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
Sun 3.24 4pm - Soggy Po Boys with Jon Cleary - Bombyx, Northampton MA
Fri 3.29 730pm - The Man Comes Around: the last words of Johnny Cash / Good Friday - Second Christian Congregational UCC, Kittery ME
Sat 3.30 8pm - Soggy Po Boys - Knickerbocker, Westerly RI
Fri 4.5 8pm - Soggy Po Boys with CIlla Bonnie - Empire, Portland ME
Sat 4.13 730pm - Duo with Taylor O’Donnell - Dance Hall, Kittery ME
Fri 4.19 7pm - Dharma Down - Dimensions in Jazz at Portland Conservatory of Music, Portland ME
Sat 4.20 730pm - Soggy Po Boys - Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport MA
Sun 4.28 7pm - Sad Bastards / Loose Standards - Oddfellows, South Berwick ME
Thu 5.2 8pm - fiveighthirteen with NO SIR E - WSCA, Portsmouth NH
Fri 5.3 - Soggy Po Boys - Bennington, VT
Sun 5.5 - Dharma Down - The Press Room, Portsmouth NH
Thu 5.9 - Duo with Taylor O’Donnell - Mad Monkfish, Cambridge MA
Fri 5.10 - Soggy Po Boys - Dance Hall, Kittery ME
Sat 5.11 - Sad Bastards / Loose Standards - Dimensions in Jazz at Portland Conservatory of Music, Portland ME
Fri 5.17 - Rock My Soul - Wolfeboro UCC Wolfeboro NH
Sat 5.18 - Soggy Po Boys w/ Acoustic Nomads - Lizard Lounge, Cambridge MA
Sun 5.19 - Quintet w/ Jason Anick, Chris Klaxton, Matt Hogan, and Eric Von Oeyen - the Press Room, Portsmouth NH
Fri 5.24 - Soggy Po Boys - ME Craft Distilling, Portland ME
Sun 5.26 - Soggy Po Boys - The Farmstand, Chocorua NH
Wed 5.29 - Organ trio with Jim Dozet and Jonny Peiffer - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Thu 5.30 - Duo with Eli Kaynor playing the music of Gregory W. Brown - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth NH
Thu 5.30 - Sad Bastards / Loose Standards - Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, Portsmouth 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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https://dharmadown.bandcamp.com/releases
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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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.