Legendary NYC musician Mickey Leigh (Birdland, The Rattlers, etc) has just released “Little Cristine,” a new single with his band Mutated Music.
Of the follow up to his recent track “Two Kids of Law,”, the socially and politically conscious musician, tells Trouser Press, “For all the blabbering about politics and messages, I haven’t lost sight of what attracted me to rock ‘n’ roll and why it was love at first sight = the fun. I miss fun rock ‘n’ roll songs. So, I was inspired enough to write one about a guy and his girlfriend having fun. Can you imagine that? It’s called “Little Cristine,” and we did have fun. It’s Mutated Music. I’m working on rescuing rock n roll = one song at a time.”
“Little Cristine” is now streaming on all digital platforms. Limited edition transparent red vinyl 7″ available via Wicked Cool Records at: https://
“Mickey Leigh has been a fixture on the New York rock scene since the late 1970s, fronting the Rattlers and Stop, appearing regularly at CBGB, joining Lester Bangs in Birdland and his brother, Joey Ramone, in Sibling Rivalry. The guitarist, keyboard player and singer has become something of an elder statesmen. In addition to being an author (I Slept With Joey Ramone) and an all-around swell guy, he organizes the annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash charity concert.”- Trouser Press
“Little Cristine”
Written & Produced by Mickey Leigh
Performed by Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music
Vox/Guitar/Bass – Mickey Leigh
Drums – Pat Carpenter
Recorded by Matt Chiaravalle & Tim Phillips
Mastered by Tim Phillips
@ Mercy Sound – New York, NY
Directed & Filmed by Chosei Funahara & G M D THREE
-also featuring Cristine Oliveira, Chosei Funahara & Matt Chiaravalle
About Mickey Leigh’s Mutated Music:
With the release of a slew of singles with his band MUTATED MUSIC, MICKEY LEIGH is taking steps. A longtime figure in the influential downtown New York City music scene, MICKEY is no longer content with being in the shadows. He’s stepping into the spotlight with punk-pop-country-jazz and blues-infused tracks that tell stories of colorful rock and roll lives. “These are ‘The Stories That Never Got Told’, so they never got old,” states one of the key tracks. Of the heroine in “Little Cristine,” MICKEY says “No. She ain’t no ten. She’s a number one.” His modernized, “mutated” reworking of the classic civil rights/social-awakening song “If I Had A Hammer” boldly blares the powerful message calling for “justice, freedom and love between our brothers and our sisters” which is perfect for these troubled, frenetic and divisive times.
As he explained in his 2009 autobiographical family memoir “I Slept With Joey Ramone,” MICKEY is inspired by his love of the music of the ’60s. His life-long fever for rock & roll has never dampened, remains pure, and continues to fuel his drive to create great music. MICKEY LEIGH’S MUTATED MUSIC is brimming with tracks that have been called: “…instantly memorable, lyrically compelling, deceptively simple, hard-ass, life-loving songs full of emotional depth that deliver a punch far more intense than anyone could or would have expected…written with passion, played with precision, produced with perfection.” MICKEY has been credited with “…the power-pop instincts of a Tom Petty and the street smarts of a Jim Carroll…not to mention a bit of The Who, Dylan, Springsteen and…Elvis.”
Starting his first group at age 10 in 1965, hitting the stage of CBGB in 1977 with Birdland, the band he formed with literary legend/music journalist Lester Bangs, MICKEY is accustomed to having a front-row seat at musical revolutions. Replacing Lester on vocals, Birdland morphed into the prototype pop/punk band The Rattlers. His next band, STOP, saw 5 songs from their 1996 album ‘Never’ in rotation on BBC Radio. MICKEY has continually been the recipient of favorable media coverage, credited with being “…one of those people who influenced successful bands but remained relatively unheralded himself.” Well, that’s about to change.
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