Mike Keneally

Mike Keneally
Keneally performing in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Michael Joseph Keneally
Born	December 20, 1961 (1961-12-20) (age 49) Long Island, New York United States
Genres	Hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, melodic death metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Barking Pumpkin, Rykodisc, Immune, Exowax Recordings
Associated acts	Frank Zappa, Dweezil, James LaBrie, Steve Vai, Wadada Leo Smith, Ulver, Henry Kaiser, Prairie Prince, Andy West, Chris Opperman, Dethklok
Website	keneally.com

Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Allmusic says: "With his wide-ranging talents and ability to be creative in almost any musical situation, Keneally is the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."^{[citation needed]}

Born on Long Island, New York, he moved to San Diego, California, at an early age and has been a fixture on the local music scene there since 1985 when he formed the local cult band, Drop Control.^[1] Although a well established musician in his own right, Keneally is probably most well known as former Frank Zappa "stunt guitarist" and a Zappa 1988 tour band member on both guitar and keyboards. His ascendency to that position is legendary in certain musician circles, based on Keneally's command of Zappa's vast and difficult-to-play repertoire.

Keneally's stint in the Zappa touring band was short-lived with the early cancellation of the 1988 tour and Zappa's death in 1993. Keneally moved on from the elder Zappa's band to work with the eldest Zappa son, Dweezil on his solo albums and work released as the band, Z.

Keneally has also released 11 albums of solo material since 1992 and has guested or acted as sideman on a wide variety of projects, most notably as part of Steve Vai's touring bands. He has played guitar and keyboards with Yo Miles!, Wadada Leo Smith , Norwegian legends Ulver and Henry Kaiser's Miles Davis tribute band as well as recording the 1995 album The Mistakes with Henry Kaiser, Prairie Prince, and Andy West (formerly of Dixie Dregs). He has also produced albums for several bands, including Chris Opperman's debut album, Oppy Music, Vol. I: Purple, Crayon.

In 1998 Vai requested that Keneally arrange and perform an album of Vai's music on acoustic piano. Recorded in 1999, the album was finally released in 2004 as "Vai: Piano Reductions Vol. 1". According to liner notes, Vai selected the songs, produced the album, and mixed it, releasing it on his own Light Without Heat label. As of 2008 Keneally has arranged from multi-tracked guitar parts to single-track piano the 12 songs selected by Steve and begun work on a second volume of Vai "Piano Reductions".

On May 1, 2007, Keneally's Exowax label re-released his debut album "hat." and "Boil That Dust Speck" as deluxe, remastered double disc versions. Exowax has obtained Keneally's entire back catalog from Immune Records. Planned releases included "Half Alive In Hollywood" and "Sluggo!" as well as The Mike Keneally and Beer For Dolphins 1996 VHS release "Soap Scum Remover," which will be remixed and remastered for a DVD release, and The Mistakes, his 1995 side project with Henry Kaiser on guitar and Synclavier, bassist Andy West and drummer Prairie Prince), along with a live Mistakes recording that has been held on the side until Keneally was able to re-acquire the rights to the original album.

On November 28, 2006, Keneally announced that he was hired as National Music Director for The Paul Green School of Rock Music.

He has also toured with Dethklok as a guitarist and back up vocalist.

On July 20, 2008, at El Cajon, Calif., Mike played a concert as part of "the most exciting power trio in years," Keneally • Minnemann • Beller (KMB), consisting of Mike, drummer Marco Minnemann and long-time collaborating bassist Bryan Beller. The band undertook a full tour in 2009.

In August 2009, Keneally released a video for a new solo track, "Hallmark," from Scambot 1, the first part of a planned three-album series.

In June 2010, Keneally entered Skywalker Sound as part of the studio band for Joe Satriani's new solo project, along with regular Satriani drummer Jeff Campitelli and bassist Allen Whitman (of San Francisco's surf/psychedelic group The Mermen). This same lineup is scheduled to tour in October and November 2010 in support of the album, however Keneally was replaced by English keyboardist Jem Godfrey for 2 dates on the UK leg of the tour.

Current Mike Keneally Band line-up

• Mike Keneally - guitar, keys, lead vocals
• Bryan Beller - bass, backing vocals
• Rick Musallam - guitar, bouzouki, backing vocals
• Griff Peters - guitars
• Joe Travers (or Nick D'Virgilio or Marco Minnemann, as availability dictates) - drums

Discography

Solo

• hat. - 1992
• Boil That Dust Speck - 1994
• The Tar Tapes Vol. 1 - 1997
• The Tar Tapes Vol. 2 - 1998
• Nonkertompf - 1999
• Nonkertalk - 1999
• Wooden Smoke - 2002
• Wooden Smoke Asleep - 2002
• Vai Piano Reductions, Vol. 1 - 2004
• Wine and Pickles - 2008
• The Scambot Holiday Special (download) - 2008
• Scambot 1 - 2009
• Songs and Stories Inspired By Scambot 1 - 2009

With the Metropole Orkest

• The Universe Will Provide - 2004
• Parallel Universe - 2004

With Beer for Dolphins

• Half Alive in Hollywood - 1997
• Sluggo! - 1998
• Dancing - 2000
• Dancing With Myself ... and Others - 2000

With The Mike Keneally Band

• Dog - 2004
• Pup - 2004
• Guitar Therapy Live - 2006
• bakin' @ the potato! (CD/DVD) - 2011

With The Mistakes

• The Mistakes - 1995

With Marco Minnemann

• Evidence of Humanity - 2010
• Elements of a Manatee (download) - 2010

Videos and DVDs

• Soap Scum Remover VHS - 1996
• Dog Special Edition DVD - 2004
• Guitar Therapy Live Special Edition DVD - 2006
• hat. Special Edition DVD - 2007
• Boil That Dust Speck Special Edition DVD - 2007

Compilations featuring Mike Keneally

Year	Album	Track
1997	Giant Tracks: A Tribute to Gentle Giant	No God's a Man
2002	156 Strings: Nineteen Totally Original Acoustic Guitarists	Thou Shalt Not Kill
2003	A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd	Astronomy Domine
2006	After the Storm: A Benefit Album for the Survivors of Hurricane Katrina	Time Table

Frank Zappa recordings with Mike Keneally

• Broadway The Hard Way - 1988
• The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life - 1991
• Make A Jazz Noise Here - 1991
• You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 - 1991
• You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 - 1992
• Trance-Fusion - 2006

Recordings with other artists

Year	Artist	Album
1986	Burning Bridges	"Yayo" (Accretions flexi-disc)
1987	James Morton	"Let's Make Rhythm!"
1990	Dweezil Zappa	"Confessions"
1991	Buddy Blue	"Guttersnipes and Zealots"
1991	Solomon Burke	"Homeland"
1991	Mark DeCerbo	"Baby's Not In The Mood"
1991	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	"Black Music For White People"
1991	James Morton	"Rock Studies For Drum Set"
1991	Andy Prieboy	"Montezuma Was A Man Of Faith" (EP)
1991	Andy Prieboy	"Blood and Concrete" (Original Soundtrack)
1991	Earl Thomas	"Blue Not Blues"
1991	Zappa's Universe	"Zappa's Universe"
1993	Marc Bonilla	"American Matador"
1993	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	"Stone Crazy"
1993	Negativland	"Negativconcertland" (Bootleg CD)
1993	Z	"Shampoohorn"
1994	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	"Somethin' Funny Goin' On"
1994	Jip[disambiguation needed ]	"Glee"
1994	Marcelo Radulovich	"Marcelo Radulovich"
1994	Earl Thomas	"Extra Soul"
1994	Robert Vaughn and the Dead River Angels	"Robert Vaughn and the Dead River Angels"
1995	Kevin Gilbert	"Supper's Ready" (Magna Carta Genesis tribute album compilation)
1995	Matthew Lien	"Bleeding Wolves"
1995	Stanley Snail	"Tales From Yesterday" (Magna Carta Yes tribute album compilation)
1995	Ultra 7	"Trummerflora" (Accretions compilation)
1995	Z	"Music For Pets"
1996	The Hooligans	"Last Call"
1997	Mark Craney & Friends	"Something With a Pulse"
1997	Faux Pas	"This One's For the Children"
1997	The Ed Palermo Big Band	"The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays the Music of Frank Zappa"
1997	Steve Vai	"G3 - Live in Concert"
1997	Steve Vai	"Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas"
1998	Chris Opperman	"Oppy Music, Vol. 1: Purple, Crayon."
1998	Ultra 7	"Trummerflora 2" (Accretions compilation)
1998	Steve Vai	"Flexable Leftovers"
1999	Mullmuzzler	"Keep It To Yourself"
1999	Mullmuzzler	"Six Pack: Multi-Artist Radio Sampler"
1999	Marcelo Radulovich	"2 Brains"
1999	Neil Sadler	"theory of forms"
1999	Kevin Gilbert, Stanley Snail	"Tribute to the Titans" (A Sampler of Great Performances from Magna Carta's Tribute Series)
1999	Steve Vai	"The Ultra Zone"
2000	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	"Best of the Bizarre Sessions: 1990-1994"
2000	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	"New Coat of Paint: Songs of Tom Waits"
2000	Nigey Lennon & John Tabacco	"Reinventing the Wheel"
2000	The Loud Family	"Attractive Nuisance"
2000	Chris Opperman	"Klavierstücke"
2000	The Persuasions	"Frankly A Cappella - The Persuasions Sing Zappa"
2000	Steve Vai	"The 7th Song"
2000	Dweezil Zappa	"Automatic"
2001	James LaBrie	"Mullmuzzler 2"
2001	NDV (Nick D'Virgilio)	"Karma"
2001	Trummerflora Collective	"No Stars Please"
2001	Steve Vai	"Alive In An Ultra World"
2001	Lyle Workman	"Tabula Rasa"
2002	Napoleon Murphy Brock	"Balls"
2002	Steve Vai	"Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1"
2002	Andy West and Rama	"Rama 1"
2003	Bryan Beller	"View"
2003	Willie Oteri	"Spiral Out"
2003	Steve Vai	"Mystery Tracks - Archives, Vol. 3"
2003	Steve Vai	"The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology"
2004	Ossi Duri	"X"
2004	Chris Opperman	"Concepts of Non-Linear Time"
2004	Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith	"Yo Miles! Sky Garden"
2004	Chain	"chain.exe"
2005	Anthony Curtis	"Book of the Key"
2005	Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith	"Yo Miles! Upriver"
2005	Chris Opperman	"Beyond the Foggy Highway" (Live 2002 - 2004)
2005	Mike Portnoy	"Prime Cuts"
2005	Ulver	Blood Inside
2005	Andy West and Rama	"Drum Nation, Vol. 2"
2007	Various Artists	"Healing Force: The Songs of Albert Ayler"
2007	Anthony Setola	"Interstellar Appeal"
2008	Bryan Beller	"Thanks In Advance"
2010	Joe Satriani	"Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards"
2011	Todd Grubbs	"Return of the Worm"
2011	Bryan Beller	"Wednesday Night Live (CD)"

References

1. ^ Mendoza, Bart.Mike Keneally: Stunt Guitarist Creates his Own Genre San Diego Troubadour . 2010-01. Retrieved on 2010-11-15.

External links

• Mike Keneally official website
• Radio Keneally
• The Mike Keneally tour chronology
• Mike Keneally interview with iTalkGuitar
• Mike Keneally on MySpace -- Mike Keneally blog, audio samples, fan interaction
• Mike Keneally profile -- Vyuz.com
• Mike Keneally radio interview on Rundgren Radio
• Keneally Minnemann Beller

Persondata
Name	Keneally, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 20, 1961
Place of birth
Date of death
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