By RENEE PRUSI
Journal Staff Editor
MARQUETTE -?Singer/songwriter Michael Waite likes the atmosphere of Harley's Lounge in Marquette's Ramada Inn, where he performs every Tuesday night.
"I have been playing here every Tuesday for the past, well, almost nine years," he said. "It's warm and almost like being in your living room. I like that about this place. The crowd comes in and it's a friendly atmosphere.
"I like to interact with the audience, very much," he said. "Otherwise you could just put a CD in and let it play. That connection is what it's all about.
"I think of The Grinch," he said, a smile warming his face. "You know, near the end when the light comes down and everyone stands in a circle, holding hands and singing. I like that effect."
Waite, a 2003 Marquette Senior High School graduate, had a different ambition when he started thinking about a career in music.
"I went down to Western (Michigan University) in Kalamazoo to study trombone. I wanted to play the jazz trombone," he said. "While I was there, I realized I wanted to be a singer, not a trombone player."
His first regular job singing was at the now defunct Coyote Bar in Marquette, where he played every Friday night for several years starting in 1997. Songwriting has been a passion of Waite's for years. While it's an introspective art, songwriting has an outgoing element, he said.
"A lot of songwriting has to be with the performance in mind. If you don't do that, it makes performing all these introspective go-to-bed songs a thing where everyone's asleep," he said. "That's nice, but you need upbeat stuff, too."
Putting together his CD "Let it Go," Waite found collaboration to be part of the process.
"When we worked on the CD, I had all these amazing players in on the sessions. They contributed different ideas," Waite said. "Suggestions from them really helped."
Waite has a special project in mind for the future.
"I would like to collaborate with my wife (Erica) on music for ballet and modern dance," he said. "We've always dreamed since we met of performing together."
Music, Waite said, has a special power.
"It serves to connect people with things that cannot be explained in words or stories. It goes beyond anything."
In addition to his weekly gigs at the Ramada, Waite performs at a variety of other venues. Check his Web site at michaelwaitemusic. com for more information.
