Short Bio (246 words)

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Mike Flanagan is a Billboard-charting, Lennon award-winning, and OUTmusic award-winning saxophonist, pianist, songwriter, composer, music director, educator, and actor. As a recording artist, Mike has released 5 albums, independently, under the moniker MikeMRF and has topped iTunes, charted on Billboard 3 times, won 2 OUTmusic Awards and a Lennon Award.  His groundbreaking music video for his original song “Trying,” which he both acted in and directed, has over one million views on YouTube. Mike holds a BM from Berklee College of Music, as well as a MM from New York University, where he was immediately made an adjunct professor composition. Upon graduating, Mike was offered his current role, serving as Artistic Director for both the Post Office Cafe & Cabaret and Tin Pan Alley in Provincetown, MA. Mike was also hired to music direct for Lea DeLaria at her venue, The Club Ptown, which he spent 3 years doing, in addition to leading his own 2-night weekly residency: one on piano with Lisa Bello in their R&B-Hybrid, and one night on sax leading his own Jazz Quintet where he featured guest performers, including Mike Tucker, Dave Zinno, Lee Fish, Marco Panascia, Tedd Firth, Gray Sargent, Tim Ray, Mike Maher, and many more. Mike is currently completing his 6th studio album, ‘Many Rivers’ on sax alongside his newly-formed jazz collective, co-fronted by Lauren Scales and Chris Grasso, and joined by bassist Luques Curtis, drummers Richie Barshay and Charles Haynes, and trombonist and Jazz Messenger, Steve Davis. 

 

 

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Long Bio (850 words)

            

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Mike Flanagan is a Lennon Award-winning, two-time OUTmusic Award-winning, and three-time Billboard-charting saxophonist, pianist, songwriter, composer, music director, educator, and actor. He started saxophone at age 10 and learned piano from his grandfather at 14. In high school studied privately under Jerry Bergonzi and Yasko Kubota (and credits Yasko for inspiring his career in music). Mike began playing professionally at age 17 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA with multiple scholarships. During his undergraduate studies, he was selected to tour Japan as a member of the Berklee Swing Orchestra, which included performances at the Tokyo Blue Note and Glenn Miller Festival. By age 20 he held a two-night-a-week performance-residency as band leader at the Sheraton Hotel Prudential where he featured and played alongside world-renowned guest musicians such as Esperanza Spaulding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joann Brackeen, Christian Scott, Andre Hayward, Bob Moses, Jason Palmer and more. After graduating Berklee, Mike began songwriting, producing, and releasing albums independently on his own label MRF Music, under recording-artist moniker, MikeMRF.

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In 2011, Mike formed a group with vocalists Lisa Bello, Justin Waithe. The trio held a two-year-long, weekly live-music-residency in Boston's LGBTQ-cornerstone, Club Cafe, and started recording original music in the studio together. In 2013, Mike released his sophomore album Mob Music which peaked at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Albums Charts and #2 on the Billboard HeatSeekers Chart. The album would go on to produce several radio singles and song placements in Film and Television (Off Season TV, Bear City 2 & 3, all two of which Mike also acted in).  The album garnered a number of songwriting awards. In 2014, Mike won 2 OUTmusic Awards including the highly coveted Humanitarian Songwriter of the Year for his song "Be Strong (LGBT Youth)” and Best Spoken Word for “Tender."  He received 5 nominations that year, the most of any artist, including Best Music Video for his original song, "Trying". The groundbreaking music video, which he acted in and directed, has over one million views on YouTube. “Be Strong" was also selected as Boston Pride's Flag-Raising Anthem. Additionally, in 2014, the album’s jazz ballad "This Love" placed Top 10 in the U.S. Songwriting Competition. The Mob Music album was followed by Mike’s 2016 release, Yasko Sensei, dedicated to his late mentor and musical-hero, Yasko Kubota. The EP landed at #11 on the iTunes Jazz Albums Charts and #2 on Billboard's Most Added Chart for radio-single "Makes Me Wonder.”

 

In 2017, Mike submitted the Mob Music album to apply to New York University and received a scholarship to the Master's of Music in Music Theory & Composition program. Upon acceptance, Mike was immediately made an Adjunct Professor of Composition and also won a Lennon Award in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for the album's title track.  During his time at NYU, Mike toured the U.S. and U.K as Music Director for Lisa Bello, held a weekly live-music residency at ReBar Chelsea, and wrote the Mob Music 2 Album while using it as his coursework and thesis for his Master’s Degree.  Mob Music 2 was released on October 18, 2019 and hit #39 on the iTunes R&B Albums Chart and was featured on Apple Music. Album opener, "Tip Jar" landed in the Semi-Finals of the 2020 International Songwriting Competition and was featured in the Television Show “30 The Series” (Amazon Prime) along with two other songs from the album. At NYU, Mike also met sing/songwriter Lauren Scales and the two started collaborating and performing around the city together. 

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Upon graduating, Mike was offered his current role, serving as Artistic Director for both the Post Office Cafe & Cabaret and Tin Pan Alley in Provincetown, MA. Mike was also hired to music direct for Lea DeLaria at her venue, The Club Ptown, which he spent 3 years doing, in addition to leading his own 2-night weekly residency: one on piano with Lisa Bello in their R&B-Hybrid, and one night on sax leading his own Jazz Quintet where he featured guest performers, including Mike Tucker, Dave Zinno, Lee Fish, Marco Panascia, Tedd Firth, Gray Sargent, Tim Ray, Mike Maher, and many more.

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In April of 2022, Mike and Lisa Bello released Wait Just Listen (The Live Album) and embarked on an eleven city album-release-tour, which included a sold-out main stage at City Winery Boston. Throughout his career, Mike has collaborated with Matt Alber, James Jackson Jr., Ruth Pointer (Pointer Sisters), Ada Vox, Varla Jean Merman, Cassandra Wilson, Esera Tuaolo, Madame the Puppet and many more. He has also recorded piano for Kat Deluna and LeAndria Johnson. Mike is a voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs.) and holds a MA Professional Educator’s License in Music (K-12: Instrumental, Vocal, General).

 

Mike is currently completing his 6th studio album, ‘Many Rivers’ on sax alongside his newly-formed jazz collective, co-fronted by Lauren Scales and Chris Grasso, and joined by bassist Luques Curtis, drummers Richie Barshay and Charles Haynes, and Jazz Messenger and Trombonist, Steve Davis. 

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