MIKE CIMICATA

There are words and music, and there are words about music. I specialize in the latter.

Elvis Presley, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Dixie Chicks, Will Smith, Kelly Clarkson, Foo Fighters, Daughtry and The Strokes are among the platinum artists for whom I've supervised all editorial aspects of their products, advertising and marketing.

I've had the privilege of editing the work of many of the most acclaimed voices in music criticism, including Peter Guralnick, Stanley Crouch, Anthony DeCurtis, David Fricke and Ben Fong-Torres.

As Managing Editor of the nationally distributed indie rock fanzine Yeah Yeah Yeah, I supervised all editorial aspects of the publication for its full run of 25 issues over a span of eight years. I assigned stories and reviews, motivating a team of 25 unpaid freelance writers. I also wrote features, commentary and more than 200 CD and live show reviews.

I began contributing to Blender as a Copy Editor for the magazine's August 2008 issue. I was also a Contributing Writer for Women Who Rock, where I wrote a feature interview of Pat Benatar. My first published album review was a 1991 rave about Eric Clapton's 24 Nights in the pages of The Rutgers Review, where I later served a year as Editor-in-Chief.

As a DJ, I have cranked out tunes at Irving Plaza, Maxwell's, Manitoba's, Luke & Leroy, East Village Radio, Motor City Bar, Angel Orensanz Center, Lit Lounge, Barmacy and The Loop Lounge. For six years now, I've been a resident DJ at The Goldhawk in Hoboken. As an emcee, I've DJed fashion shows, art openings, corporate holiday parties, charity fund-raisers, someone's first birthday party and someone's 80th birthday party. All that and several dozen weddings. Corporate clients have included Wenner Media, The Nanny Diaries and Tory Burch.

Though British pop of the '80s is just one of my many musical loves, compilations by two of its most memorable progenitors—A Flock Of Seagulls and Rick Astley—spawned my first sets of published liner notes. Current projects as of June 2008 include product management for a special edition of Legacy's successful The Essential compilation series and editorial supervision of packaging for two Elvis Presley boxed sets.