Michael Matijevic
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Michael Matijevic (born Miljenko Matijevic, 1964, Zagreb, Croatia) is a rock vocalist.
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[edit] Biography
Michael (or, more recently, "Mili") is best known as the lead singer of the American heavy metal group Steelheart.
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1964, Matijevic lived with his brother and grandparents until 1970 when his parents collected him from Croatia and moved with him and his brother to Scarsdale, New York. When Matijevic was 7, the family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. Michael's brother, John, learned to play the guitar and Michael would often sing along, particularly country music, as that is what their father enjoyed.
When Michael was 9 he joined the local church choir, however the biggest change was when Michael was 11 and discovered Led Zeppelin. Although Michael and John both loved this sort of music, their father disapproved, despite this they formed a band called "Teazer", which played Zeppelin, Sabbath and original songs. Although a producer, Morgan Walker, discovered them and took them too New York City, it fell apart.
After being seen playing at a local club in the band "The Mission", Don Stroh, owner of Showcase Studios, called Matijevic saying he should come in and rehearse with a band in his studio, this is where Matijevic first met Chris Risola and James Ward, along with Jack Wilkinson, Red Alert was formed.
Jack Wilkonson was eventually replaced by John Fowler and Frank DiConstanzo (formely of Rage of Angels was added as a rhythm guitarist. Michael soon devoted all attention to the band, and not his college work. He, John and James left to Los Angeles in the hope of getting a record deal, despite having no contacts. However, within a month, the band had a record deal.
The first album Steelheart sold over a million copies with a successful world tour, the follow up, Tangled In Reins had a succesful European and Asia tour.
[edit] Stage accident and dissolution of Steelheart
At the end of U.S. tour in support of Great White, Steelheart was invited to open an additional show for the band Slaughter. On Halloween night, at the McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, Steelheart was performing "Dancing in the Fire" from the "Tangled in Reins" album when he was involved in a serious accident. Matijevic decided to climb a lighting truss which was for some reason improperly secured. He failed to climb the rig and also failed to dodge the 1000 pound piece of equipment, which hit him in the back of the head, driving him face first into the stage. The outcome of the accident was a broken nose, cheekbone, jaw, twisted spine, and severe memory loss. Matijevic found the strength to walk off the stage and was immediately taken to the hospital. The incident marked the end of Steelheart. ([1])
[edit] Wait Period
Years after the accident in Denver, Steelheart was reformed with none of the original members except for Matijevic. Kenny Andrews, Alex Makarovichon, and Vincent Mele Jr. Wait, an album very different from Steelheart's first two, earned its name because of the long time Matijevic spent gaining freedom from the record company and manager who were taking more than what belonged to them. The band went on tour in Asian countries, where the album gained its most success. The title track, "Wait" reached #1 in many Asian countries, and the twenty eight shows were a big success. The album itself never reached popularity in America or Europe ([2]).
[edit] Returning Home
Matijevic returned home from the Asian tour to see his mother pass away after a long struggle with leukemia; she was 56 years old. A year later, Frankie, a very close friend, also died from leukemia ([3]), this is when he reverted to his original name of Miljenko Matijevic.
[edit] The "Rock Star" Project
After Frankie's death, Matijevic received a phone call from his friend and Tangled in Reins producer, Tom Werman. Werman asked Matijevic if he'd be interested in doing the vocals of the motion picture, Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg, directed by Stephen Herek. Matijevic (as well as Jeff Scott Soto) ended up doing the vocals in the movie. The Rock Star soundtrack also contained an alternative version of We All Die Young, originally from the Wait album ([4]).
[edit] Name
When Matijevic entered the American music market, it was deemed better that he use an Americanised version of his name, hence Michael. However after the death of his mother, Matijevic decided to return to his original name of Miljenko. Although hardly American and difficult to pronounce, fans often refer to him as Mili instead to get around this.
[edit] Trivia
- Matijevic auditioned for the lead singing slot for Velvet Revolver. Other auditionees included Sebastian Bach.
- Matijevic released a single under the name Mikey Steel, a name he also briefly acted under.
- Has said his two main vocal influences are Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and David Coverdale of Whitesnake.
[edit] Discography
Steelheart (1990/1991)
Tangled In Reins (1992)
Wait (1996)
Rock Star (soundtrack) (2001)
Just A Taste (EP) (2006)
