Biography

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Michael Falzarano has been a working musician for over 50 years, most notably in Hot Tuna, the famed offspring of The Jefferson Airplane, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, and his current projects The Airplane Family, The Englishtown Project and The Kings of the Psychedelta.

Falzarano is a longtime member of The New Riders of the Purple Sage founded by the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Along with original members David Nelson and the recently deceased Buddy Cage, this seminal cosmic outlaw country band toured extensively for decades and recorded two CDs of new material (Where I Come From and 17 Pine Avenue).  Several songs were co-written with Robert Hunter, famed lyricist for the Grateful Dead.  Original Falzarano compositions appear on those releases as well as Wanted: Live At Turkey Trot (Fa-Ka-Wee).

Falzarano also has five solo releases to his credit.  His most recent CD, A Kaleidoscope Christmas, received rave reviews and was featured in Rolling Stone magazine's column "Songs You Have to Hear.”

On his third eponymous CD entitled We Are All One (Woodstock Records), Falzarano is joined by a collection of musicians he refers to as The Extended Family - Vassar Clements, Melvin Seals, Buddy Cage, Jorma Kaukonen and Garth Hudson - to name a few.  This release features a dozen original and two cover songs.

His next release with The Extended Family, I Got Blues For Ya (Hypnotation Records/Woodstock Records), received widespread critical acclaim and stayed at the top of many international charts.

Falzarano’s earliest offering on Hypnotation Records, The King James Session, includes the song "Last Train Out" which he wrote in memory of The Allman Brothers’ and Gov’t Mule’s late, well-known bass player Allen Woody. 

Mecca, a CD that Falzarano and The Memphis Pilgrims released on Relix Records with featured guests Jorma Kaukonen, Pete Sears and Harvey Sorgen of Hot Tuna and Danny Lewis of Gov’t Mule, similarly garnered rave reviews in the U.S. and abroad.

Falzarano has both performed on and contributed many original songs to Hot Tuna CDs such as “Pair A Dice Found” (Epic), “Live at Sweetwater I and II” (Relix), “…And Furthurmore” (Grateful Dead Records) and “Hot Tuna—Live In Japan” (Relix), as well as the Jorma Kaukonen releases “Land of Heroes” (American Heritage), “Too Many Years” (American Heritage) and “The Jorma Kaukonen Trio Live” (Relix).  One of Falzarano’s self-penned compositions is featured on Kaukonen's current release “I Ain't In No Hurry” (Red House).  Falzarano’s partial discography includes Professor Louie & the Crowmatix’s “Live” and “Flyin’ High” (both on Woodstock Records), Kerry Kearney’s “Trippin’ on the Psychedelta” (Relix) and Alexis P. Suter's “Shuga Fix” (Hipbone).

A live show veteran of more than five decades, Falzarano has toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Scandinavia and Japan with Hot Tuna, The New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Jorma Kaukonen Trio (Kaukonen, Falzarano and Pete Sears), among others.  Some of the headlining and shared billings have included The Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, Albert King, Jimmy Smith, Slash’s Snake Pit, Rusted Root, The Other Ones, Bob Weir’s Ratdog, Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box, Bruce Hornsby, Los Lobos, Dave Mason, Poco, Railroad Earth, Yonder Mountain String Band, moe., The Commander Cody Band, Marshall Tucker and Little Feat.

Falzarano has appeared live or recorded across several musical genres with luminaries from the Grateful Dead family (Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Robert Hunter, Donna Jean Godchaux and Tom Constanten); Jeff Chimenti (Dead & Company); Oteil Burbrige (Dead & Company, Allman Brothers); Mark Karan (Rat Dog); Kenny Kosek (Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band); Merl Saunders (Garcia Keystone Band); Melvin Seals (The Jerry Garcia Band) and Vassar Clements (Old and In The Way)   to The Allman Brothers family (Greg Allman, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes - Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, The Dead)   and from The Band (Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson   to blues legends John Lee Hooker; Johnny Copeland; Hubert Sumlin and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (Howlin’ Wolf); Pinetop Perkins, Bob Stroger and Jimmy Mays (Pinetop Perkins Band) and Jonnie Johnson (Chuck Berry)  along with Paul Simon; Dr. John; Trey Anastasio (Phish); Maria Muldaur;  Guy Davis; Graham Parker; Steve Kimock; Bill Keith; Warren Zevon; David Crosby; Eric Anderson; Reid Genauer (Assembly of Dust); Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band); Tony Trischka; Arlo Guthrie; John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful; Geoff Atchison; Bruce Hornsby; Eric Weisberg; Pete Sears; David Gans; Peter Rowan; Paul Kanter (The Jefferson Airplane/Starship); John Popper (Blues Traveler); Commander Cody; Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic); GE Smith; Jeff Healy, Tex Logan; Amy Helm; Alexis P. Sutter Band; Jesse McReynolds (Jim & Jesse); Jason Crosby (Jackson Brown Band) and Jeff Mattson (DSO).

When not touring, Falzarano produces other artists and teaches guitar workshops at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch, The Big Jersey Roots and Blues Guitar Camp and Relix Rock Camp.  He recently performed an original song “When There’s Two There’s Trouble” in the hit feature film Blue Caprice which was directed by Alexandre Moors and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Another of his self-penned songs “We Are All One” is featured in the award winning film Ask For Jane, written and directed by Rachel Carey.

"Christmas albums now arrive in every genre — jazz, new age, country — but jam band? Other  than Jorma Kaukonen’s 1996 Christmas album, not so much. That may start to change with Michael Falzarano and Extended Family’s A Kaleidoscope Christmas, a collection of original and classic yuletide songs led by the singer and guitarist known for his stints in Hot Tuna and the New Riders of the Purple Sage" Rolling Stone Magazine - By Dave Browne

“Falzarano charts his own musical course and reaches a worthwhile destination. The King James Sessions is an album filled with real music, played lovingly - and enjoyed easily, from the first note till the last.” - Hittin' The Note

“Kick off your shoes and get ready to dance!  Mecca, the debut CD by Michael Falzarano, is chock full of good time, high energy performances and inspiring, infectious grooves.” - Beat Magazine

 I Got Blues For Ya Seemingly without effort, Falzarano finds the heart of the song, the center, and with his warm, welcoming, no frills voice,  gets     right to the point, a true, timeless artist. - The Daily Freeman

We Are All One "His songs are well written and he arranges them on the disc so that the listener doesn’t fall into a rut nor get jarred by the bump moving to the next song.   The music goes from blues to Rock to Country to… however as stated the transitions are smooth and easy without being dull" Relix Magazine

Within six months of its debut on the club circuit, Michael Falzarano & The Memphis Pilgrims were hailed by the press as one of New York’s “best new bands” who were “simply and wonderfully a real rock ‘n’ roll band.” - East Coast Rocker

Reviews