“Giants Will Fall sports a wide range of sounds, textures and a relentless creative streak that keeps it from being one of those ‘12 versions of the same song’ collections.”
“There is a connectivity running through the songs that is held together by excellent musicianship and Aquino’s emotional and honest delivery.”
Aquino is a Cuba-Rican musician and performer born in the urbanlands of northern New Jersey. His debut, solo album, Giants Will Fall, was released in October 2015. He has played at the Cape May Singer-Songwriter Festival, Madison Holiday Arts Festival, Hillside Cafe, Montclair State Centennial Celebration, Boro 6 Music Festival, and the Glen Ridge Arts Festival, among others. Michael has written over 100 original songs and was nominated for a 2013 Jersey Acoustic Music Award (Top Male Songwriter category). He created and facilitated 14 Songs in 14 Days, an intensive online songwriting workshop. He was also the creator and host of Indie Music Circus, a showcase for independent musicians. In 2010 Michael released The Black Friday Sessions with the band Sirs. He is set to release his follow-up, City Stars on October 13 through Cocotazo Music.
Michael is the co-founder of Cocotazo Media, which produces creative audio for all ears. He also a professional actor and has performed at regional and NYC stages including Luna Stage, The American Globe, George Street Playhouse, The NY International Fringe Festival, and Playwrights Theatre of NJ. He is a co-creator of Mi Casa Tu Casa, a bilingual stage production. Michael received is a member of SESAC and Actors Equity Association.
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Aquino / Vocals, Guitars
Accompanying Musicians:
Declan Remus / Guitar
Christian Davis / Bass
Tony Donato / Bass
Andrew J. Sandel / Accordion
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Most of the photos on this site were taken by Mike Peters.
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2015
Let's celebrate the release of my EP, City Stars! I'm hosting a party at The Little Theater located at the Bloomfield Public Library. It's a cool space and should lend itself to a fun show. Join me and my friends/musical collaborators as we play the whole album as well as some other songs from my previous release, Giants Will Fall. This will be the first time I play many of these with a band. The rehearsals have been on fire.
Larée Cisco will be opening the show. Tickets will be $10/person. All proceeds for the event will benefit El Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, a public music institution located in San Juan. There will be a crowdfunding campaign running in conjunction with the release.
