Photo by Robert Corwin
Original Site Design by Deborah O'Hanlon
Post-design assistance by Joe D'Andrea and Lori Falco.
Mike Agranoff
...a one of a kind folk musician
If you've been around the folk scene, you couldn't miss seeing Mike. Tall, ginger beard, and always around where the music is. He's been on the scene for many many years, listening to the fine details of what makes this genre of music so special to the soul, so able to make us laugh and cry and think. And lucky for us all, he got serious about having fun at it.
Less a singer-songwriter than a singer-songfinder, Mike takes great delight in discovering the little-known hidden gems, polishing them with his own distinctive style, and bringing them to the light of day where they sparkle. He will shift from beautifully contemplative, to uproariously funny, to instrumentally brilliant, to powerfully emotional in the space of a few minutes. Equally at home in the contemporary and traditional camps of the Folk world, he is a fine musician and storyteller. His prime instrument is the guitar, upon which he shines with intricate fingerstyle arrangements of anything from Tin Pan Alley tunes of the '20s to fiddle tunes to his own music. He also plays concertina, piano, banjo, or sings acapella. The man will capture your attention, and then your heart.
Not only a performer, Mike is involved in presenting folk music as well. He is one of the prime movers of The Folk Project, New Jersey's oldest and strongest folk music organization. For over two decades he has been chairman of that organization's Minstrel Coffeehouse, one of the longest lived and most respected folk venues in the country.
Audio and video samples Go to the Store and scroll down to the description of Mike's recordings. Next to each
track is a
symbol.
Click on that to hear either a clip from the track or the full track as
noted.
Click Videos and you'll see some links to videos of Mike and his YouTube Channel. Enjoy!
Now available:
Click the image above to purchase.
Throughout his performing career, Mike has been celebrated for his original recitations -- stories in rhyme, after the fashion of Robert Service ("The Cremation of Sam McGee", "The Face on the Barroom Floor"). Responding to many suggestions he has finally compiled his works into this new book, illustrated by the brilliant young artist Jacob Below.
Collaborations
Coffeehouse of the Absurd is an evening of intelligent and satiric comedy featuring me and John Forster. The "Absurd" show is pretty much all humor. For more information and some samples of our work together please visit my Bio page.
MIKE AGRANOFF & GATHERING TIME
Gathering Time is a vocal harmony trio based in Long Island, NY. It features the prodigious voices of Stuart Markus, Hillary Foxsong, and Gerry Mckeveny. Our show format is a split bill, with each of us doing our own set, but also sitting in on about 1/3 of each other's sets. So they add vocal harmonies and lead guitar work to my set, and I add a 4th voice and concertina to their set. The result is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, and a very entertaining show. On my bio page, you can find further information and some samples of our work.