Early on his career, Mike had many
opportunities to join labels. He
was even recognized by JIM BEAM,
who gave Mike and his band at the
time, WILDER ROAD, a grant to
record their second album. He
went on to say that the journey was
starting and the national press
was coming. They weren’t touring
the country but they were putting
in the time and the shows.
“We weren’t getting paid much,
but we were doing it for the love of
the music and to build our fan
base.”
Mike remembers playing places
such as MAMA KIN (AEROSMITH owned at the time, next to FENWAY PARK) during the week as
well as RED SOX games. If you were playing a Red Sox game, you were doing good. The
momentum was starting to build and the calls were coming in. Unfortunately, the band started to
implode. “Maybe I was being too demanding.”
Mike’s label is now his own label—“Mike Gacek”. He started to play more and more gigs on his
own and still kept an iron burning in Wilder Road. He released his solo album “Different Like
Everyone Else” in 2012. Songs like “Inna Gadda Da Stairway to Freebird Pie”, “Life is a Moment”
and “Mr. Hangover” are the three that grab you right away. These are not simple songs lyrically,
and the audience can be seen signing along even if it is the first time they are hearing it. Mike
calls it his “craft”.
“Anyone can write a song, but you have say something a little differently than how anyone else
has said it…different like everyone else.”
“This next album will be unique because it is recorded live in studio. Artists like DUKE LEVINE
(PETER WOLF, AIMEE MANN, MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER), Grammy-nominated JESSE WILLIAMS
on bass (Berklee), ANDY PLASTID on drums; are all on this album, live…something I have never
done before.”