Though born in the Bronx, Mike Acerbo grew up in the suburbs of New York City.
Adopted into a large, loving family of a New York City firefighter father and a home daycare provider mother, he spent his childhood in Pearl River, N.Y. – the sixth of seven children.
Sounds of the 1970s filled his childhood, and he relished his older sisters’ stack of 45 rpm records – particularly Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecelia” and Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold.” Brother Tommy sang and played the piano, brother Chris played bagpipes with the NYPD Pipe & Drums, and younger brother Eddie played the drums. “There was always music playing in the house,” Acerbo recalls. “Lots of singing at family parties.” Yet, despite a few months of piano lessons when he was seven, Acerbo didn’t make music.
Teenage years were darkened by the tragic deaths of a close friend, his mother and brother. “I became extremely isolated and depressed, and struggled through high school,” he remembers. It was during this time that he discovered Fleetwood Mac, and spent countless hours listening and collecting their music. "I was fascinated by the sound of their three voices and their distinct contributions to their art as a band."
College offered renewal and opportunities to create. “I wrote poems all the time as a way to come to grips with the pain and losses of my childhood." While working as a camp counselor one summer, he met pianist Jennifer Lewy. After hearing him sing, she persuaded him to bring his poetry to work. After hours, in the camp auditorium, the two began to collaborate, with Lewy writing piano arrangements and Acerbo contributing lyrics and melodies.
Inspired, Mike taught himself how to play basic piano and guitar. He moved to New York City in 1996, found work as a waiter, and connected with pianist Geoffrey Kiorpes and cellist Leah Coloff. "I was such a poor piano player that I was afraid to play and sing my songs for them. But they were so talented and it was obvious they could help take my songs to the next level." The three began jamming in Acerbo’s apartment, planting the seeds for what would become Acerbo’s distinctive sound.
He began to record his material in 2001, but his musical dreams were deferred for six years by substance abuse that promised to fill his voids but only silenced his spirit.
After becoming sober, music reawakened in him. Ironically, it was a single song of loss that resurrected his musical passions. He was compelled to record a demo of the deeply personal “Robbie,” a song about the meaningful life and tragic drowning of his childhood friend. The experience led to the recording of his first album – “The Search” – a dark fairy tale that stimulates all the senses. Enchanting and deeply personal, the album weaves the story of Acerbo's journey through life and takes the listener along for a musical journey.