Mike
Brunacini

Mike Brunacini is an American songwriter crafting wistful melodic pop/rock with retro sensibilities. His melancholic lyrics disarm with their quiet introspection while his lush, cinematic string and horn arrangements transport the listener to sepia toned landscapes.

Working out of his home studio in Jamestown, NY, Mike Brunacini has released 3 full length albums and several singles. Mike plays most of the instruments on his records by himself, only calling in session musicians when required. Drawing his influences from Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Steven Page, Billy Joel, and Ben Folds, Mike Brunacini is an exciting, multi-faceted musical talent.

Some people listen to music to have a good time or dance or as background noise, but Mike listens to music to feel something. That’s the kind of music he writes and plays. The live set is an intimate singer/songwriter vibe with some storytelling and his trademark dark sense of humor.

The album “Cherry Springs” was mixed and mastered at Watchmen Studios. Garnering positive reviews, “Cherry Springs” was released in November 2016 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. 2018 saw Mike Brunacini contributing to the score of indie film “Empire”. Fast-forward to 2022 and Brunacini returns to Watchmen once again to wrap up mixing and mastering “Summer’s End” which was treated to a vinyl pressing that summer. 2024 was a big year, with another full-length album “Dying Leaves & Naked Trees” released on October 4th.

“Beginning under the codename ‘Autumn Album’, I knew I wanted to create something with a specific mood.” Mike Brunacini said of his latest project, Dying Leaves & Naked Trees. It’s deliberately slower paced than Summer’s End, his last outing. A bit sparser in the arrangements. “I wanted the songwriting... the melodies and lyrics, to carry the weight of this album.” It’s piano-heavy, guitars carefully added with great restraint and intention. “That’s a good word to describe the album” he mentioned, “intentional. I feel that every note on this album is intentional. I wasn’t going to add something if it didn’t benefit the song. Paradoxically, this resulted in a very organic and warm vibe that my other albums haven’t been able to capture.”

Each song has room to breathe as the lyrics unravel emotionally charged tales of love, loss, regret, and alienation; all painted against a backdrop of vintage-inspired soft rock textures. “This is a moody record.” Brunacini said, “It’s meant to be played on a rainy autumn day... or any quiet day you’d deem suitable for introspection.”