This Saturday August 10th Mike Masse plays a concert at the Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago Illinois. Tickets are $30 plus fees. All ages are welcome. More info at https://victorygardens.org/#
So now you’re saying, “Who the hell is Mike Masse?” Fair enough. I’ll share what I know about him. Mike Masse is a YouTube star with millions of views of his work. Now some folks gain fame on that site by doing stunts like the cinnamon challenge. Then there’s the daughter of my pal Al Flash who made a video of herself putting 100 layers of glue on her face. That little trick garnered a huge YouTube fan base that has earned her some pretty righteous bucks.
Rather than doing something crazy stunt video that goes viral, Mike Masse plays acoustic versions of classic rock songs. He’s covers songs from Abba and the Beatles to U2 and Neil Young and everything in between. Many of Mike’s songs were recorded at a pizza place in Utah where he played on Monday nights.
Now you’re thinking there are hundreds of thousands of people uploading their covers of songs on YouTube, so what’s so special about Mike Masse? Good question. My first guess is the guy is a very accomplished guitar player and singer who instead of imitating the artists he covers, just pours out his interpretation of these well known songs. My second observation would be Mike and his buddy put forth a comfortable vibe with no pretenses, just a couple of players who want to share some well classic hits with friends.
How many friends are they sharing music with? The Mike Masse cover of Toto’s “Africa” has just under 13 million views. Yes, you read that right, 13 million views and it even earned them an interview on the WGN Morning News when Masse came to Chicago for a show a couple years ago.
From what I’ve read on his website, Mike Masse and his family now live in Denver. He was a successful public defender for years. However demand to see live shows in the U.S. and even Europe has transformed him into a full time musician. You can read more about his story at mikemasse.com
I could say more but would rather take the smart route and share links to Mike Masse’s music. I plucked out a few of my favorite covers and if you keep your ears and mind open, I know you’re going to enjoy them like I do. William Shakespeare once said, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.” With YouTube that is so accurate. Play on Mike Masse.
AFRICA- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLrC7e3vSv8
LONG TIME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1jriAJ1KXw
DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB762zPFh6c
MORE THAN A FEELING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0rQ_XSlc9g
NEXT WEEK: A review of my 6 week summer break.