Zito Tour Blog

Here I am!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted!

Too much going on and not enough time........thats my excuse!

We have a lot going on as usual- things are going very well.

We are staying pretty close to home for December.

I am going to Florida with Tab Benoit on Dec 17th for about a week- which will be awesome.

We are playing Christmas week at Delta Downs- and heading out to Denver for New Years Eve.

I have been lucky enough to get on board with Fender Musical instruments-

and Category 5 Amplifiers just finished and delivered my new "Magic Silver" Camille Amplifier.

It is a 212 - 90 watt - with a slightly British sound to the speakers- awesome!

Fender sent me a new American Std. Telecaster that is very cool- plays great and truly sings.

I will be setting up a new gear page on mikezito.com this week as well as some videos

on my rig and gear.

Thanks to everyone for making my birthday so memorable- we had a great trip up north-

probably the best yet!

My daughter Sophie just turned 2- and time at home has been extremely enjoyable.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving- and I will get these up every week.

Peace,

Goodbye to Bike- George, Ian and California

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Sorry I haven't kept up as good as I should have.

Lot's going on this summer- too much, but it's been nothing but fun.

We have had great shows all over the country, meeting new people and making new friends.

Thank you to everyone who took time to come out and see us.

We have gone through some musicians over the years- this is a hard job- and no one works harder than the guys in the Mike Zito band. Bike hung in there for a year on the bass guitar.

He did a great job, but is tired of the road and wanted to get back to Saint Louis........

Thanks to Bike- and good luck my friend.

Ian Bailey joined us at the beginning of July on the drums and has really set the standard for our live show. Ian has played professionally for a very long time- playing with Charlie Sexton, Ian Moore, and others. I met Ian while he was playing with my friend Hamilton Loomis.

I knew I needed to get him in my band someday- I am very happy to have Ian on stage with me every night.

George Potsos is replacing Bike on the bass in our trio.

George has been a rock star for quite a while!

George is a member of the Saint Louis band "King of the Hill".

KOTH was signed to SBK records and toured the world- with songs on the top 100 Billboard charts. George has been playing the past few years with Devon Allman's Honeytribe.

George is a world class bassist and can sing his ass off!

Ian and I are very excited to have George join us this weekend.

We have a wonderful west coast trip lined up in September- playing the San Francisco Blues Fest with the Mannish Boys- should be awesome!!!!

Hope to see you out there soon.

Peace and Blues in 2008.

Zito

Tab/Lil Ed/Zach - Galveston 4th of July

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:46:00 +0000

What a summer this has been!

We played in Columbia, Mo. at Summerfest a few weeks back with The Bel Air's,

and Tab Benoit. It was a great show- lots of people- and the big stage was awesome!

Then we played the Bear Creek Blues Fest in Slater, Mo. with Lew Jetton and Lil Ed

and the Blues Imperials. Lew was great- great showman- and Lil Ed just flat rocked the house.

My dreams came true on Sunday June 29th at BB's in St. Louis, Mo.

We had a packed house- and a lot of friends came out to sit in-

including my oldest son- Zach Zito. Zach got up and jammed on Voodoo Chile.

He played while I sang- and he was awesome!!!!

He never jammed with the band before- or on a stage before- and he really did a great job!

I am very proud of Zach- it took courage- and he was certainly not scared at all!!!!

Now I have 7 days off- and we are spending it in Galveston.

The family rented a beach cabin- and we brought the kids out for a week of fun.

The fireworks were awesome- Moody Gardens- the Beach- and today Schlitterbahn!!!

Better enjoy it while I can- we take off for Biloxi on Wed. night and won't be home again

until the end of August!

Peace,

Zito

Sonny Landreth- Michigan- Dave- Ana/Jason Ricci

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:41:00 +0000

So- lots to tell about.

trying to get caught up here.

We opened for Sonny Landreth a few weeks back in Charlotte, Nc.

It was an incredible show- at a killer theatre in Charlotte.

Thanks to boys of Intrepid for this opportunity.

Sonny and his band were unbelievable- and very inspiring.

Sonny was nice- we took a few pictures- and talked guitar- awesome!!!

We then headed north to Michigan and Ohio.

We opened the "Blues on the Mall" series in Grand Rapids, Mi.

Over 5000 people downtown on a wed. night for a free blues concert with yours truly!!!!

What a rush- and we had a great show.

We did it again the next night in Lansing as well.

We then headed down to the Blue Devil in Toledo, Oh- and rocked the house.

Jeff Mancini was a true gentlemen and treated us like kings!

So- we have a road manager/merch guy now on the road with us.

His name is Dave Sherbrook. He's from Detroit, Mi- but we met in LA.

He was an intern for the label- and he was helping us out in California.

I told him he needed to go on the road with me- so he quit his job and packed his bags!!!

Dave met up with us in Alabama- and has been rocking ever since.

He is also and exceptional drummer- and his family is also the bomb.

His parents gave up their basement when we had a few days off, for us to sleep and hang out.

His brother plays a mean guitar and his dad plays bass!

We had a few days off last week in St. Louis- visiting family ad friends.

Ironically- my label mates - Jason Ricci, and Ana Popovic were both in town at BB's.

We saw Jason and his band last Sunday night- great show- and some killer jams.

Jason can play the harp- like no other!

Tuesday night we saw Ana and her band.

WOW! What a show. You would never know she just had a baby!

She rocked hard and her band was stellar!

I took my son Zach- who is 13 and playing guitar-

I think he fell in love!

We have been dragging around now for about 6 weeks- and we have one more.

We will be in Columbia, Mo tonight with Tab Benoit.

Check our calendar for this weeks dates.

St. Louis on Sunday night at BB's- which is always a rocking show!

I am looking forward to a family vacation over the 4th of July with my wife and kids.

Hope you are having a great summer!

Peace,

Zito

HOLLYWOOD!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:42:00 +0000

So........We just got out of Hollywood alive.

hows that for dramatic?

What a trip we had to California!

We rolled in on a weekend off- which did not suck at all.

Rehearsals started off on Monday at the world famous "Alley".

Everyone has rehearsed here- Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Smashing Pumpkins, John Mayer......

the list goes on forever!

Our group was pretty incredible for our showcases:

Tony Braunagel on drums, Teresa James on keys and vocals, Debra Dobkin on percussion and

vocals, and then Bike and Zito!

First show was Tuesday night at the Mint on Pico.

We did a hour set- rocked the house- and had a blast-

then we rolled out to Hollywood to play pool and eat late........

I played the "Hustler" himself (Mars Callahan) at pool.......and believe it or not,

but he kicked my a$$!!!!

Wed night was an intimiate acoustic show at Gengis Cohen with Debra on percussion,

and me playing and singing.

Thursday night was the House of Blues on Sunset in Hollywood!

What can I say- it rocked- it was a blast- and Ron Jeremy was at our gig.......

After the show, we were invited to the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood to see a killer

set of musicians- playing some serious jazz and funk.

Our friend Cara Kidwell got us in the swanky club- and got me onstage to sit in on some

Miles Davis- what a blast.

Friday night we hit Cozy's in Sherman Oaks.

This was an all out jam session- featuring Teresa James, Michael Kalmar, Bike, Joey Pahfumi,

John black, Aaron West, and my man Rand Chortkoff.

We jammed until they threw us out- the night ended with me and Aaron playing an acoustic

version of "Time to go home".

Saturday we hit the beach- Hermosa Beach.

We played at Cafe' Boogaloo- killer club with great food and a Louisiana feel.

I overheard the owner Steve telling someone he was from Bunke......

I said "Bunke, La?"- Yep!

Just like being back home for sure.

Kirk Fletcher came out that night as well as Rand Chortkoff- and we had a night to remember.

We took the day off on Sunday- a day of rest- and headed out on Monday.

I want to thank all of my friends at Eclecto Groove records for everything they do.

Thanks to Tony Braunagel, Teresa James, and Debra Dobkin for all the great music!

Special thanks to my good friend, Rand Chortkoff.

He has made all of these dreams come true for me- and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Peace,

Zito

Category 5 Amplifiers!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Mon, 26 May 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Now this is the kind of blogging I love...talking about gear!

So- as you all know (that know me well)- I love gear. I worked at a music store for a dozen years or so- and love the guitar world I live in. I am constantly searching for tone- and vibe out of guitars, amps, pedals, etc. So...My good friend John Catt from Colorad0 told me about Category 5 amps. We were in Evergreen watching John Nemeth and Junior Watson at the Little Bear. He said that Bonamassa, Thackery, and even Tab were all into these amps. That they were not like any others- I know Tab- and he doesn't usually like anything except his old Fenders. So, John introduced me to Don Ritter at the BMA's in Tunica, Ms. Cat5 were doing all of the guitar amp backline for the awards show. Don and I really hit it off- and he let me try some amps out. I have tried everything there almost is to plug a guitar into- and I know whats up. not to sound cliche', but these amps are different- much different. They are a combination of vintage sounding- modern design. It's like they took what Leo and Marshall did really good- and then went to the next level with it. I am currently using a 90wt Camille- 212- twin like amp, and a 50wt Andrew- 410 - super like amp. They each have 2 channels. But these are wired like 2 amps in each amp. The first channel may be like a 60's brownface dlx- and the second channel is like a blackface super reverb - completely independent of each other. They also use this power technology known as "power scaling". I am no expert- so I may not be doing this any justice- but...This actually turns the voltage back on the output transformer- rather than attenuating the power tubes- which means...you can turn this amp up loud to get the really good natural tone out of the amp- but cutback the actual stage volume- to a more realistic setting, without eating and compressing the power tubes.

IT IS INCREDIBLE!!!

They have many different designs- Marshall and Fender combinations- imagine having a Fender dlx and a Marshall plexi all in one amp. Completely hand-wired- point to point- and these amps truly react. I cannot explain how good they feel when you play. I am now playing with less gain- and more dynamic clarity than ever before. Don Ritter is the man with Cat5- and he has been nothing short of a true friend. He has gone beyond the call of duty to help me achieve my ultimate goal in tone. PLEASE- take a few minutes and check them out online:

http://www.cat5amps.com

You can see and hear the Camille and Andrew at all of my upcoming live shows. Come on up and check them out.

Peace,

Zito

RADIO FREE TEXAS. ORG

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Radio Free Texas has just picked up our new cd "Today" and added the entire album

to their playlist!

PLEASE- goto: www.radiofreetexas.org

and request a song or two.

The more we get played- the more we get played!!!

Thank you for your support!

Mike

WOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

What a great weekend it was!

We rolled into Tunica on Wednesday night- and the lobby was filled with all of the stars of the blues world. I stayed up late talking with Tab about the wetlands- and how we can help. Thursday was the Blues Music Awards. Everyone from Delta/Eclecto Groove showed up- and the party ensued. Jimmie Vaughan was in front of me in line for breakfast- he got a danish. Got to hang out with Rand and Kelly, David Hughes, Rueben, and other friends. The awards show was great! The Holmes Brothers were awesome- among others. I got to meet Hubert Sumlin, and finally got to shake Jimmie Vaughan's hand. (he had a danish in it earlier) Rand, Kelly, Tab Benoit, and I stayed up late again talking about everything- and eating greasy late night food!

ZITO w/ TAB @ THE BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

ZITO w/ HUBERT SUMLIN

Friday was the Third Annual Delta Groove Revue at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Ms. It was a hell of show- from beginning to end. Kid Ramos and Los Faublocos were off the hook! Steve Edmundson and Jackie Payne were incredible. So was Phillip Walker- and The Mannish Boys of course stole the show. We had a great set- thanks to Tony Braunagel and Teresa James. Jason Ricci and that Shawn Starski were out of this world. I think Jason is probably the best harmonica player I have ever seen or heard. Shawn Starski just got listed in Guitar Player mag as one of the 10 new great guitarists you have never heard of- he's totally awesome- for sure.

ZITO @ THE ALL-STAR DELTA GROOVE BLUES REVUE

ZITO @ THE ALL-STAR DELTA GROOVE BLUES REVUE

ZITO @ THE ALL-STAR DELTA GROOVE BLUES REVUE

ZITO @ THE ALL-STAR DELTA GROOVE BLUES REVUE

Saturday we drove up to Memphis to play the Red Rooster with John Nemeth. Another fun show for us- thanks to a good early crowd. John Nemeth has a killer voice- and the band is rock solid. Marty Dodson is the drummer- and he is now my new favorite! Junior Watson might be the last of the freakin unbelievable crazy guitar players! We went out to dinner with Rand and Mars Callahan and a big group of friends that night. It was the perfect ending to a great weekend. I felt like the prom queen- my face hurt from smiling so much all weekend. This was my first time at all of this- and I was honored just to be there with everyone. I cannot begin to thank Rand Chortkoff and everyone with Delta/Eclecto Groove Records. I hope to have some pictures posted here soon of this weekend.

Peace,

Zito

BIG WEEK!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:12:00 +0000

so- things are coming along. This is a big week for me. Thursday night is the Blues Music Awards in Tunica, Ms. I have never been- and have wanted to go for years. goto: www.blues.org - for all of the details. Friday is "The Delta Groove All- Star Revue" at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, Ms!!!! I am very excited about the line-up- it's going to be a killer show. I have not had the opportunity to see most of these folks live- cannot wait. The Mannish Boys!!!!- they rock the house for sure- I am a big Kid Ramos fan. I opened for the Fabulous Thunderbirds in St. Louis about 8 years ago- and Kid was playing guitar- he is the real deal. We go on at 10:30 that night- and Jason Ricci follows us and wraps it up. He is incredible- his disc "Rocket #9" is excellent- and I am hoping we might get to jam a little that night! Saturday night we are playing in Memphis with John Nemeth at The Little Red Rooster. We had a Sunday night off in Denver last month- and we went to the Little Bear to see John play. He was fantastic- what a voice- and a smokin band.......Junior Watson was playing guitar- and he was off the hook. This will be a great night of music for sure. Thanks to the guys at Intrepid for setting this up. so, like I said........BIG WEEK! I will let you know all of the juicy details next week.

Peace,

How you doing?.......

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:01:00 +0000

In my best Joey Tribiani voice....... So- this is my first official blog post. Words I never considered for any other use.......until now. It is Tuesday afternoon, American Idol is on in the living room, Laura and Sophie are avid fans. I like Simon, ofcourse- love the honesty. The girl I thought would for sure win, Carly, was booted out last week....... so what do I know- she owns a tattoo shop- thats cool enough for me.

So, I got my first box of cd's yesterday, from Eclecto Groove. The album, "Today", is out on May 20th- but I got my box this week! What a feeling. I waited until Laura got home before I opened the box- I figured I had waited this long- It was really exciting- they look AWESOME!!! Like a REAL album, uh.....I mean cd. Laura cried, I smiled and Sophie danced when we put it on.

It sounds better than ever. I called everyone to thank them, including my friend David Z. David of course co produced the recording with Tony Braunagel. David produced Prince, Kenny Wayne, Jonny Lang, Etta James......the list goes on. He also produced "Big Head Todd and the Monsters" - "Sister Sweetly" I LOVED that record- and still do. It has a great sound to it- and the songs are timeless to me. So it was a pleasure to work with David. He shared some stories with me and we had a lot of fun duking it out in the studio. So the single is out- and some of the triple A stations are already putting "Love like this" into rotation- which is really kick ass.

We have big shows this weekend- and I have been working on my rig all day. Lots going on now- almost too much- but I like it that way! So I will be doing these blogs weekly- keeping you informed on whats happening-and what we're doing........which is usually watching American Idol.

Peace,

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Zito) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:35:00 +0000

Welcome to my tour blog. I will be posting stories, setlists, photos, and more from the road. Check back often. See you soon!