DJ Q&A: Mike Annuzzi

MA: I was born and raised in Redwood City. My grandmother was the first on her block in Redwood City to own a home when they were just being built almost 80 years ago. My parents established here and raised our family. My father owned a business in Redwood City and my mother worked for the city of Redwood City for many years. I started playing guitar when I was a child attending St. Pius Elementary School in Redwood City.

DJ: What made you want to play an instrument?

MA: At around 10 years old, I became curious about the guitar. My father is an accordion player, so music was in my life since day one. I had a lot of encouragement to keep learning guitar from my elementary school teachers, family and friends, and it quickly became my number one priority. I used to come home from school every day and just want to play guitar. I would put music on the radio or play albums and try to play along. I later studied music at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in guitar and music business. I was always excited to explore as many instruments as possible. On my latest single release, “New Boots On,” I play electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, bass guitar, banjo, drums and percussion, and electric organ. It is fun and challenging for me, almost like putting together a puzzle, when I produce a song and think about how all the instruments have to piece together to blend in harmony.

DJ: How did you become interested in performing?

MA: If you’re a professional musician, there is a natural progression that you have to take in playing in front of an audience. As a child, I had a lot of support from my family, friends and teachers to get on stage and I am still encouraged by them to this day. I look out into the audience and I just want to make them all proud. It wasn’t always easy for me to be vulnerable on stage in front of audiences. I had to work out all of my stage fright in a hurry because when you have to get out in front of a crowd of 3,000 people, you just have to leave all insecurities behind and focus on the music and the job you came to do.

DJ: Where have you performed?

MA: I’ve played hundreds of shows a year over my career. I have toured around the United States and even had a few international tour dates. I have played from major stages, concert venues and festivals, to many local restaurants and backyard parties. I have performed many times live on radio and TV. Every show is a blessing. I’ve opened major shows at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. It’s a really big stage and a beautiful music venue. I remember the first time walking onto that stage and seeing my family and friends in the front row and hearing my name being shouted from the audience. That was an emotional experience for me because it is such an important music venue and having my family and closest friends there to cheer me on was magical.

DJ: How did you make your first recording?

MA: Just like performing live, recording music is a natural progression for a professional musician. I built a home studio with help from my father, who was a general contractor. We set up everything that I could ever want to make my music. It took a couple years, but also it took me time to buy everything and understand how to use all the gear properly. I had some generous gifts of instruments and microphones from my friends Richard and Becky that helped me bring my performances and recordings to another level. I play all the instruments on my recordings and record everything from my home studio. I do highly recommend polishing final products in a major professional studio because you just can’t replicate that kind of quality on a budget.

DJ: Where can your music be accessed?

MA: My music has been distributed across all the major digital platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. I’ve also created a YouTube channel theme where I showcase some of the venues and areas where I perform because some of my family and friends aren’t able to come to all the places I perform and I want them to experience this adventure with me no matter where they are in the world.

DJ: What would you say to those who are thinking of pursuing music creation professionally?

MA: I encourage everyone to experience music on some level and a career in music is a rewarding and fulfilling path. There is only one way to succeed as a musician and it is to keep going, keep pushing, keep creating great music, keep developing your craft, and keep sharing your music with as many people as you can ... Now that’s the fun part!

RELEASE DAY NEWS: May 6, 2022, was the release day for Mike Annuzzi’s song “New Boots On,” which hit the iTunes Top 100 Country Charts. Follow Annuzzi online at http://mikeannuzzi.com, Instagram @mikeannuzzi, http://facebook.com/mikeannuzzi and http://youtube.com/mikeannuzzi.

Susan Cohn is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.