I’m releasing “Awestruck” May 13, 2026 across streaming platforms!
Get an advanced listen here at Bandcamp:
https://mikevial.bandcamp.com/track/awestruck-2
From May to September 2026, I’ll be playing at Sam Hill on the second Friday of the month.
The Yard is Sam Hill’s expansive outdoor biergarten with live music, a full bar, lawn games and various seating options. To quote my host, “It’s Ann Arbor’s perpetual backyard shindig!”
6-9 PM. No cover. All ages. Dates I’m playing: May 15, June 12, July 10, August 14, and September 11!
(Heads up, my buddy Mike Gentry is playing the first Fridays of the month!)
“Dumpster Fire”
What happens if a dumpster fire
is left to burn at night,
and no one accepts responsibility
to attend to the flames?
Sure, the fire won’t burn forever,
but what if the dumpster burns really close
to our building in a crowded city?
And what if us renters and landlords neglected
to check the batteries in the smoke alarms
while our babies in Section Eight sleep;
and what if our politicians underfunded
our fire department’s last budget;
and what if our community kids had fun
opening the fire hydrants
that hot, summer afternoon,
as the bodega cat watched
from the deli window?
A tragedy burns on the kindling
of irresponsibility; the preventability
is what made Romeo & Juliet tragic.
Hold your breathe and get some water.
mLive Interview about John Mayer 2001
My friend journalist Ryan Stanton and I estimate that we both attended at least 10 concerts before we met: Howie Day, Matt Nathanson, Stephen Kellogg, Kristin Diable…and John Mayer.
One of those concerts was John Mayer’s gig at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, 2001. Ryan interviewed Alan Black and I about seeing the experience. You’ll see some of our photos taken with a Kodak disposable camera and reminisced about the incredible small show, before Mayer became famous.
John Mayer just played the largest concert of recorded history at the Big House on Saturday, but we remember 400 of us crammed in the Blind Pig, seeing a 24-year-old Mayer slay the SRV Strat: mLive article click here.
