Michael Holt (musician)
Encyclopedia
Michael Holt is a musician who lives in Toronto
, Canada
. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968, and raised in New York City, where he learned to play the piano
as a child. He was a childhood friend of sociologist Dalton Conley
.
In high school (Hunter College High School
) in the early 1980s, he formed a band called The Connotations, which played regularly at CBGB
and other downtown clubs in New York. Holt played keyboards
, sang, and wrote most of the group's songs. The membership of the band changed from time to time; other members included Dan Seiden (guitar
, vocals), Dan Fisherman (drums
, vocals), Simon Walsh (bass guitar
, vocals), Bob Dee (guitar), and Sam Bardfeld (violin
, percussion
, vocals). The Connotations's style was a combination of ska
, new wave
, reggae
, pop
, and rock and roll
.
In 1992, The Connotations broke up when Holt and Fisherman left to join The Mommyheads
and moved to San Francisco, California. Holt played with The Mommyheads, along with Adam Cohen (now Adam Elk) (guitar
), Jeff Palmer (bass
), and Matt Patrick (now Devin Patrick) (guitar
), for five years, touring extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and recording several albums. The band recorded its last album in 1997.
After The Mommyheads broke up, Holt moved to Toronto, where he currently lives. He has recorded several solo albums, including his 2003 release Pilot Single, and continues to perform at small local venues in Toronto and New York. He is a regular collaborator with David Celia
, another Toronto musician.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1968, and raised in New York City, where he learned to play the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
as a child. He was a childhood friend of sociologist Dalton Conley
Dalton Conley
Dalton Clark Conley is an American sociologist. He is University Professor of the Social Sciences and the Chair of the Department of Sociology at New York University...
.
In high school (Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
) in the early 1980s, he formed a band called The Connotations, which played regularly at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
and other downtown clubs in New York. Holt played keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, sang, and wrote most of the group's songs. The membership of the band changed from time to time; other members included Dan Seiden (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals), Dan Fisherman (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals), Simon Walsh (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals), Bob Dee (guitar), and Sam Bardfeld (violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals). The Connotations's style was a combination of ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
In 1992, The Connotations broke up when Holt and Fisherman left to join The Mommyheads
Mommyheads
The Mommyheads are an American indie pop band who played from around 1987 through 1998, disbanded for a decade, and then reformed in 2008. Starting in New York City as the brainchild of singer Adam Cohen , the band produced a string of quirky and highly inventive releases on...
and moved to San Francisco, California. Holt played with The Mommyheads, along with Adam Cohen (now Adam Elk) (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Jeff Palmer (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Matt Patrick (now Devin Patrick) (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), for five years, touring extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and recording several albums. The band recorded its last album in 1997.
After The Mommyheads broke up, Holt moved to Toronto, where he currently lives. He has recorded several solo albums, including his 2003 release Pilot Single, and continues to perform at small local venues in Toronto and New York. He is a regular collaborator with David Celia
David Celia
Musician David Celia is an independent singer-songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario, who has built an audience across Canada and in Europe. He has toured regularly since 2005....
, another Toronto musician.