about
Mike Effenberger is a recording and performing artist who has been living in the NH Seacoast since 2007. He received the Young Beacon in Jazz award from New School University in New York City, from which he graduated in 2005. While there, he studied with diverse artists including Jane Ira Bloom, Kenny Werner, John Hollenbeck, Reggie Workman, Fred Hersch, and Joanne Brackeen. Mike has curated an unmistakably individual voice that draws on gospel, minimalism, jazz, and 20th century music.
Mike plays throughout New England with a variety of bands including fiveighthirteen, Jazzputin and the Jug Skunks, the secular roots and gospel choir Rock My Soul, OURBIGBAND, Sad Bastards / Loose Standards, Showmen's Rest, Dan Blakeslee. He leads Weird Turn Pro, which plays his original music. When not in the northeast, Mike performs internationally with Bing and Ruth, and plays throughout the east coast with Soggy Po’ Boys. Mike appears on countless recordings from independent releases to larger labels, including 4AD and RVNG Intl, and is also active as a producer.
His work has been written about in international publications including the Paris Review, The Guardian, and Pitchfork, as well as appearing on nationally syndicated media including NPR's All Things Considered and PRX's Echoes.
When not at a piano bench, he can typically be found in the woods.
shows
Fri 5.16 6pm - solo piano - Martingale Wharf, Portsmouth NH
Fri 5.23 530pm - Soggy Po Boys - Summer Sunsets, Thompsons Point, Portland ME
Sat 5.24 9pm - Queen City Soul - Cara, Dover NH
Thu 5.29 6pm - DJ Dumptruck with Moe Pope - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Thu 5.29 730pm - Mike Walsh quintet plays the music of Thelonious Monk - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Fri 5.30 6pm - Duos with Russ Grazier and Eli Kaynor - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Fri 5.30 730pm - Eric Klaxton quintet plays the music of Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Sat 5.31 630pm - Soggy Po Boys at Baconfest - North Buick Lounge, North Berwick ME
Sun 6.1 630pm - Sad Bastards / Loose Standards - Andres Institute, Brookline NH
Thu 6.12 9pm - Chris Salemme - Stone Church, Newmarket NH
Fri 6.13 7pm - Soggy Po Boys - Parish Center for the Arts, Westford MA
Sat 6.14 7pm - Soggy Po Boys - Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY
Sun 6.15 5pm - Russ Grazier - Trinity Church, York ME
Fri 6.20 7pm - Soggy Po Boys - Word Barn, Exeter, NH
Thu 6.26 7pm - Dharma Down - Mad Monkfish, Cambridge MA
Fri 7.27 7pm - Rock my Soul Gospel Choir - Word Barn, Exeter NH
Sat 7.28 7pm - Soggy Po Boys - Showroom, Keene NH
Sun 6.29 6pm - Soggy Po Boys - Andres Institute, Brookline NH
Thu 7.3 6pm - Soggy Po Boys - Monument Square, Portland ME
Sun 7.13 7pm - Soggy Po Boys- Inn at Newfound Lake, Bristol NH
Sat 7.19 5pm - Soggy Po Boys - Jazz and Blues Festival, Biddeford, ME
Sat 7.25 6pm - Soggy Po Boys - Depot Square, Peterborough NH
Sat 7.26 5pm - Soggy Po Boys - Woodman Museum, Dover NH
Thu 7.31 7pm - Soggy Po Boys - Fitzwilliam Common, Fitzwilliam NH
current bands
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An atmospheric soundtrack to the somnambulist’s night in the deep woods
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New Orleans jazz, served messy
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https://sadbastardsloosestandards.bandcamp.com/releases
New jazz / old jazz / not jazz
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Turkish and Middle Eastern jazz
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A secular choir focusing on roots and gospel
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Improvised breakbeats, ambient music, and downtempo
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Minimalist/ambient/new music
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Sounds like this
Fusion of 20th century music, impressionism, jazz, and minimalism
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http://mikeeffenberger.bandcamp.com
Spirituals, new standards, and jazz
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https://burstandbloom.bandcamp.com/album/sneak-into-the-ether
Lo-fi indie music
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Forward-looking improvised jazz
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Outside-in 90s hip hop, folk music, free improvisation, ans comedy
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Original Americana and singer-songwriter
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https://www.facebook.com/ourbigband/
Not your average big band
Frequent areas of study include:
Classical piano
Jazz improvisation
Ear training
Music theory
Composition and arranging
Gospel and Spirituals
Audio production
teaching
Mike is sought after as an educator, maintaining a busy private studio as well as teaching at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center. He approaches every student individually, meeting them where they are and sending them where they want to go. His students range from children to senior citizens and run the gamut in genre and musical background.