James Taylor, Richard Shindell, David Wilcox, John Gorka, Michael Smith, Cheryl Wheeler, Pierce Pettis, Steve Blackwell, Dan Leach, Frank Thomas, Bobby Hicks, Don Oja Dunaway, Glenn Smith, Pete Price, Pete Hennings, and Dave Hardin, to name a few, along with many other songwriters and performers in the Florida folk scene. Also, Joe, Paul, Charley, Henrik, Folke, Les, Bob, Patrick, and all the other musician friends from the old Purple Door in Copenhagen back in 1974, when I first got the bug to play in front of a live audience!
Mike Jurgensen has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1968, when he moved from his native Chapel Hill, NC. Mike began playing the guitar when he was 7 years old, but it was not until 1992 that he began performing in public seriously. It was then that he discovered the Iron Horse coffee house in Tarpon Springs, where he began playing open mics. Over the next few years he branched out to do open mics and feature sets at other Tampa Bay area coffee houses and restaurants, as well as regularly emceeing the Iron Horse open mics. He has played at acoustic venues and folk festivals around the state of Florida, and has opened for such notable performers as Cheryl Wheeler, Richard Shindell, and Rod MacDonald. Mike has also been the featured artist on various live music radio shows on WMNF 88.5FM in Tampa.
Although Mike had written several songs prior to 1992, that was the year in which he began writing seriously. Mike was a finalist in the 1994, 1996, and 2002 South Florida Folk Festival national song-writing competitions, and he won the 1998, 2004, and 2006 Will McLean Festival "Best Florida Song" competitions. He also placed several other songs in the top 10 of the Will McLean song competitions between 1998 and 2006 , and he placed 3rd in the 2003 competition. In addition, two of Mike's songs are featured in the Edward R. Murrow Award-winning radio documentary "Apalachicola Doin' Time", produced by WUFT in Gainesville, and his song "The Golden Fleece of Tarpon Springs" is featured in a Florida Humanities Council project entitled "Settlers by the Sea". Mike’s songs have also been used in a couple of documentaries produced by WGCU, the PBS affiliate in Southwest Florida. Mike's debut solo CD "The Road Away From Home" was released in early 2002. Mike also has a sampler CD, containing 7 of his Florida-themed songs.
From 1994 until 2002, Mike performed as a member of the well-known Florida acoustic group, Myriad. Together with Myriad, Mike played concerts at coffee houses, radio shows, benefit concerts, and festivals around the state. Myriad performed at the Florida Folk Festival, the Will McLean and Gamble Rogers Festivals, the South Florida Folk Festival, and the Suwannee Spring Fest, to name a few. Myriad produced 4 recordings- a studio tape produced before he joined the group, a live tape recorded at the Iron Horse in 1995, and two subsequent studio recordings, "Song Circle" and "New Strings", both of which were released in 1997. Several of Mike's songs are featured on the Myriad recordings.
Since Myriad disbanded in 2002, Mike has been performing solo and with friends at numerous festivals and acoustic venues around the state. Most recently, he has been performing with Pete Hennings and Pete Price in the trio “2PM”, and with his son, Ian, as a duo. “2PM” has released its first CD, “Keepin’ Time”, and Mike and Ian have a live CD, which was recorded at the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival.
***************************************************************
.. MYSPACELAYOUTSPY CODE START -->
Finally catching up with things. Hope all is well with y'all. Enjoyed your stuff at FFF. Missed hearing "I am Florida" one of my favorites. Hey, ya mind if I do your fishing song? Coe needs your address so she can get that CD to you.
Hey Mike, thanks for the high praise.Coming from you it means a lot. We went on home, Coe's ankle looked like a watermelon. You & me need to make time to pick a few at FFF. More later--got a gig tonight. Reuse, recycle, rewaste Rog
Can't wait to get back to my second home, "Caroline" ... thanks for the inspiration and the friendship ... your music soothes my soul, and thanks to Kevin, we are now friends!
BENEFIT FOR KEVIN THOMAS RINGSIDE SUNDAY MARCH 8TH 12 noon to 9 pm $10 donation Kevin has been hospitalized for more then three weeks . Bills are piling up. We can all help!! We need everybody to get as many people to this event and contribute.
12:00 PM Introduction jam with Jay Kiernan, Meyer Baron, Jerry Jakala, Scotty Rexroat and Steve Arvey perform New songs "Friends", Guns of Navarone and Pole Dancer. 12:30 PM Mike Jurgenson 1:00 PM John Kelly 1:30 Key of Life 2:00 PM Kevin Holloway, Dennis Wallace, Steve Hagood and John Richard 2:30 Jak Kelly 3:00 PM The Richard Mastry Band 3:30 PM Blue Island Beer Club 4:00 PM Gail Trippsmith 4:30 PM Jim Mason and Al Alvarez 5:00 PM Ronny Elliot 5:30 PM Gladys and Mitch 6:00 PM Leigh and Steve Humes 6:30 Shannon Lolligirl (Kevins Daughter) 7:00 PM Pete Gallager & Pat Barmore & Raiford Starke 7:30 PM The Chicken Chasers 8:00 PM Kirk Adams and Friends 8:30 PM Damon Fowler, Sarasota Slim, Steve Arvey, Jay Kiernan Blues Blowout Ringside is located at 2742 4th St N Saint Petersburg, FL 33704
...featuring Great Food, Descriminating Wines, the Coldest Beer Anywhere & Quality Original Music in a laid-back & fun Florida Nightspot... Just the way it should be!!
The snowy north has been, well, snowy (and windy the past couple of days). It is filled with warm people, though. For this I am eternally grateful. Great snuggle weather! You are welcome about the website hosting. We enjoy having you as a client! We're doing "Hello, Dolly!" as our early spring musical. I'm going to be the music director and am hoping for a part. There's no better way to help the winter pass quickly than to be in rehearsals for a play. Such fun! Talk to you soon.
Great to be hooked up with you on myspace, Mike. I dig your music, whether solo or with 2PM, and your songs as well, especially MARGARET. I love working in Sleeping Dogs Studio with Pete Price ... Pete is so talented and easy to work with! See you at the Sunday Sampler in Dunnellon, Feb 5th. Peace, Herb McCullough
Mike. It was great to see you yesterday at Sacred Lands. I wish there had been more people there when you performed but, trust me, the one's that were there were as impressed as I always am with your abilities. Love ya buddy. Thanks for letting me sit in.
Hey Man! Yes I am still out there but I am getting old. DRB has a new release coming out. I will get you a copy late November, Let't get together soon!
Mike, good to hear from you. I hope all is well with your family. Gini and I are so proud that you are keeping my dad's legacy alive. This world is lucky to have people as talented as you. Everytime I look on your page, I listen to Golden Fleece. It is such a tribute to the people of Tarpon Springs. Please keep in touch my friend, and also remember, you're important.
