Pulling from many years of experience as a pro, through touring with artists like Suzanne Vega and John Cale, to holding down the bass chair at Kinky Boots on Broadway, Michael delivers an honest look at music, business and art that should be ready by every aspiring and pro musician.
Also included are revealing interviews with many of today’s top bassists, such as Marcus Miller, Lee Sklar, Will Lee, Tony Levin, as well as legends like Donald “Duck” Dunn and more. The book features a foreword by Sting.
Dedicating one’s life to art is a choice made by few, and difficult for many to comprehend. The rich but ephemeral rewards that are discovered come at a cost that conventional wisdom seems to defy. What drives the heart and mind of the artist to continue to struggle in a world that offers them no security, predictability, or objective value for the fruits of their labor? With A View from the Side, Visceglia attempts to give the reader a window in which to view the lives, aspirations, adventures and misadventures, phenomenal successes and tragic failures of some of the leading practitioners of an art that he is intimately familiar with: playing the bass. Through stories of his own experiences, along with the interviews and profiles of his influential peers, Visceglia provides a compelling look at the nature of the pursuit of the artistic life.
“An honest and funny account of life on the road as a sideman, sure to inspire anyone who wants to be a touring musician or already is one. I’ve toured with Mike for more years than I can remember, and he is a terrific storyteller. Enjoy!”
Suzanne Vega
“The sideman has his/her own special vantage point from which to see the music biz. Mike has collected a colorful array of stories and anecdotes from those of us that have seen things from the most coveted position: the side!”
Will Lee (Late Show with David Letterman, The Fab Faux, session great)