DelGuidice reflected on the aftermath of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that took place in Florida last month on Valentine’s Day (February 14). “There is so much going on in the country. My heart is broken for people, especially for parents, it’s unimaginable. It’s hard when tragedies like this happen before shows. It is hard to be happy, while other people are suffering. It is never easy.”
The Long Island musician shared that he enjoys doing the virtual porch series at his house, due to its spontaneity. “The porch series is organic and I can do whatever I want to do. I can just be me, and it’s all about imperfection and rawness,” he said. “I like the humanity of it. In an industry that is so auto-tuned and ‘perfect,’ you need that real thing once in a while. You need the funkiness once in a while. I love to be unscripted.”
He congratulated band member, acclaimed saxophonist Andy Snitzer (who fills in on saxophone from time to time for John Scarpulla), on winning the Grammy award for “Contemporary Instrumental Album” with Jeff Lorber Fusion for Prototype. “That’s fantastic. I am so proud of him,” he exclaimed. “He was the sax player on the first tour I ever played with Billy Joel. Andy is such a sweetheart of a guy too. He’s a good man. Nobody deserves it more than him.”
He complimented JD Leonard, who opened for him and Big Shot at The Paramount in Huntington. “JD is very talented and he has been writing music for a long time. I really respect him since he is dedicated to original music. He’s a really good talent and he’s a super guy too,” he said.
For DelGuidice, there will be more solo music in the future. “I have a lot of new bits and pieces, just not a lot of finished material. I am just writing singles,” he said.
On March 28, DelGuidice is excited to be returning to the historic Madison Square Garden in New York to perform with Billy Joel, as part of his live band.
DelGuidice also noted that he would love to someday collaborate with rocker Myles Kennedy, the lead singer of Alter Bridge. “That would be great. What a voice, and an unbelievable talent. Myles is amazing,” he said.
To learn more about Mike DelGuidice and his upcoming shows in 2018, visit his official homepage.
