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Mark diPiazza has been a powerful force behind the local music scene for decades, so when he said to me, “You’ve got to check out Michael Cartwright,” I did. Cartwright is the artist-in-residency, every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, at diPiazza’s Restaurant. He’ll be there through April.<\/p>\n
“Mark diPiazza gave me my start,” Cartwright recalled. “Back around 2000 or 2001, he gave my first band, Upstart, Tuesday nights at his bar. It was a great experience. Upstart is a seven-piece a band formed though some good friendships with other musicians. We played strong for years, doing original music and covers. We still a play on occasion, but we are more like ‘weekend warriors’ these days. Now, all of our lives went in different directions.”<\/p>\n
Cartwright grew up with parents who both sang in their church choirs. His father could often be heard humming and singing tunes around the house.<\/p>\n
“Music discovered me. In middle school it was required that all students be in the music program–an awesome model. I was given a trumpet, and it turned a very shy young boy into the outgoing man I am today.<\/p>\n
“At that time I was living just south of Washington D.C. Then I moved to New Mexico for high school, where I did lots of school marching and jazz bands. After high school I moved to California to join a singing and dancing company called The Young Americans. That’s when I started singing.<\/p>\n
“Young Americans have been around since the 1960s. It was an organization designed to show the power of positive and motivated youth. The Young Americans changed my life, and I am eternally grateful. They showed me that I have a beautiful voice, and a passion to love people. They gave me the gift of worldwide travel. I left high school to hop on a plane with them, and perform and teach in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and all over the US. Talk about a great gift to give a young person.<\/p>\n
“We performed musical theater, current pop, classical choral music. Just about anything. Dancing was also important. We did tap, ballet, and hip-hop. Its an amazing organization. They really gave me a taste of all the performance arts, which is why I’m having so much fun with my current projects.”<\/p>\n
Although Michael’s post-high school plan was to join the US Marines, his experience with the Young Americans inspired him to study jazz performance, and pursue a degree in Humanities with an emphasis in music, from USC.<\/p>\n
“I went to college to get my degree and deepen my studies. I tossed around being a fire firghter for a time. But, when it all boiled down, I just dreamed of being a great musician, performing for packed houses and playing music so good it rips your heart out.<\/p>\n
“I love the thrill of the stage. Its intoxicating. Something happened to me in my adolescent years. Like many other kids, the pressures of that time just made me crawl into a shell. Music in my life, and jumping on stage to share it, unlocks something magical. At times I even feel this tingly sensation. I can feel the energy of the air, the people, the vibration of the sounds. Being on stage releases all that passion that I hid from for so long. I’m constantly surprising myself with the things that happen on stage. I feel like a king. Now, that is how to live life!”<\/p>\n
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Cartwright has a terrific band, and their songs rest solidly in the pop world, but the music is filled with sophistication and subtlety.<\/p>\n
“I find that the more facility I have in the way of skill and knowledge of my instruments, the more freedom I have to express, because then the only limitations are in my imagination! Its like a figure skater in the Olympics. The better they are, the more the grace, power, and artistry they exude.<\/p>\n
“My music is a living thing. Every time I play, I’m stretching the limits. I never do a song exactly the same, live. I structure my music so I can constantly call the shots on stage.<\/p>\n
“My name is on the marquee, but it is the sum of the whole! I get the best musicians I can find. [Bassist] Derrick Wong is a phenomenon. His tone and way of articulating notes is a unique thing of his own. When we are working on a tune I just say, ‘Derrick, do your Derrick thing,’ and let him figure out, organically, what to do. Usually, what he comes up with is way better then what I heard in my head. Great guy, that Derrick.<\/p>\n
As an artist, Cartwright has felt loved and honored in Long Beach.<\/p>\n
“It has a small town feel, with lots of room to stretch your arms. It is a beautiful oasis between ‘stuffy O.C.’ and the craziness of Hollywood. No matter where I travel, I hope to always have a place to hang my hat in Long Beach.”<\/p>\n
Cartwright has ambitious plans for 2014.<\/p>\n
“My goals for the next year are getting a solid studio record, getting air play on KCRW–I love that station–and finding a record label who believes in what I have to offer. My dream car is a Ferrari 328 from the late 80’s. When you see me driving down 2nd Street in that car, just know that my career is doing awesome.”<\/p>\n
diPiazza’s Restaurant is located at 5205 East Pacific Coast Highway. Cartwright’s next performance is this Wednesday night, January 29, at 9:30PM. There’s a $5 admission charge. To learn more about the menu, and upcoming events, visit diPiazzas.com<\/a>. To stay connected with Michael, follow him on facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n {FG_GEOMAP [33.7826625,-118.13201859999998] FG_GEOMAP}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Singer, songwriter, and trumpet player Michael Cartwright speaks about his life, career, aspirations, and his ongoing residency at diPiazza’s Restaurant every 2nd and 4th Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":68802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[856,1171],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-3553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-culture-agent","tag-dipiazzas","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3553"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=3553"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}