Mike Lerman

So I come from a big family with 4 brothers in the San Fernando Valley of LA, and when I was 11, my older brother Bryce started to learn guitar.

I became enamored with writing songs, playing & learning stuff from him.

Then in junior high a year later, I'd befriended this hard rock band that had played a few shows, they were definitely the heaviest group in school.

So I joined, and we skateboarded with our instruments all over the valley getting in trouble; always jamming and always talking about metal and the future.

That really started what would eventually become a lifelong friendship and musical journey called MESIA.

Mat, John, Nick and I played a bajillion shows anywhere and everywhere, our drummer Johnny's uncle had been a touring keyboardist for The Traveling Wilburys, so we spent our some solid, formative teenage years recording in his studio.
By the time I was in college, we'd released a couple of of EPs and a few live tracks, played every Hollywood club, every crappy dive bar in the area, and sort of became the self proclaimed go-to party band in the Valley.

I had also started playing with some college friends, another group called Pack Of Lies that played for about 5 years together, and even started a comedy band that put out a few Not-Exactly-Safe-for-work masterpieces.

It was a lot of fun and the party seemed unstoppable. But you know times change, people grow, move away... It can become harder to keep it up especially living in LA.

By 2015 Mesia had taken a break, Pack of Lies had been discontinued, the comedy stuff had run its course and I, having gotten a music industry desk job also kind of stepped back for a bit.

I was still playing in great groups, but hadn't released any of my own stuff in years. Our group of friends of became those veterans of rock and roll and still loved it, but had been given a different hand in life.

I really cant complain. I'm super lucky to have an awesome family, a wonderful girl, and a group of great and talented friends. I also cant stop writing songs. Its my outlet and inspiration, my therapy.

So a few years ago, I came up with a plan to bring everyone out of retirement. This album, 'Underdog' is for everyone who fails to give up. It's for the the dreamers still striving for greatness in their spare time; the loyal friends and family members who stick together when times are tough.

The new album "Underdog" is a call to arms for those who might have been looked over, forgotten, downtrodden, This for the heroes waiting in background, the sleepers and the dark horses. Who says an old dog can't learn some new tricks?