Michael Holt is an American musician currently residing in Truro, Massachusetts. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1968, he spent his formative years in New York City, where he began playing the piano as a child.
During his high school years at Hunter College High School in the early 1980s, Holt formed a band known as The Connotations. The group regularly performed at iconic venues like CBGB and other downtown clubs in New York City. Holt contributed as a keyboardist, vocalist, and primary songwriter. The lineup included various musicians over time, such as Dan Seiden (guitar, vocals), Dan Fisherman (drums, vocals), Simon Walsh (bass guitar, vocals), Bob Dee (guitar), Sam Bardfeld (violin, percussion, vocals), Oren Bloedow (bass guitar), Jenny Wade (bass guitar), and Alexis Stern (vocals). The band's eclectic style combined elements of ska, new wave, reggae, pop, and a unique sound they referred to as "Bug Music."
In 1988, following the disbandment of The Connotations, Holt formed Pajama Garden with drummer Dan Fisherman and bassist Oren Bloedow. By 1990, he had joined the progressive pop band The Mommyheads, and in 1991, he released his first solo album, the experimental pop work titled "Pajama Garden."
Relocating to San Francisco, California, in 1992, Holt and Fisherman became permanent members of The Mommyheads, which also featured Adam Cohen (now Adam Elk) (guitar), Jeff Palmer (bass), and Matt Patrick (now Devin Patrick) (bass, guitar). Throughout the 1990s, The Mommyheads extensively toured North America and released several albums, with their final project co-produced by Don Was for Geffen Records. In 1996, Holt married Cora Simone, a Canadian woman he had met during a tour, who subsequently moved to San Francisco.
After The Mommyheads disbanded in 1998, Holt released "I'm Here With You," a contemplative folk album featuring only his voice and a nylon-stringed guitar. He began working on an alternative power-pop album titled "Pilot Single" and relocated to Toronto with Simone.
In Toronto, Holt formed a new band called The Kids, alongside bassist Peter Murray, guitarist David Celia, and drummer Don Kerr, all of whom were also accomplished songwriters and producers. While in Canada, Holt completed and released "Pilot Single," produced a classical-influenced album called "Windows," and collaborated on a low-fi split CD with the American indie-rock band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. He also toured Germany with the San Francisco-based psychedelic jam band Mushroom and collaborated with numerous Canadian artists such as Ron Sexsmith, David Celia, Owen Pallett, and many others. Notably, he performed the title track at the 20th anniversary of Bob Wiseman's record "In Her Dream," a song he later recorded for his album "Jubilation!"
Holt became involved with a Toronto community called Living Circle, which focused on holistic health and community-building through intimate gatherings known as "circles."
In 2007, he began traveling more frequently as a solo artist and rejoined The Mommyheads in 2008. In 2010, he released "The Dawn Chorus," a folk-rock album with The Kids, and discovered a passion for house concerts, leading to his "Make Our Own Culture Tour" in 2011, which featured 60 intimate living room events across North America and Europe. The following year, he released the '70s-pop influenced album "Jubilation!" and contributed to Bob Wiseman's "Giulietta Masina at the Oscars Crying." He also undertook a European "Transition Culture Tour," performing 40 intimate concerts while supporting the Transition Towns sustainability movement.
In 2009, Holt co-founded The Piano Salon with Marcel Aucoin, a music and conversation series held monthly in various Toronto homes, featuring local acts and guest speakers. This initiative continued for nine years.
In 2010, he began developing a book that applies Slow Food principles to music, promoting practices for more mindful and community-oriented engagement with music. His interest in house concerts expanded to include diverse cultural activities at home, culminating in the co-organization of Toronto's First Annual Festival of House Culture in 2014, which showcased theater, music, visual arts, poetry, and more in local residences.
In 2013, alongside Luke Jackson, Holt established Catweazle Toronto, a monthly performance gathering that encouraged public performances without microphones, inspired by the Catweazle Club in Oxford, England.
In 2015, he released "24 Preludes for Piano," a double album of original classical compositions influenced by early 20th-century composers, and organized Toronto's Second Annual Festival of House Culture, featuring 19 events across different neighborhoods. The following year, he mounted the city's Third Annual Festival of House Culture, expanding to 45 events throughout Toronto. In 2017, Holt moved to Truro, Massachusetts, to provide live-in care for his aging parents.
