Mike Visaggio, all keyboards and vocals;
Michael Murray, drums and backing vocals;
Tony D'Amato, bass;
Todd Russell, guitar.
On the "Starship Universe" CD most drums were done by programming and the bass was done on the Alesis synthesizer, before Michael and Matt Harris cast in with Mike V. On "The Powered By Light" EP the drums and bass are by Michael and Matt.
Matt had to leave the band in June 2008 and has been replaced by Tony.
The music on this page was recorded before Todd joined and so there is no guitar on these recordings. "Powered by Light" is finished recording and new posts will be made of the band's new music with the current lineup. One of these is now up, number 7 on the player, See The Children.
Man, where to start? The biggest ones are Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but the Beatles, Genesis, Gentle Giant, the Moody Blues, Uriah Heep, David Sancious, J.S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, The Incredible Jimmy Smith, Al Kooper, Brian Auger, Return to Forever, Argent, Pink Floyd, Asia, The Who, Ambrosia, early Chicago, Ethos, Gentle Giant, Glass Hammer, Happy the Man, Iron Butterfly, Triumvirat, Kansas, Led Zeppelin, Lee Michaels, Marillion, Mountain, Le Orme, Renaissance, Rush, Saga, UK, The Strawbs, Spock's Beard, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, Vangelis, Zebra and now Niacin, among many others helped form Kinetic Element's musical direction.
Sounds Like
People say that they can hear the Yes and ELP influence. But some of it is like Pink Floyd, Lee Michaels, and there's some romantic piano, baroque organ and symphony orchestra bits thrown in. But you'll have to hit Mike's website to hear those.
View Mike Visaggio and Kinetic Element's EPK
Mike Visaggio is a multi-keyboard artist in Richmond VA and in 2006 completed a solo album of keyboard-centered material blending prog rock, classic rock and new age styles, entitled STARSHIP UNIVERSE. Selected to perform at the Pop Montreal Festival in 2006, Mike was driven to put together a band, and KINETIC ELEMENT was born. They have been playing out at selected venues and aiming to shake up the music scene with some classic prog/classic/new age style thunder. They have released an EP as KINETIC ELEMENT, THE POWERED BY LIGHT SUITE, and are presently recording the entire Powered by Light project at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond VA.
MIKE VISAGGIO .... a keyboard artist who stayed away from the music business too long, returning in 2000 after a 15-year absence, and now with his fourth band in Richmond, KINETIC ELEMENT, with MICHAEL MURRAY on drums, TONY D'AMATO on bass and TODD RUSSELL on guitar, performing the new originals which comprise Powered by Light, and some pieces from the Starship Universe CD and some surprising classic rock and classic prog covers.
Mike is the former keyboardist of Billy Falcon's Burning Rose, a singer-songwriter rock band of the late 1970s that made three LPs and an EP on Manhattan Records, United Artists and MCA. He also performed with The Strokers, a well known Richmond band, and the Richmond Rock Exchange, where he met Michael and Tony. Mike has taken a somewhat oblique approach to incorporating his Christian worldview into his music so that people who love prog and classic rock can enjoy it whether they are believers or not. Over the last two years Mike has been building a name for himself in the prog world, having at present 30 reviews of Starship Universe, many of which can be read in The Reviews So Far in the Blogs section or at www.sonicbids.com/kineticelement, the band's Sonicbids EPK. KINETIC ELEMENT has supported such prog rock acts as CIRCA:, RARE BLEND and IZZ, and in August 2008 opened the PROGDAY festival PRE-SHOW. This year they have supported MORGLBL (so far!).
In this day when progressive rock is coming back out of the shadows thanks to the Internet, Kinetic Element has been performing for diverse audiences and has seen firsthand how prog crosses all ethnic and age demographics. When prog is heard, it is loved. People who never heard the great prog bands of the 70s, or today's awesome prog artists, have reacted with enthusiastic acceptance of the band's vintage prog ethos on hearing Kinetic Element in concert.
P.S. Anyone interested in purchasing a CD after hearing the posted pieces: Please e-mail Mike at bigroad3@gmail.com. OR YOU CAN GET IT AT CD BABY by hitting the CD BABY button. You can also find it at MELODIC REVOLUTION and NIGHTMARE RECORDS (two of Mike's top friends!) and can get legal downloads at iTunes, MusicIsHere and 34 other download sites. Just google "Mike Visaggio" to find them! The Powered By Light Suite is presently available directily from the band by e-mailing Mike.
P.S.: The "Starship Universe" CD has been favorably reviewed on ProgressiveEars.com (Thanks Sean!) and Prognaut.com (Thanks Ron!) and 28 other places online! Please see www.sonicbids.com/mikevisaggio and go to "Press" to read some reviews.
..This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5.... --> --> --> --> CDBABY LINK for MIKE VISAGGIO: Starship Universe -->
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
awesome stuff guys! good to hear people keeping this sound alive! reminiscent of the almighty yes and even a little camel sounding, keep it progressive friends!
Thanks much for the listen- we appreciate your plaudits! Good luck on the post-prod on the new disc. Drop me a line when you're done with it~ I'd love to check it out. Cheers, Mike (Fibonacci Sequence)
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