartolucci: He invited me to meet and play with Ted Harvey and Jimmy D. Lane. And without Ron's "Have ya heard?" there's no Hound Dog Taylor ripoff turnaround in 'Time for a Turnaround'!
WHAT'S NEXT
After releasing the new album, I still have a dozen or so more songs 'leftover' from my 2024 project to get together for copyrights. Some real good ones among them I think, that I'd love for you to hear. And who knows what tunes tomorrow may bring?
ENDING NOTES
"Helluva songwriter." - Blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Jimmy D. Lane
"Great songs. And a great voice." - Rock singer/songwriter/guitarist Robin Lane
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