About This:
There and Back" was written over the course two years by Mike Mangione and his brother Tom. Both Tom and Mike play a unique style of right handed guitar, left handed and upside down. Prior to the recording of "There and Back" Mike spent some time on the road living and touring in a Dodge Ram van. Mike slept at rest areas, wasting days in coffee shops and dinners and spent the evenings playing solo performances where ever he could. From L.A to Portland to Boston to Atlanta, Mike played and drove like a modern day troubadour. After a year and half of this nomadic lifestyle he met with Tom in their hometown Chicago and began sketching what would be there 2005 release "There and Back". The album charted the CMJ top 200 adds at number 16 playing on college radio stations all over. Mike has continued to tour both as a soloist as well as with the band. There band won the 2005 People's choice award at the Gojangle/Abby pub battle of the bands in Chicago. He was chosen as a selected performer for the world famous Jeff Buckley Tribute 2006 at Chicago's Uncommon Ground. He has recently been selected to perform at the 2007 "For The Love Of Buckley" Tribute in Toronto Canada. He is a Washburn guitar artist. He has been selected as an ASCAPlus award winner from the world renowned music organization ASCAP. Played such events as Summerfest, SXSW, Midwest Music summit, and the Midwest Acoustic Festival and has since opened/played with such artists as Jamie Cullum, Erin Mckeown, Dorothy Scott, Brian Vander Ark, The Samples, Caroline’s Spine and Paris Delane.