MIKE ZITO Source: Toledo Blade Date: 06/2008 Writer: Rod Lockwood

Musical veteran Zito aims to build audience

Mike Zito could strap on his Fender Strat and play the role of blues guitar-slinger stud as well as the next guy.

He's got the musical chops, the look, and the resume: 18 years playing St. Louis clubs, hundreds of days on the road breathing gas fumes and eating at interstate greasy spoons, and a bout with alcoholism and addiction.

Except he's already been there and he knows where it leads. So Zito focuses on his songs over his solos, an approach that led to his fine new release, "Today," which includes contributions from some heavy-hitting sidemen who have backed Prince, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Bonnie Raitt.

He can still jam, and he promises a few pyrotechnics at tomorrow's show at the Blue Devil in Toledo, but a more nuanced approach widens his audience and satisfies his songwriting jones.

"I could get a group of guys that would come out and see me every night and they all played guitar and they would watch me play and then we'd talk about guitars," he said in a phone interview, describing his earlier career.

"And then I would play some of these other songs and I could get chicks to come around and regular people and they would say, 'I really like that song,' and it was a bigger audience."

Zito, 37, kicked around for years in St. Louis, recording as inexpensively as possible and hoping to catch a break for his soulful, bluesy music. He sent out hundreds of demos and CDs to record labels and never got any bites until it landed at the Eclecto Groove label. Tony Braunagel, who has produced albums by Taj Mahal, Raitt, and B.B. King, liked the music, and Prince protege David Z came on board for the production.

Suddenly Zito had gone from playing all the instruments on his own albums to working with a studio band that included Benmont Tench, keyboard player for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, bassist James "Hutch" Hutchinson, who plays with Raitt, Boz Scaggs, and Joe Cocker, and a few other sidemen extraordinare.

The resulting disc, "Today," places Zito firmly on strong singer/songwriter ground. One of the highlights is a sultry, bedroom-friendly cover of Prince's "Little Red Corvette." While he's making a name for himself now playing small clubs, it's not a stretch to imagine Zito playing large amphitheaters and opening for the likes of Raitt or Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Zito said he's most happy with the treatment his songs received.

"It sounds kind of ridiculous, but I was happy for the songs that they got a fair shake to have these people come in and listen to them and really try to understand them," he said.

Now living in Texas when he's not on the road, Zito overcame a serious addiction problem several years ago, something he's not shy about discussing. He said blues guitarist Walter Trout, who had his own struggles with alcoholism, helped get through to him by convincing Zito that he was cheating both his fans and himself.

Now he doesn't have any problem staying away from booze or drugs on the road.

"Corny or not, I had a full psychic change that took place and now it would just be ridiculous. It would be like if you were allergic to peanuts and you were saying, 'Dude give me a PB and J, that sounds great,' and you end up in the hospital."

The current tour is designed to get out in clubs and swing the musical spotlight around to him and "Today," building an audience that he hopes can last over a few more CDs and some much bigger venues.

"No one knows who I am and we have to convert them one at a time," Zito said.

Tickets for Mike Zito at the Blue Devil, 938 West Laskey Rd., tomorrow are $6 at the door. The music begins at 9 p.m.