Mike Visaggio and Kinetic Element: News

Well Mike's fans stuffed SIlent Planet Promotions' ballot box (Thanks everyone!) and Mike has been granted the interactive interview which will air on Silent Planet's affiliated stations. Watch for details.

Silent Planet Promotions (www.silentplanetpromotions.com) has picked up "Starship Universe" for radio promotion, and Nighmare Records (run by Lance King of Avian fame)has taken it on for distribution. New reveiws have come in, mostly positive. The hot one is at http://www.glory-daze.com/readarticle.php?article_id=2065, where a British reveiwer has given it a good analysis.

A number of Internet radio stations, such as www.auralmoon.com, www.silentplanetradio.com and www.progpalaceradio.com have added Starship Universe. Much to Mike's amazement, the add by Silent Planet, which is a show also heard on college radio stations across the country, has led to Starship Universe's climb to the NUMBER ONE position on the college radio chart, as detailed by New Music Weekly Online. http://www.newmusicweekly.com/chart.php?chart=College
Mike, Michael and Matt are hoping this leads to some college shows. STAY TUNED.

MV & KE invaded Washington for our world premier show. Well here's how the gig went in DC: The other two bands cancelled.
Since we had the place to ourselves we got to set up properly without rushing and did a proper sound check. The "crowd" consisted of ten friends of bassist Matt Harris, my lifelong friend from NYC who came down on Amtrak, Greg and April Stafford from www.ProgPalaceRadio.com and a few stragglers from the street. Everyone was impressed. "In the Nazarene Church" literally brought everyone to their feet.The band was (if I do say so myself) SMOKIN'. The only glitches were that my headset mic fell off and my Roland synth went haywire on one song. But Matt and Michael made me proud, and for a night without pay it was well worth the trip as we got our feet wet for the first time and found out we really are pretty good and will get better if we can just get some more gigs.

Hoping to see you sometime soon. Merrry Christmas!
Mike V.

Drummer Michael Murray, who played on "Starship Universe" on three of the tracts, and bassist Matt Harris, both Richmonders, have joined Mike to FINALLY form the trio. The band will be called Mike Visaggio and Kinetic Element, a name coined by Murray. They are rehearsing a one-hour show performing the music on the CD, and are looking at covers of UK, Jimi Hendrix and Genesis. New original pieces are also being attempted. Now they have to find some venues....any suggestions?

Well it looks like hiring a radio publicist may have been money well spent.
Adam Harrington of Whisperin' and Hollerin' gave Mike a real nice review. He even likes the vocals! So now they know about Starship Universe in Old Blighty, Her Majesty's realm, Union Jack Land, etc.

Well it just wasn't to be. After discovering on Sept. 12 that back on Aug. 21 he had been invited to play at the gala festival in beautiful Montreal, Mike stepped up his efforts to find a bassist and drummer to make the trip. Festival director Dan Seligman encouranged Mike to come on up and play with prerecorded backing tracks but that's not the visual that Mike wanted to present. Drummer Michael Murray decided during the past week to become a permanent member of the band and to do Montreal, but although two talented bassists were auditioned this past weekend, neither could arrange on short notice to go along for the (long) ride. Mike sadly cancelled the gig. However let's celebrate a bit, as it appears the band will take shape after all. Both bassists made "In The Nazarene Church" SMOKE at the auditions and both want to join. The act, to be given a name shortly, is not far from appearing in public. God is good.

Mike Parker truly understands the idea behind Starship Universe. His review is very encouraging. www.buddyhollywood.com

Dave Taylor from up near Siberia (That's Alaska) tells it like it is. His website, www.spiritualprog.com, is another great prog resource.

DJ Mary Campbell has played "The Synchronized Life" on her Saturday night show on www.thedividingline.com, an internet prog station that delivers GREAT music all the time. Mike worships at her feet for her sweet promotion. One of her chat room friends, Gene Godfrey, has a show called CLASSIC FM which airs on FM radio WBCZ in New Jersey, and Gene has played the same tune on his Friday night show. Gene's show http://www.angelfire.com/music2/classicfm/ takes you back to the late '60s style free form rock shows that aired on WNEW-FM in New York when FM was cool. Mike thanks both these wonderful music lovers for playing "Starship Universe."

Mr. Artur Chachlowski of MLWZ (Polish appreviation for "a small lexicon of the great bands") has favored Mike with a 17-minute segment on the show of 5/31/2006. The site is at www.mlwz.pl/ and the show can be downloaded. Artur played "In The Nazarene Church" and "Blues Variation" while talking about old Mikey in Polish for awhile. Check out this site as there is a TON of great prog on it.

That Myspace can sure turn up some great friends. www.ProgNaut.com likes the CD too.

Found out that as of 4/23/06 there has been a review posted at www.ProgressiveEars.com by reviewr "ffroyd." He digs it.

People have been telling him for years, "get some new boards and get back into music." So he did. Starting in 2000 with Richmond bands Model Citizen, The Strokers, and Richmond Rock Exchange, multi-keyboardist Mike Visaggio eased back into circulation after an absence of twenty-five years. Contacted by engineer Mike "The Natural" Ferrell to do studio work, Visaggio began working on his own project at Ferrell's New Beginnings Studio in Chesterfield VA. It blossomed into a full-blown CD when, as Mike puts it, "God said 'Go.' So I went." The still small voice led him to title the CD "Starship Universe" after a little phrase that a former bandmate used to sing to him to tease him because he digs Yes and ELP. But the starship journey is an analogy with the spiritual journey of the seeker after God. So here it is, released today, and waiting for your ears.
Mike has already gotten good reviews for this CD, an effort of all keyboards and drummer Michael Murray's talents on percussion. As of yet there are no firm commitments for additional players but rest assured Mike wants to play this music live.