MIKE RIZZI

Singer/Songwriter/Drummer
 

Mike Rizzi is a professional touring/session drummer that hails out of Atlanta, Georgia. Over his 30 year plus career he has toured with national acts including Tony Lewis (from The Outfield), John Driskell Hopkins (Co-Founder of the Zac Brown Band), The Sweet Tea Project (featuring Ed Roland of Collective Soul) Indie rock heroes from Athens GA, Five Eight, Nashville artist Sonia Leigh, Co-Founded the band Ghost Hounds (Los Angeles/Pittsburg collectively) to name a few. Rizzi along with these artists supported some highlighted tours including REM, Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cheap Trick, Uncle Kracker, Collective Soul, Styx, Willie Nelson, The Smithereens, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Foreigner, Loretta Lynn,  Drivin-N-Cryin, The Killers, etc.

 

Rizzi is also a singer/songwriter releasing “Appreciate What Remains” in 2018 Co-Produced with John Driskell Hopkins. He grabbed the attention of CMT (Country Music Channel) with his first single/video ‘Great Divide’ reaching #4 for 2 weeks and followed up with the single/video ‘Here’s to all the years’. That same year, Rizzi was added to RIFF Magazine’s “50 gifted singer/songwriters you must know about” list.

 

On top of live performing and many recordings, Rizzi finds himself working in Movie/TV roles, including the upcoming FOX TV series MONARCH, appeared in the NETFLIX series, ‘Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings’ and the 2018 movie ‘Adolescence’ featuring 6 songs co-written and performed with the offshoot band ‘The Bloody Wolves Of Venice’. Rizzi is a longtime member of the Atlanta chapter for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Grammys) and has also served 4 years on the board as an Advisor and Governor, passionately contributing and advocating changes for his fellow creatives.

 

Rizzi is excited to be the drummer for the ‘Icons of Classic Rock 2022 world tour’ starting this fall, performing with featured singers from Boston, The Romantics, Survivor, AC DC, Santana, Foreigner and Quiet Riot. On his downtime, Rizzi will be working on his follow up album “Departures and Arrivals” for a future release.

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HISTORY OF RIZZI AND HIS SOLO ALBUM: ‘Appreciate What Remains’
 

A native of a small upstate New York town, Endwell, Rizzi was practically born with drumsticks in his hands. At age 3, he began drum lessons and was reading music before fully knowing the alphabet. During this time, he developed an affinity towards singing and creating songs while drumming, accelerated by his discovery of The Beatles. Embracing Ringo’s approach to drumming, he was drawn to their strong melodic songwriting. By ninth grade, Rizzi began singing lead from behind the drum kit with his band, Uncle Jam. Throughout high school, he was writing and recording albums while selling cassettes out of his locker daily. After experiencing the power of performing original music and seeing the affect it had on others, he was determined to make this his life’s work.

‘Appreciate What Remains, Rizzi’s debut solo album was produced by John Driskell Hopkins (of Zac Brown Band) and is a tribute to his son. The music represents his favorite genres, ranging from Rock to Americana, and Folk to Country while incorporating a diverse range of styles. Timeless bands like U2 and The Beatles find there way into his songs. “My musical influences are broad, but the melodic, story-telling songwriters such as Tom Petty, David Gates (Bread), Ray Davies (The Kinks), Neil Finn (Crowded House), and Pete Townshend (The Who) always inspire and keep me writing.”  

“Sometimes nothing changes except your attitude and the perspective you have on what has happened to you,” singer/songwriter/drummer Mike Rizzi recently said about his forthcoming album, Appreciate What Remains. “These songs were screaming to get out of me — so I felt the need to take them to another level. In the end, I hope the lesson everyone experiences is getting to a place of gratitude.”

 

“It’s cathartic to revisit my feelings of the past and present — from the darkest struggles to the most euphoric moments; embracing them equally and finding motivation to move forward in a positive direction while honor the experiences,” said Rizzi about his new album. The songs on Appreciate What Remains explore the challenges of remaining grateful and positive while experiencing life’s intense highs and lows. “When writing this record, I never had a conscious idea to make a particular style of song, the emotions and words drove me,” he explained.  “I always wanted the music to compliment the feelings my lyrics were trying to convey — the angst of betrayal, the high of happiness, and sometimes the depth of sadness — while aiming to tame the fear and attempting to live in the middle while riding the wave of the life events we’re dealt with.” 

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RIZZI WEBSITE: https://www.rizzimusic.com/
 

iTUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/appreciate-what-remains/1402120867 
 

APPLE:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/appreciate-what-remains/1402120867  

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SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/5rDyU6IhNJ7JwgSr0wDbAX  

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GOOGLE PLAY:  https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Mike_Rizzi_Appreciate_What_Remains?id=Bjqufcwy74imyzk7aaa4g4gvt2y&hl=en 

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AMAZON MUSIC: https://www.amazon.com/Appreciate-What-Remains-Mike-Rizzi/dp/B07DX89P7P

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CMT (VIDEO for GREAT DIVIDE):

http://www.cmt.com/video-clips/2q9vy3/great-divide

 

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