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Mike Renzoni: saxophones, vocals, percussion 

Equipment:  
Tenor Sax: King Super 20 (circa 1970’s), Bari 7* mouthpiece
Alto Sax: Martin “Typewriter” (circa 1930’s), Meyer 5 mouthpiece
Soprano Sax:  King C-Soprano (circa 1920’s), Yamaha 4C mouthpiece
Keyboard: Yamaha PSR-E303
Saxes are played through an AKG C419 wireless mic, and looped through a Boss GT-6 effects pedal-board.

Mike was a late bloomer when it comes to music.  He didn’t start playing sax until high school and even then he took a break after his freshman year to dedicate more time to his swimming career.

He started playing again in college – usually just playing the vocal tracks of his favorite musicians: Billy Joel, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Pink Floyd and a slew of others.

Mike moved to Vermont after college where he honed his skills playing in several local bands covering a wide range of musical genres including Classic Rock, New Orleans Jazz, ‘80’s Pop, Funk, R&B, Alternative Rock, and Blues.  

Mike’s influences are as varied as the colors of Cyndi Lauper’s hair.  He grew up with ‘80’s pop, Classic Rock, and Hard Rock.  Though a saxophone player, he did not listen to a lot of saxophone players until later in life.  His favorites now are David Sanborn, Junior Walker, Leroi Moore, and Candy Dulfer.

“I put a lot of myself into what I play.  The saxophone is an extremely expressive instrument.  It’s not just about playing the right notes – it’s the feeling behind those notes that makes the difference.  Sure, you’ll hear and feel that more in a ballad like “The Thrill is Gone” than in “Mustang Sally” but it’s always there.”

Mike moved back to Buffalo in 2004 joining Singer/Songwriter Matt Surowiec’s band “The Works”.  He later joined the jam-band “Snuka” and still later “The Carl Motyka Band” where he met and joined forces with Tom Schuh following him to help form “The Soul Barons”.

“It’s rare to find five talented musicians with similar goals.  We have a blast on stage and even just practicing in the basement.”

While “The Soul Barons” is Mike’s primary band, you’ll occasionally find him playing with “The Diva Show Band” or with his friend Matt Surowiec in “Matt James’ Music for Kids”.

“I love playing in front of children.  Their reactions to live music are priceless.  Watching the little ones dance around while hoping the older ones will see that all those boring, tedious lessons do pay-off in the end.  Music has been a real gift in my life.  It’s a great feeling being able to share that with a new generation.”