Mike Heeley's Music
This website is a collection of my musical achievements, from writing a song for elementary school bands to my latest hip hop album "American Twilight Project" and everything in-between.
Early work
My earliest foray into music starts with my dad. He was running sound and playing a little bit of guitar from the soundboard with a local country band called "Grits". (Ironically, I too ran sound and played a little bit of guitar from the soundboard when I was traveling as the sound engineer/road manager for contemporary Jewish music artist Rick Recht from 2005 to 2009). I started playing trumpet in second grade (1983ish) for the Saint Ferdinand school band, under the direction of Joe Bozzi. I also wrote an incredible song called Tom Sawyer what went something like this. "Today's Tom Sawyer's birthday, he got nothin' today. So he ran to his room and he cussed and he cussed. On his sister's birthday, she got everything she wanted, and then he ran away. Tom Sawyer, Tom Sawyer, he was a very evil man".
In 5th grade (1986), I switched to Charbonier (later named Lawson) Elementary and was asked to play french horn by the band director, Alan Moss. A year later (1987-88) Mr Moss and I collaborated and I wrote a song called "Band Boogie" that was played by all Hazelwood elementary school bands. Click here to read newspaper articles about "Band Boogie."
Also in fifth grade, I started my first "real band" Shanghai Dudes with some school friends. Our hit "Shanghai Dudes" went like this. "Shanghai Dudes are here, in this pitiful world, we are here to make things better for you". True poetry indeed. In seventh and eighth grade, Brian Harper and I were exploring hard rock, but never could get a band going, except for a rockin' original composition at the Saint Ferdinand eighth grade talent show.
In 5th grade (1986), I switched to Charbonier (later named Lawson) Elementary and was asked to play french horn by the band director, Alan Moss. A year later (1987-88) Mr Moss and I collaborated and I wrote a song called "Band Boogie" that was played by all Hazelwood elementary school bands. Click here to read newspaper articles about "Band Boogie."
Also in fifth grade, I started my first "real band" Shanghai Dudes with some school friends. Our hit "Shanghai Dudes" went like this. "Shanghai Dudes are here, in this pitiful world, we are here to make things better for you". True poetry indeed. In seventh and eighth grade, Brian Harper and I were exploring hard rock, but never could get a band going, except for a rockin' original composition at the Saint Ferdinand eighth grade talent show.
Dreamt By Another
During my sophomore year of undergrad (1995-96), I started writing some songs for a creative writing course. I figured, I liked to write songs, maybe this will be an easy way to get an A (which it was). I had to perform the songs for a project in the class, so I enlisted the help of Brian Waters, a fraternity brother of mine, to sing, and Aaron Popp, a friend from high school who later became my partner in musical crime. Aaron wanted to learn how to play bass, so I helped him get started by lending him my dad's Kalamazoo bass and showing him a few things. We played our first show of my songs and called ourselves "Lost". The songs were acoustic, mainly love songs, with a sound like Live's Mental Jewelry and more chord based songs from Throwing Copper.
After the one show we performed as Lost was finished, Aaron, Brian and I continued to write music. In the summer of 96, back in STL, we got my brother Tim Heeley to play drums, we plugged in the guitars, and Dreamt By Another was born. We played our first show that summer at the Bernard Pub, opening for our Saint Louis friends Spoondrift. Tim was unavailable for the show, so Spoondrift's drummer Mike Lowder, (future Somnia drummer) learned our songs and sat in. Mike was already familiar with the songs, having helped co-engineer our first tape (yes, tape) "This Life, This Dream" with Spoondrift guitarist, Jim Manno.
The next year, Brian went to study in France, but we still wanted to play as Dreamt By Another. We enlisted our friend Dan Spomer to sing that year, and we played a couple of frat party type shows.
When Brian came back, summer of 1997, we recorded our second tape "The Mighty Sound of Steam", this time recording with Greg Smith from Dale's Music as the engineer. It was through his guidance he made our "drums sound like the hammer of Thor smashing an anvil, and the vocals sound like a screaming pterodactyl." It definitely had a harder sound, but still reminiscent of Live and a smidgen of Tool's vocals thanks to Brian Waters.
Later that school year, we recorded a song with Mike Lowder on drums "The Guiltless in our Season" (which was remade for Somnia's first CD (not to scale), for a school project for Mike.) In the summer of '98, We put that on our last CD "Dreamt By Another" which included "The Mighty Sound of Steam" and a couple of other songs we recorded with Tim on drums at Greg Smith's studio. But because of college duties, lack of shows, and general malaise on my part, Dreamt By Another called it quits in the Fall of 1998.
After the one show we performed as Lost was finished, Aaron, Brian and I continued to write music. In the summer of 96, back in STL, we got my brother Tim Heeley to play drums, we plugged in the guitars, and Dreamt By Another was born. We played our first show that summer at the Bernard Pub, opening for our Saint Louis friends Spoondrift. Tim was unavailable for the show, so Spoondrift's drummer Mike Lowder, (future Somnia drummer) learned our songs and sat in. Mike was already familiar with the songs, having helped co-engineer our first tape (yes, tape) "This Life, This Dream" with Spoondrift guitarist, Jim Manno.
The next year, Brian went to study in France, but we still wanted to play as Dreamt By Another. We enlisted our friend Dan Spomer to sing that year, and we played a couple of frat party type shows.
When Brian came back, summer of 1997, we recorded our second tape "The Mighty Sound of Steam", this time recording with Greg Smith from Dale's Music as the engineer. It was through his guidance he made our "drums sound like the hammer of Thor smashing an anvil, and the vocals sound like a screaming pterodactyl." It definitely had a harder sound, but still reminiscent of Live and a smidgen of Tool's vocals thanks to Brian Waters.
Later that school year, we recorded a song with Mike Lowder on drums "The Guiltless in our Season" (which was remade for Somnia's first CD (not to scale), for a school project for Mike.) In the summer of '98, We put that on our last CD "Dreamt By Another" which included "The Mighty Sound of Steam" and a couple of other songs we recorded with Tim on drums at Greg Smith's studio. But because of college duties, lack of shows, and general malaise on my part, Dreamt By Another called it quits in the Fall of 1998.
Sing More Loud
After Dreamt By Another, I continued to write my own music. Aaron Popp, Jeremy Leavitt (a friend of ours who is a percussionist and drummer) and I would play acoustic by a tree filled with concrete on the Truman State University campus. We would play Dreamt By Another songs and cover songs by that tree and at bars in Kirksville under the name "Concrete Tree". Influenced by Live and life in general (the band) I decided to release those songs I was writing on an acoustic album.
It was my last semester at school and in my songs I was really trying to convey my desire to leave Kirksville and start a new life. The song "My Wish" was re-recorded on the Somnia debut album (not to scale), and we would play a couple of these songs in the early live Somnia shows. The song "I Won't Be Around" really encompassed the feeling I was trying to go for on this album. I wrote it in the morning of November 8th, 1998. Aaron and I went to Pella IA to see life in general play the night before. As we drove through the sleet and snow, I felt a liberation to be getting out of Kirksville, if at least for one night. It was a song about moving back to St. Louis and getting on with my life.
I recorded the album with Mike Lowder as the engineer in the house we were renting in the winter of 1998, after I graduated. The songs were clunky, and didn't sound great but that was because I was singing them. Aaron Popp played bass and sang back ground vocals, Jeremy Leavitt, Tim Heeley and Mike Lowder played drums.
It was my last semester at school and in my songs I was really trying to convey my desire to leave Kirksville and start a new life. The song "My Wish" was re-recorded on the Somnia debut album (not to scale), and we would play a couple of these songs in the early live Somnia shows. The song "I Won't Be Around" really encompassed the feeling I was trying to go for on this album. I wrote it in the morning of November 8th, 1998. Aaron and I went to Pella IA to see life in general play the night before. As we drove through the sleet and snow, I felt a liberation to be getting out of Kirksville, if at least for one night. It was a song about moving back to St. Louis and getting on with my life.
I recorded the album with Mike Lowder as the engineer in the house we were renting in the winter of 1998, after I graduated. The songs were clunky, and didn't sound great but that was because I was singing them. Aaron Popp played bass and sang back ground vocals, Jeremy Leavitt, Tim Heeley and Mike Lowder played drums.
Somnia 1999 - 2006
Somnia was my most successful and longest lasting musical stint. During the recording of Sing More Loud, I started writing music with Mike Lowder, formerly of Spoondrift. When Aaron graduated from Truman, we recruited him to play bass and sing lead. After long conversations of convincing Aaron to join, Somnia was born.
We released 3 CDs in the 7 years we played together. The first, (not to scale), was a 9 song album of long, spiritual songs. We also included a rework of the Dreamt By Another song "The Guiltless in Their Season", and a remake of the song "My Wish" from my solo album Sing More Loud. Our good friend Ken Calcaterra of Visual Stories Group self financed a music video for our song "Brothers" from (not to scale). Click here to see Ken's awesome video of "Brothers".
While we were playing shows in support of (not to scale) we added guitarist Max Eisenberg and became a four piece. After a few months and a flipped pickup truck on the way to a show, Max left the band.
The second album, The Rock EP was our most successful recording. After Max left, we turned to our good pal Jack Walker from the defunct band Johnny Action Figure to fill his shoes. We recorded the Rock EP with Darrell McClanahan as producer, who really helped us stream-line our songs. The music was poppy guitar rock. The song "Hello, Something" ended up in minor rotation on 101.1 The River in December of 2002 as we were the chosen local act to open the 2002 River of Toys Concert at the Pageant in Saint Louis, MO. During the writing and recording of The Rock EP, a friend of ours, Jason Christ of Wiked Pixel Cinema, asked us to contribute 2 songs from the CD (not to scale) to his movie, Savage Harvest II, October Blood. The song "Purpose" plays during the opening credits, while the song "My Wish" gets play during the film. To learn more about the movie, click here.
The third and final studio CD released by Somnia called Love and Other Problems, was put together as our last-ditch effort to be recognized and picked up by a major label. We got great feedback and contacts from labels with The Rock EP, so we recorded LAOP in the hopes that our even more poppy songs would catch the ear of an AR rep. Unfortunately, we just kept hearing "You guys are great, but we don't hear a single. Write more and send it to us". I was on the road full time with Rick Recht, we had wives, live in girlfriends, full time jobs, etc; so after another round of music showcases and rejections, we called it quits.
There is a fourth CD, however, thanks to singer/bass player Aaron Popp. We played a couple reunion shows after 2006, and Aaron, wanting to surprise the band and fans, made a CD from board recordings at shows called Live and Other Problems. It was an unmixed, unmastered CD that showed Somnia in it's truest, rawest form; sloppy. He compiled some band and fan favorites, complete with flubs, out of tune guitars, flat vocals and missed drum fills. Probably my favorite Somnia album, even though included a version of Helter Skelter with me as lead singer. Click the picture to learn more about Somnia. Click here to go to the Somnia STL Bandcamp Page.
We released 3 CDs in the 7 years we played together. The first, (not to scale), was a 9 song album of long, spiritual songs. We also included a rework of the Dreamt By Another song "The Guiltless in Their Season", and a remake of the song "My Wish" from my solo album Sing More Loud. Our good friend Ken Calcaterra of Visual Stories Group self financed a music video for our song "Brothers" from (not to scale). Click here to see Ken's awesome video of "Brothers".
While we were playing shows in support of (not to scale) we added guitarist Max Eisenberg and became a four piece. After a few months and a flipped pickup truck on the way to a show, Max left the band.
The second album, The Rock EP was our most successful recording. After Max left, we turned to our good pal Jack Walker from the defunct band Johnny Action Figure to fill his shoes. We recorded the Rock EP with Darrell McClanahan as producer, who really helped us stream-line our songs. The music was poppy guitar rock. The song "Hello, Something" ended up in minor rotation on 101.1 The River in December of 2002 as we were the chosen local act to open the 2002 River of Toys Concert at the Pageant in Saint Louis, MO. During the writing and recording of The Rock EP, a friend of ours, Jason Christ of Wiked Pixel Cinema, asked us to contribute 2 songs from the CD (not to scale) to his movie, Savage Harvest II, October Blood. The song "Purpose" plays during the opening credits, while the song "My Wish" gets play during the film. To learn more about the movie, click here.
The third and final studio CD released by Somnia called Love and Other Problems, was put together as our last-ditch effort to be recognized and picked up by a major label. We got great feedback and contacts from labels with The Rock EP, so we recorded LAOP in the hopes that our even more poppy songs would catch the ear of an AR rep. Unfortunately, we just kept hearing "You guys are great, but we don't hear a single. Write more and send it to us". I was on the road full time with Rick Recht, we had wives, live in girlfriends, full time jobs, etc; so after another round of music showcases and rejections, we called it quits.
There is a fourth CD, however, thanks to singer/bass player Aaron Popp. We played a couple reunion shows after 2006, and Aaron, wanting to surprise the band and fans, made a CD from board recordings at shows called Live and Other Problems. It was an unmixed, unmastered CD that showed Somnia in it's truest, rawest form; sloppy. He compiled some band and fan favorites, complete with flubs, out of tune guitars, flat vocals and missed drum fills. Probably my favorite Somnia album, even though included a version of Helter Skelter with me as lead singer. Click the picture to learn more about Somnia. Click here to go to the Somnia STL Bandcamp Page.
Music For Charity
The information below was written by Wil Smith, founder of Music for Charity.
Music For Charity was a network of Regional Musicians, Promoters, and Management dedicated to raising awareness and funds for local and national causes. Beginning in January of 2001, the first endeavor Music for Charity undertook was an initial free Concert at UM-St. Louis's JC Penney Auditorium to promote February as Cancer Awareness month. This event was facilitated by Mannheim Park, the student Sociology Organization, in honor of Professor Rocky Keel, their Faculty Sponsor who was battling Cancer at that time.
Fred Friction, who’d lost his Father to Cancer, was kind enough to invite one of the Organizers on his KDHX show Fishin' With Dynamite to discuss this inaugural Music for Charity concert, the cause, and the aspirations of the organization. The concert featured 3 relatively unknown acts: Jody Rhodes, the trio of Raven, Nick, and Wil, and a Jazz Ensemble feature Nick Schlueter of Naked Groove.
The first fundraiser put together by Music for Charity was for the American Heart Association, held at the Firehouse featuring Instar (who changed their name to Tripstar), Poppies 3 & Somnia. The build-up to that event featured more promotion in the local media courtesy of the expansion of the organization, with sizable contributions and management by Michael Heeley, Patty Labrott, and also Kendra Mahr.
Over the course of the year Music for Charity would host a few other events, raising funds for Camp Quality, (a summer camp for ill children who are dependent on caregivers to leave home and could not experience summer camp without a fill time nurse with them) and the Muscular Dystrophy Associate with UMSL's Pre-Med Student Organization amongst others. Music For Charity was in the process of coordinating larger scale events, obtaining 501c status with the help of VLAA when the Attacks of September 11th and an up-swell of charity efforts on larger scales took precedent over their efforts and the members set about endeavoring to contribute to that cause. Click the picture to read some press clippings about Music For Charity events.
Music For Charity was a network of Regional Musicians, Promoters, and Management dedicated to raising awareness and funds for local and national causes. Beginning in January of 2001, the first endeavor Music for Charity undertook was an initial free Concert at UM-St. Louis's JC Penney Auditorium to promote February as Cancer Awareness month. This event was facilitated by Mannheim Park, the student Sociology Organization, in honor of Professor Rocky Keel, their Faculty Sponsor who was battling Cancer at that time.
Fred Friction, who’d lost his Father to Cancer, was kind enough to invite one of the Organizers on his KDHX show Fishin' With Dynamite to discuss this inaugural Music for Charity concert, the cause, and the aspirations of the organization. The concert featured 3 relatively unknown acts: Jody Rhodes, the trio of Raven, Nick, and Wil, and a Jazz Ensemble feature Nick Schlueter of Naked Groove.
The first fundraiser put together by Music for Charity was for the American Heart Association, held at the Firehouse featuring Instar (who changed their name to Tripstar), Poppies 3 & Somnia. The build-up to that event featured more promotion in the local media courtesy of the expansion of the organization, with sizable contributions and management by Michael Heeley, Patty Labrott, and also Kendra Mahr.
Over the course of the year Music for Charity would host a few other events, raising funds for Camp Quality, (a summer camp for ill children who are dependent on caregivers to leave home and could not experience summer camp without a fill time nurse with them) and the Muscular Dystrophy Associate with UMSL's Pre-Med Student Organization amongst others. Music For Charity was in the process of coordinating larger scale events, obtaining 501c status with the help of VLAA when the Attacks of September 11th and an up-swell of charity efforts on larger scales took precedent over their efforts and the members set about endeavoring to contribute to that cause. Click the picture to read some press clippings about Music For Charity events.
Saint Louis For Peace 2001
In 2001, the world witnessed a terrorist attack on American soil. At the time, I was trying to help unify the Saint Louis Music scene, as it was splintered and broken. I even wrote an article in the Musician's Guide and Directory about it. (Click here to read.) But in an instant, that all changed.
I wanted to use that idea of unifying the Saint Louis Music scene to make a statement of Peace after 9/11. I turned to some trusted friends in the Saint Louis music scene to figure out what we could do. With the help of Darrell McClanahan and Javier Mendoza, I decided to dedicate my time and efforts to putting together a compilation CD of Saint Louis bands to help raise money for the American Red Cross' mission in New York, Washington DC and PA. We also wrote a song called "Freedom in the World", the featured single from the Saint Louis For Peace CD. Artists from all different genres of Saint Louis music lent their time and talent to the song. Click here to listen to "Freedom in the World".
So many people helped make the Saint Louis for Peace CD a success. Click the picture to see the credits, track listing and press clippings about Saint Louis for Peace.
I wanted to use that idea of unifying the Saint Louis Music scene to make a statement of Peace after 9/11. I turned to some trusted friends in the Saint Louis music scene to figure out what we could do. With the help of Darrell McClanahan and Javier Mendoza, I decided to dedicate my time and efforts to putting together a compilation CD of Saint Louis bands to help raise money for the American Red Cross' mission in New York, Washington DC and PA. We also wrote a song called "Freedom in the World", the featured single from the Saint Louis For Peace CD. Artists from all different genres of Saint Louis music lent their time and talent to the song. Click here to listen to "Freedom in the World".
So many people helped make the Saint Louis for Peace CD a success. Click the picture to see the credits, track listing and press clippings about Saint Louis for Peace.
Bawarchi King VS DJ Mockstar (released 2010)
In 1999 Aaron Popp bought a music recording program called "Magix" from Hastings in Kirksville, MO. When he installed the CD onto his computer, he opened a time portal that connected to the year 2258. Music pioneer Bawarchi King utilized that portal to connect with Aaron to gather turn of the century computer software and hardware to create his first CD "Funky Fresh for 1983". Below is an account from the book "The Written History of Bawarchi King and DJ Mockstar."
1999: Bawarchi King makes his original journey back in time from the 23rd century. He creates the techno-centric album "Funky Fresh For 1983". When finished he returns to his era.
2258 to 2262: Dr. Magix, residing in a space-time anomaly that exists outside of the timeline (called the Temposonosphere) realizes that the course of time has been altered. His influence is diminished and his evil grip on the universe is no longer as powerful. He begins research to find the cause for this and learns of Bawarchi King's trip to 1999 and his subsequent album. Dr. Magix formulates a new scheme. He decides to send an agent back in time to eliminate Bawarchi King and negate any changes to the timeline, thereby restoring his evil influence.
(early) 2263: Dr. Magix finishes designing his murderous agent and begins construction on the robotic digital jockey (designation DJ Mockstar).
(late) 2263: Final programming is completed. DJ Mockstar is born. Dr. Magix targets Bawarchi King's original journey and sends DJ Mockstar back to 1999 in order to destroy Bawarchi King. However, Mockstar's time jump merges with Bawarchi King's time jump and creates a rift in the space-time continuum. This rift propels them both back through time to 1980 and neither BK nor Mockstar has the ability to repair the anomaly. The new album Bawarchi King vs. DJ Mockstar (released 2010) chronicles what happens as both emcees are thrust randomly forward through time and hip hop history. Click the picture to be taken to the official Bawarchi King site.
1999: Bawarchi King makes his original journey back in time from the 23rd century. He creates the techno-centric album "Funky Fresh For 1983". When finished he returns to his era.
2258 to 2262: Dr. Magix, residing in a space-time anomaly that exists outside of the timeline (called the Temposonosphere) realizes that the course of time has been altered. His influence is diminished and his evil grip on the universe is no longer as powerful. He begins research to find the cause for this and learns of Bawarchi King's trip to 1999 and his subsequent album. Dr. Magix formulates a new scheme. He decides to send an agent back in time to eliminate Bawarchi King and negate any changes to the timeline, thereby restoring his evil influence.
(early) 2263: Dr. Magix finishes designing his murderous agent and begins construction on the robotic digital jockey (designation DJ Mockstar).
(late) 2263: Final programming is completed. DJ Mockstar is born. Dr. Magix targets Bawarchi King's original journey and sends DJ Mockstar back to 1999 in order to destroy Bawarchi King. However, Mockstar's time jump merges with Bawarchi King's time jump and creates a rift in the space-time continuum. This rift propels them both back through time to 1980 and neither BK nor Mockstar has the ability to repair the anomaly. The new album Bawarchi King vs. DJ Mockstar (released 2010) chronicles what happens as both emcees are thrust randomly forward through time and hip hop history. Click the picture to be taken to the official Bawarchi King site.
Instrumental Music for Commercial Use
Another avenue for my musical creative outlet is instrumental music. I have a soundcloud account that I use specifically for these types of songs. Although I haven't had any used in commercials or films yet, one has been used by the podcast Rated R Popcorn. Click the picture to connect to my soundcloud account. (The picture is an awesome shot Emilie Heeley. Click here to go to her photography Facebook page.)
American Twilight (2012)
The American Twilight Project is an album by DJ Mockstar, featuring MCs from STL, Kansas City and New York. While it is a political album that supports the middle class and the poor, the intent of the album is to delve deeper into the plight that is our current state of politics. It highlights what is wrong with the American Dream. Who are we to believe any more? How do we know wherein the truth lies? This problem begins with the leaders of our country, i.e. the decision-makers in the boardrooms, and trickles its way down to the blind, 24-hour news-frenzied citizens – We the People.
Click the picture to go to the official American Twilight Project Website.
Click the picture to go to the official American Twilight Project Website.