Mike Viola

Who is Mike Viola?

Michael "Mike" Viola is an American singer-songwriter best known as singer, songwriter and "musical architect" of a team he called the "Candy Butchers", a pop-rock band from New York City that recorded three critically acclaimed albums for Sony. A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, Mike began his musical career in the 1980s. No recordings of his earliest musical work, however, were known to have been officially released as of September 2009. His biggest musical influences include The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Elton John, Big Star, Squeeze, Crowded House, Cheap Trick, XTC and Jellyfish.

The success of the Candy Butchers in the 1990s led to multiple appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly. It also found the group touring alongside the likes of Ron Sexsmith, They Might Be Giants, Robyn Hitchcock, Semisonic, Sparklehorse, Barenaked Ladies, and Ivy.

Viola simultaneously began a career in film work as the co-producer and lead singer of the Oscar-nominated title track from Tom Hanks's That Thing You Do!.