Mike Zito

Mike Zito (with Roots & Dore) will be performing LIVE on the Indoor Stage at Salvage Station on December 8th! Doors open at 7pm and the music starts at 8pm. 18+ ONLY (no exceptions)! FREE ON-SITE PARKING! Root Down will be serving their delicious twist on Southern Soul food PLUS we will have our FULL bar open for you to enjoy!

Please review our Covid-19 policy here: https://salvagestation.com/covid-policy/

NOTE: ALL humans entering the property must show proof of full vaccination or a negative 3rd party Covid-19 PCR or Rapid Antigen Test within 72 hours (at-home tests are NOT accepted). While indoors all humans will be required to wear a mask at all times except when actively eating/drinking.

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About Mike Zito:

Mike Zito is one of the most lauded artists in the contemporary blues arena today and rightfully so, but for him, the thing that counts the most is maintaining his honesty, authenticity and integrity. Those are the qualities that have steered Zito’s career since the beginning and continue to define every effort he’s offered since.

“I have nothing to hide; it seems my honesty is what people relate to most,” he once told Vintage Guitar magazine. “Anders (Osborne) told me early on, ‘If you don’t believe what you’re singing, you’ll never be a good singer.’ I try not to write fluff; I try to make every word count.”

Naturally, patience and perseverance have been Zito’s stock and trade since the beginning. He began playing guitar at the age of five, and by the time he reached his late teens, he was already a fixture on the local St. Louis music scene. He initially released his music independently and then signed with Eclecto Groove Records in 2008. “Pearl River,” the title track of his 2009 album for the label, won Song of the Year at the Blues Music Awards and marked his first collaboration with Cyril Neville, with whom he’d later work in the Royal Southern Brotherhood. A steady succession of critically acclaimed albums followed, culminating in 2011’s Greyhound, which was nominated for Best Rock Blues Album at that year’s Blue Music Awards ceremony in Memphis. Two years later, he signed with Ruf Records and released Gone to Texas, the story of how he gained his sobriety, offered an emotional homage to the state that left an indelible imprint on his entire life. It also marked the debut of his band, The Wheel.

From 2010 to 2014, Zito also played an integral role in the super group of sorts, Royal Southern Brotherhood. The group released two albums and a DVD, Songs from the Road – Live in Germany, winner of the year’s Blues Music Award for Best DVD. He also made his mark behind the boards by producing albums for Samantha Fish, Albert Castiglia, Ally Venable, Jeremiah Johnson, Jimmy Carpenter, and many others.

Meanwhile, the accolades kept coming. His album, Make Blues Not War, debuted on the Billboard Blues Album Chart at number one and garnered him recognition as the 2018 Rock Blues Artist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards. First Class Life followed suit, also entering the charts at number one. Alternate Root magazine insisted that “The First Class Life that Mike Zito titles his upcoming album can be heard in the sweet sound of Blue Soul rising like heat waves from his guitar and his vocal.” American Blues Scene said, “Mike Zito’s return to the blues is, in a word, triumphant!” No Depression declared, “Once again, Zito has delivered the goods, a first class package with no postage due.”

Mike Zito’s last CD, Quarantine Blues, was recorded during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic and served as a healing love letter to his fans around the world that heralded better days ahead if we’d all just stick together.  His album prior to that was a tribute to fellow St. Louis native and rock ‘n’ roll legend, Chuck Berry, and featured an array of guest guitarists ranging from Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout and Eric Gales, to Robben Ford, Luther Dickinson and Sonny Landreth, as well as Berry’s own grandson. In June 2021, Mike Zito was awarded two Blues Music Awards at The Blues Foundation’s 42nd Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN. Zito won BMAs in the categories of Blues Rock Artist as well as Blues Rock Album of the Year for Mike Zito and Friends – Rock ‘n’ Roll:  A Tribute to Chuck Berry

Mike Zito’s new album, Resurrection, dropped on July 16th via Gulf Coast Records and Hillside Global. The new disc was produced by the celebrated Grammy-winner David Z, best known for his long-standing work with Prince, and who has contributed to albums by Etta James, Billy Idol, BoDeans, Buddy Guy and John Mayall, among many others. 

“I have songs in me and musical ideas all of the time,” volunteers Mike Zito about the new album’s genesis. “I write what I can, when I can and try to save it all for posterity. Some of the songs are just songs and they don’t always have meaning for me, and some of them become very personal. For me to sing songs and feel them with real emotion, they need to be somewhat personal. Even songs I did not write, I need to feel they explain a part of my thinking or how I am feeling about love, sex, life, death, the world…. Resurrection is an album of feelings, emotions, and is very personal. The title track is how I once almost lost my love, but it came back stronger than ever. I have had this song in me for years, but it only makes sense now to share it with the world. After the year we have had on planet Earth, I believe we all need a rebirth. This rebirth has given me an opportunity to be who I want to be musically and artistically.”

Joining Zito (vocals, guitar) on his new musical journey are many musicians who’ve played with him for the last several years, including: Matthew Johnson – drums; Doug Byrkit – bass guitar; Lewis Stephens – piano, organ; Zach Zito – acoustic guitar; and Lisa Andersen – backing vocals; Eric Demmer – saxophone; and Fernando Castillo – trumpet.

Listen to Mike Zito:

About Roots and Dore:

Roots and Dore are an American blues, soul and roots duo from the music-rich mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. They are currently among the busiest performing acts in the southeastern US. Having played 150-200 shows annually for the past ten years. They are quickly building a name for themselves, opening for national acts, playing festivals nationally and internationally and their original music is being played on dozens of radio stations, locally and around the world. Roots and Dore just released their new album The Blues and Beyond to a wave of awesome reviews. (Featuring special guest appearances by “Steady Rolling” Bob Margolin of Muddy Waters Band, along with Doc Watson’s partner and multiple Grammy winner David Holt and Tony Black, the bass player for Marshall Tucker Band.) Always a good time had by everyone when RDB are doing their thing for folks at shows.

Listen to Roots and Dore: