Musician Michael Glazier has enjoyed a diverse career from local “porch concerts” for neighbors to performing and mixing sound for television shows including The View. And, of course, he has volunteered his talent to Attitudes in Reverse fundraisers, including the annual Taste of Hope , scheduled for Oct. 16. 

Michael has known Tricia Baker for several years, back when she was working in the corporate world and before she co-founded AIR with her husband, Kurt Baker.

“I’ve tried to help with different AIR events, because I know Kenny’s story and I’ve also had family members with mental health issues,” said Michael. “We all know people around us who have mental health issues.”

Michael recalled a college roommate who had mental health issues. “If there had been outreach programs like AIR, other people would have seen there was a problem.”

Many of Michael’s songs tell a story, sometimes a poignant one. His song, “Sister,” is about the idea of coming home and seeing a person struggling. He said the songs asks, “Why have you brought yourself to this place?”

One of his newer songs, "Dancing On a Sunbeam" is about a little girl trying to break through to her father. 

“A father that is so mired down in the day to day survival mode that he is missing out on the joys of his family,” described Michael. “In the end, she breaks through. It is somewhat autobiographical and also reminds me of my father.”

Michael, who lives in Basking Ridge, was musically inspired by his grandfather, a Vaudeville performer, and grandmother, who taught voice and piano in her home.

“You see music all around you, and MTV, and you’re a kid and a dreamer,” said Michael, who grew up listening to Duran Duran, The Police and U2.

As a singer/songwriter and self-taught musician, Michael obviously loves performing for an audience, the more intimate the better, especially events such as AIR’s Miki Walks and Maplewood’s Porch Concerts, where he sang for the mayor and residents.

“We’d all like to be famous and have our songs take off into the stratosphere, but I love playing stuff like that because it’s families that can come and enjoy music in a comfortable setting,” he said.

For AIR’s Taste of Hope , he offers his expertise to coordinate the sound for the event and plays background music for guests.

On the other side of the musical spectrum, Michael has helped others as a recording engineer and also is an audio engineer, most recently for The View. However, he also got a chance to perform for the show . 

“Different staff were chosen to audition,” he recalled. “It was a regular day of work for me and then someone said, ‘Michael, you’re up.’ I didn’t have time to be nervous. It was really cool.”
Michael, who described himself as unapologetically long-winded, had to take some time to answer what his favorite songs were to play. 

“It is usually something new or something that I haven't played in a while,” said Michael of other artists’ music. 

He remembers recently playing various 80s songs, including "Message in A Bottle” by The Police, and "In Your Eyes,” Peter Gabriel’s love song from the movie Say Anything.

“Later that day someone stopped me and said, "Hey I loved hearing those songs,” he said. “I often get the crowd singing along. That's fun to make a connection.”

Of his originals, his favorite also varies. 

“There is something that happens when you take a song from the writing to the stage,” he said. “You start to rehearse it. Inflections change. I might dig in on the guitar heavier than I envisioned when I wrote it. It might conjure up emotions in a different way. "Dancing On a Sunbeam" is starting to take on a life of its own.”