Michel Montecrossa

Born to a violinist father and a singer mother who first crossed paths in Paris, cyber-rocker Michel Montecrossa entered a traveling artists’ collective soon after his arrival; the group took its performances across Europe, the United States, and Asia. Immersion in that itinerant circle introduced him to an unusually broad spectrum of influences, prompting him to pick up guitar, harmonica, and piano at six and to begin presenting his own compositions by twelve. Although he has also interpreted material by Elvis and Françoise Hardy, Montecrossa remains most widely recognized for his renderings of Bob Dylan’s catalog. In 1993 he launched the Spirit of Woodstock festival in Mirapuri, Italy, an annual homage to the landmark 1969 event. His first album, the 2000 release Born in Time, assembled a set of Dylan songs, and tracks by the same songwriter appear on nearly every subsequent Montecrossa record. While he occasionally appeared alone, he more frequently performed with the Chosen Few, whose lineup included Mirakali on guitar, vocals, keyboard, and programming; Mirachandra on digital drums; Diana Antara on keyboards, vocals, and programming; and David Butterfield on guitar, vocals, and bass. The band issued its own collection of original material, Songs Like Kisses, in 2004.