Michael Levine
 
  Matthew Smith, Guitar
 

Michael Levine

Winner of the Eddie's Attic Shootout June 2005- Best new singer/songwriter in Atlanta!

Raw, passionate and spiritual, Michael Levine is a singer-songwriter who doesn’t just strum chords and swing on a front porch.

Singer and songwriter Michael Levine, based in Atlanta, Ga., combines intelligent lyrics, a unique acoustic guitar style, live percussion loops and a guitar synthesizer to create a powerful solo show. Experimental influences such as Moby and Peter Gabriel crash into an acoustic sound paved by artists such as Paul Simon and Dave Matthews.

Levine’s lyrics explore the range of human experience including subjects such as spirituality, equality, and passionate desire. By not relying on “fitting in” to one musical genre, Levine defines a style all his own that is unified and all encompassing.

“I like to borrow elements from a variety of styles as they are needed to express each song’s vision,” Levine says.

Growing up in Birmingham, AL, Levine wrote music as early as age eight and continued writing and playing the guitar through adolescence. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in Music, Levine traveled throughout the Western United States, China and Israel, using these experiences to further enrich his lyrics and sound.

In 1998, Levine returned to Birmingham and assembled the band Michael Levine and Cool Water. Opening for bands such as Dave Matthews, Live, Counting Crows and the Wallflowers, Cool Water was voted Birmingham’s Best Rock Band in 1998.

Levine released his debut CD Under the Water in 1999. It received rave reviews and was on the Best Seller Lists in several Birmingham record stores. “Gravity” and “Over My Head” received airplay on Birmingham’s 107.7, the X, and Montgomery's 95.1, the Fox.

When Cool Water parted ways during the summer of 2000, Levine moved to Atlanta and released the CD Live Acoustic, recorded live at the legendary Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA.

Now Levine has released his finest work so far, Lines Between Us, self-produced with key tracks mixed by Russ Fowler (John Mayer, Shawn Mullins, etc.). Showcasing Levine’s more fun and upbeat side, Lines Between Us is sure to have instant radio appeal.


 
Matthew Smith#99, Guitar
Matthew Smith is an Atlanta native who has been actively playing in the local music scene since 1993. Starting out as lead guitarist and background vocalist for an alternative rock band, he soon discovered the joys of songwriting and began performing original folk songs with various projects. He emerged in 2000 as a solo artist with a vast catalog of original music running the gamut from folk to rock to experimental pop. In 2001, he released his first CD, A Progression of Sorts, to rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. He is actively working on two new CDs under the name Number 99. Matthew performs extensively throughout the Southeast as an original artist and a backup musician for various bands, most recently teaming up with Michael Levine for a cutting edge type of show combining live looping, effects, tight harmonies, and just having fun.