Music to enjoy, music to feel, music to think about. Original songs ranging from touching folk ballads to spirited country rockers with insights on life's joy and challenges. The songs are delivered through strong melodies wrapped in lush tones of acoustic & electric guitar, mandolin, dobro, and pedal steel; anchored by strong, sensitive percussion; and topped with beautiful vocal harmonies. ------ “A wedding. An image. A song. A present given. A gift takes flight. A passing comment from a close friend about to be married triggered a flash of inspiration, and before the day was out, Michael Capella was serenading the newlyweds with a new composition inspired by their union. Although unprecedented—until then, songwriting had never been part of Michael’s extensive musical endeavors—this was not, as it turned out, an isolated instance. Instead, like a champagne cork bursting free, this spontaneous creative act unexpectedly let flow a wellspring of musical self-expression. Soon there was another phrase yearning to be rhymed, a new lick demanding to be played, another verse wanting to become a song, another song insisting it be sung. Michael’s gift, it was now clear, was not given, but awakened at that wedding, and was too strong, too clear, too impassioned to be ignored. ‘It was as if a faucet somewhere inside has been turned on,’ Michael marvels. ‘In the past three years, I have written over 30 songs.’ So persistent has that creative flow been, that the song list for his debut CD, These Days, remained in almost constant flux until the project was into its final stages. The resulting collection introduces the voice of a man who has lived and worked and loved well, who is attuned to life’s details, both objective and emotional. You’ll find love songs that celebrate enduring relationships, reflections on the ways that life surprises us, and musical snapshots of loss, discovery, regret, yearning and comfort. Delicate finger-picking, gentle harmonies, haunting pedal steel textures and inventive guitar riffs decorate and embellish the songs, as Michael’s warm, genuine vocals reveal the heart of each lyric. From the tender longing of “Couldn’t Come Home” and “Wasn’t any Word” to the upbeat country-tinged energy of “Back to You” and “Miss You, that’s all,” These Days presents the first offerings from a compelling new singer-songwriter with a clear-eyed, empathic worldview. Discover Michael Capella now, then do your friends a favor and share the good news. --- Bruce Robinson KRCB 91.1 FM