Mike Lombardo
Encyclopedia
Mike Lombardo is an American piano rock musician from Upstate New York. He is known for writing nerdy piano-driven rock songs and posting them on YouTube
under the username "MikeLombardoMusic." He is currently signed to DFTBA Records through which he has released one LP
, Songs for a New Day, and one EP
, The Alchemist. His original songs and videos are released under a Creative Commons
BY-NC license, meaning anyone can use his material without his expressed permission as long as proper credit is given and there is no monetary gain.
Lombardo posts music videos, song tutorials, as well as personal updates on his YouTube channel, where he currently has over 20,000 subscribers.
in 2009, earning a degree in songwriting. He first started uploading original songs on YouTube as a way to post his homework for class assignments.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
under the username "MikeLombardoMusic." He is currently signed to DFTBA Records through which he has released one LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, Songs for a New Day, and one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, The Alchemist. His original songs and videos are released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
BY-NC license, meaning anyone can use his material without his expressed permission as long as proper credit is given and there is no monetary gain.
Lombardo posts music videos, song tutorials, as well as personal updates on his YouTube channel, where he currently has over 20,000 subscribers.
History
Lombardo frequently states that he has been making music since he was two years old, and has wanted nothing else except to make music and be a rock star for the rest of his life. He graduated a year early from Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in 2009, earning a degree in songwriting. He first started uploading original songs on YouTube as a way to post his homework for class assignments.
Awards, Achievements, and Appearances
- Lombardo won 1st place in the jazz category of the 2008 Upstate NY Songwriting competition.
- In March 2010, Lombardo earned the title of Master of Song Fu after winning Quick Stop EntertainmentQuick Stop EntertainmentFRED Entertainment is a pop-culture website. The site was originally founded as Movie Poop Shoot by director Kevin Smith to promote the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. The site served as the launching pad for SModcast, Smith's popular comedy podcast...
's Masters of Song Fu songwriting competition, with his song "Caroline," part of his independently-released album, The Fordham Sessions.
- Lombardo wrote a parody of ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
's Viva La Vida in homage to Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
called "Viva La Fry," and it garnered Fry's attention.
- Lombardo, along with his band, The Mike Lombardo Trio, opened for pop musician Ryan CabreraRyan CabreraRyan Frank Cabrera is an American pop rock musician. In 2004, Cabrera debuted with his single "On the Way Down", a top ten hit in the U.S., and album Take It All Away...
on his US tour in Hamden, Connecticut on December 6, 2010.
- Lombardo's video "Mike Lombardo Smackdown," about Internet file sharingFile sharingFile sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
and piracy was awarded Video of the Year 2010 by the website MusicTechPolicy.com.
- Lombardo has collaborated with many artists, including Meghan Tonjes, on Sara BareillesSara BareillesSara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
' song "King of Anything," which Bareilles watched and commented about.
- Another video of his, titled "Songwriting on the Floor: Rhyme (And Why EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
Is Awesome)," was featured on CBSnews.com in May 2011.
- His cover of They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
' song "My Man" was included on the "Mink Car Cover" project organized to raise money for the New York Fire Department, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the release of They Might Be Giants' album Mink CarMink CarMink Car is the eighth studio album by They Might Be Giants, released in 2001 on Restless Records, on the same morning as the September 11 attacks....
. This album featured work done by other artists such as Hank GreenHank GreenWilliam Henry "Hank" Green II is a professional vlogger and entrepreneur. He is the founder of VidCon and EcoGeek.org and the co-founder of DFTBA Records. He is also a singer/songwriter and has released three studio albums...
, Molly LewisMolly LewisMolly Lewis is an American Internet musician who is known for her ukulele playing. She plays both covers and original songs. Her original music consists of comedic songs about pop culture topics that trend towards the nerdy. She is currently signed with DFTBA Records through which she released her...
, MC FrontalotMC FrontalotDamian Hess , better known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop musician and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcades annual Penny Arcade Expo...
, and more.
- During the late summer of 2011, Lombardo toured with nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot as his keyboardist under the stage-name "56K." This tour saw Lombardo play live in front of the sold out crowd at Penny Arcade ExpoPenny Arcade ExpoThe Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
, in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, sharing the main stage with other artists, such as Paul and StormPaul and StormPaul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....
and Jonathan CoultonJonathan CoultonJonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
.
- In the fall of 2011, Lombardo opened a handful of shows for comedy duo, Paul and StormPaul and StormPaul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella group Da Vinci’s Notebook....
.
- In October 2011, Lombardo traveled with MC FrontalotMC FrontalotDamian Hess , better known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a Brooklyn-based hip hop musician and self-proclaimed "world's 579th greatest rapper". He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcades annual Penny Arcade Expo...
as the band's Front Of HouseFront of HouseFront of house is primarily a theatrical term, referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public. In theatre and live music venues, it typically refers to the auditorium and foyer, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas...
sound engineer
Discography
- The Fordham Sessions (2009)
- Songs for a New Day (2009)
- The Alchemist (2011)
- Alive in Philly (2011) - Live album recorded at Milkboy Coffee in Ardmore, PennsylvaniaArdmore, PennsylvaniaArdmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
.