GEAR
Basses
Mike Lull Custom BBMF5 5-String
Mike Lull Custom Modern 5 5-String (1999 era)
Mike Lull Custom P/J 5-string
Spector Alex Webster Signature Euro 5LX(AW)
Spector Forte 5-String (Wide)
Mike Lull Custom T-Bass 4-String
Fender Player Precision Bass (MIM), maple fingerboard
Fender Player Precision Bass (MIM), rosewood fingerboard
Zon Legacy Elite Fretless 5-String
Zon Legacy Elite Fretted 5-String
Ibanez SR505 5-string
Ibanez SRX505 5-string, modified with Carey Nordstrand “Music Man” electronics
KYDD Electric Upright Bass 30″ Carry-On
Tobias Basic 5-String (early 1990s, pre-Gibson era)
Heads, Preamps and Power Amps (Live Rig)
Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion (first gen/original/500)
Gallien-Krueger 1001RB or 2001RB
Speaker Cabs (Live Rig)
Gallien-Krueger CX410 (4) or RBH410 (4)
Strings
D’Addario ProSteels, 45-65-85-105, with 130 tapered-core B
Main, Live Pedalboard
Boss FV-50 Volume Pedal
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal
(option: Electro-Harmonix Bass MicroSynth, Electro-Harmonix MicroPOG)
Xotic Effects Bass BB Preamp (original vintage era)
Digitech X-Series Bass Driver
Darkglass Vintage Microtubes (or Vintage Microtubes Deluxe)
MXR 6-Band EQ
Dunlop Crybaby Bass Wah
Boss CE-2B Bass Chorus
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
tc electronic Hall Of Fame Reverb
tc electronic Flashback Delay
Demeter Opto-Compulator
Xotic Effects EP Booster
Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus
G Labs Power 8
MIKE KENEALLY TOUR NEXT WEEK: I thought maybe this photo would get your attention! That’s me, Mike Keneally, Joe Travers and Rick Musallam 20 years ago at Broadway Joe’s in Buffalo. We are all great friends and we don’t get to tour as a quartet playing Keneally’s uniquely incredible music very often. I’m leaving for travel tomorrow, so I’ll say it again for the folks in the back - if you are anywhere near these shows, and you’re a fan of prog/pop/fusion shaped by Zappa, XTC, The Beatles, Gentle Giant, and lots more, come on out and watch some truly amazing live music. Oh, and we’ll be playing a song from my solo album Scenes From The Flood for the first time ever! *crosses fingers*![]()
![]()
MIKE KENEALLY &![]()
BEER FOR DOLPHINS![]()
OCTOBER 2025 TOUR![]()
![]()
12 – Rutherford, NJ – PROGSTOCK![]()
14 – New York, NY – The Cutting Room![]()
15 – Annville, PA – Allen Theater![]()
16 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern![]()
17 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Sweetwater Performance Pavillion![]()
18 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s![]()
![]()
(ticket links in first comment)
NIN LOS ANGELES: I made it out to the very last show of the Nine Inch Nails Peel It Back 2025 tour at the Kia Forum in L.A., and I'm damned glad I did. They leaned hard on The Downward Spiral material, which I wasn't expecting and was stoked about. The sound was pretty freakin' good considering it was an arena and I was in the back upper deck like a good regular Joe fan. They also set up a second stage in the middle of the crowd, which was mostly synth based for inventive rearrangements of some of the classic material. It was well worth the ticket (and the arena hassle!).![]()
![]()
And it's an incredible body of work when you think about it. I talk a lot about how The Fragile influenced Scenes From The Flood, but With Teeth, The Slip, Year Zero, and the three 2010s EP's all hit me deeply as well. ![]()
![]()
As for The Downward Spiral...I remember in the fall of 1994, when a woman I was dating invited me to see Nine Inch Nails with her and her friends. She was not a goth at all - if anything, she presented as the complete and total opposite. I knew about the single "Closer" with it's instantly infamous chorus lyric and that was about it. I thought, ok, sure. ![]()
![]()
Imagine me walking into that 6000 capacity room and hearing NIN run through contemporary versions of most of the Downward Spiral album, plus select cuts from the two previous releases, all while throwing themselves around the stage and destroying at least one Yamaha DX-7 a night, if not more. I was one of the only people in the room who wasn't screaming every single lyric at the top of their lungs. It was sweaty uncontrolled mania in there. By the time the show ended, I was irrevocably altered. I was 23. Fast forward 31 years, and I've seen NIN live more than any other act in my life. ![]()
![]()
I looked around the crowd at the Kia Forum. People say Gen X is the forgotten generation, but not in that room we weren't. Lots of 40 and 50 somethings, still dressed in concert black. Some were goth-ed out, others dressed in far more unassuming outfits. The crowd was more singing the lyrics than shouting this time around, and even Trent and the guys were no longer throwing themselves into each other and wrecking their gear. But 30 years later, the combination of Trent's angsty human exploration and his unique sonic/melodic world continues to touch me deeply, and clearly I'm not the only one. ![]()
![]()
As I get back into songwriting mode for another solo album, I’m reminded that, while I have a blast writing material for The Aristocrats and I’m generally positive on Ye Olde Social Media, I can also be a bit of a brooder. Working through more complex emotional stuff in musical composition is a privilege, and it also doesn’t come for free. It takes a long time and it takes a lot out of me. At this stage of the game, the bottom of the “make an album!” mountain, I’m grateful to guys like Trent Reznor and Roger Waters who showed that it can be done, with artistic integrity, and in a way that’s accessible enough for people of all walks of life to be able to feel it and transform it into their own experiences. ![]()
![]()
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to try and remember how to play guitar again.
TERRY SYREK'S "STORY 2" AVAILABLE NOW: If you thought "Snow, Snow" was amazing, wait until you hear the whole album. Terry Syrek's incredible second album surpasses his first and brings the epic shred (and great songwriting) in ways you have to hear to believe. I'm on six tracks this time. Each one was a special mountain to climb, and worth the journey each time. Check out Terry's album on Bandcamp (hi-res digital) or on his webstore. I'll link both in the comments.
KENEALLY TOUR KOUNTDOWN: Less than two weeks away now until the Mike Keneally and Beer For Dolphins tour begins! Oct 12-18 will see us hit six quick shows from NY to Chicago. This lineup of MK/me/Joe Travers/Rick Musallam hasn’t been there in forever and who knows when it will happen again! Some of y’all know how amazing Keneally’s work is, but if you don’t, it has to be seen to be believed. And these will be my last travel dates in the States for a bit. All the more reason to look at the first comment for the ticket links and make a plan to check out one of these dates today! (yes I’m hyping here but it’s worth it, I assure you)![]()
MIKE KENEALLY &![]()
BEER FOR DOLPHINS![]()
OCTOBER 2025 TOUR![]()
12 – Rutherford, NJ – PROGSTOCK![]()
14 – New York, NY – The Cutting Room![]()
15 – Annville, PA – Allen Theater![]()
16 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern![]()
17 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Sweetwater Performance Pavillion![]()
18 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
Join The Mailing List
