Michael Tolcher is an American singer-songwriter who blends pop,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and

urban grooves Zimbabwean music is heavily reliant on the use of instruments such as the mbira, Ngoma drums and hosho. Their music symbolizes much more than a simple rhythm, as the folk and pop style styled music was used as a symbol of hope for Zimbabweans ...

. He was born in

Front Royal Front Royal is the only incorporated town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,011 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. History The entire Shenandoah Valley including the area to become F ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and has lived most of his life in and around

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia.

Biography

Growing up just south of

, Georgia, Tolcher, who got into music at a young age and wrote his first song at five, had his first public performance in his church choir around the same time. He was into sports his entire life, and ran track at UTC and

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. He was injured in 1996 and began to then focus on music. He got his start at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in Atlanta as a street performer. Tolcher soon began touring in small venues around the country. Eventually arriving in New York City, he recorded his album ''

I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (po ...

'' with producers Pop Rox in late 2003. It was released on

Octone Records A&M Octone Records was an American record label owned as a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Octone Records. A full-service artist development label, it was founded in 2007 as a merger between Octone and Interscope Geffen A&M's defu ...

in 2004, and he toured as opening act for such artists as

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

Blues Traveler Blues Traveler (formerly known as "The Establishment" or "The Black Cat Jam" or "The Establishment Blues Band") is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. They are known for extensive use of segues in live performance ...

Gavin Degraw Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album '' Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB drama series ''One Tree ...

, G Love & Special Sauce, The Funky Meters,

Pat McGee Band The Pat McGee Band is a rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed by frontman Pat McGee, who attended Longwood College in Farmville, VA. On the heels of his solo release '' From the Wood'' in 1995, the Pat McGee Band signed with Warner Bros. ...

, Everclear,

The Clarks The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of thirty-plus years, they have produced eleven studio albums, two live albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and f ...

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...

, and Sister Hazel. Tolcher's song "Sooner or Later" was the theme song for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's 2004–2005 series '' Life As We Know It''. It also appears in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

sitcom ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'' at the end of the episode titled "

My Rite of Passage The fifth season of the American comedy television series '' Scrubs'' premiered on NBC on January 3, 2006 and concluded on May 16, 2006 and consists of 24 episodes. For the first twelve episodes, two new episodes were broadcast back-to-back ever ...

". His song,"Bad Habits" featured in the episode "Near Wild Heaven" in the second season of

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

. His song "Mission Responsible" was used as part of a public service announcement for the

American Lung Association The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization whose mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. History The organization was founded in 1904 to figh ...

in 2004."Lung association releases music video PSA featuring Octone Records star", ''Health & Medicine Week'', 2004-09-27, p. 500. His song : "Speed Feels Better" was licensed out by Hilton Hotels and used for their 2008 Beijing Olympics Campaign. His EP ''In the Meantime'' was released on March 10, 2009, and features "Speed Feels Better", "Wanting You Now", "Speed Feels Better Acoustic", and "Speed Feels Better" video. The "Speed Feels Better" video features cameos from various athletes:

Amanda Beard Amanda Ray Beard (born October 29, 1981), also known by her married name Amanda Brown, is an American swimmer and a seven-time Olympic medalist (two gold, four silver, one bronze). She is a former world record holder in the 200-meter breaststro ...

Andy Roddick Andrew Stephen Roddick (born 30 August 1982) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is a major champion, having won the 2003 US Open. Roddick reached four other major finals (Wimbledon in 2004, 2005, and 2009, and the US Open ...

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...

Kimmie Meissner Kimberly Claire "Kimmie" Meissner (born October 4, 1989) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2006 World champion, the 2007 Four Continents champion, and the 2007 U.S. national champion. She is the first American and th ...

, and

Rick Ankiel Richard Alexander Ankiel (; born July 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Ho ...

. Tolcher released his second full length album "Eleven" on May 4, 2015. In 2016 Michael had the good fortune of meeting

REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

at the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

game while singing the national anthem. He was invited on the spot to open some shows for them around the country. Spring/ SUMMER 2018 : Tolcher is in the process of recording another album and will join

Chicago (band) Chicago is an American rock music, rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967. The group began calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, then shortened the name in 1969. Self-described as a "rock and roll band with Horn (ins ...

and

Reo Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...

on tour in 36 cities around the USA.

Discography

EPs

*''Michael Tolcher EP'' (2003) *''See You Soon EP'' (2008) *''In the Meantime EP'' (2009)

Albums

*''

'' (2004) * ''Eleven'' (2015) * ''Elemental'' (2018)

Singles

*"Mission Responsible" (2004) *"Sooner or Later" (2005) *"Speed Feels Better" (2009)

Compilations

*"Auld Lang Syne" on ''New Artist Holiday EP'' (2005)

References

External links

Michael Tolcher
official site *
Michael Tolcher collection
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

's live music archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolcher, Michael American rock guitarists American male guitarists American singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American rock singers Musicians from Atlanta 1973 births Living people Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Front Royal, Virginia 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers Universal Music Group artists American male singer-songwriters