About Mike E.T.

     Imagine, what if Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, King Crimson, Ozzy, Sabbath, Nirvana, The Beatles, Zeppelin, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Vai, Beethoven, My Chemical Romance, Pink Floyd and Frank Zappa were all thrown into a blender with some Tequila and strawberries... Then add a bong hit or two... That just BEGINS to tell the story... Hold on to your hats because the roller coaster is going off the tracks...
     Michael Trapp, a.k.a. Mike E.T., a.k.a. The Alien, a.k.a. Captain Freak is a "serious musician." For whatever absurd reason - this label has had almost evil overtones in the 90's and even into the new millennium. He has attended Mannes College of Music in Manhattan and graduated Berklee College of Music in Boston. For those 4 years he focused exclusively on practicing and writing music. After graduation he played in some heavy progressive chops bands in N.Y.C. and L.A. such as Danse Macabre, DreamSpeak, The Fringe and Dreamer. All broke up due to internal differences just as they were getting press and an audience. Fed up with bands in general he became a hired gun, becoming the 2nd guitarist in Eddie Ojeda's (Twisted Sister) band. He bought his own crappy studio and recorded "The Furious Guitar" demo which was featured in a Guitar Player's magazine piece. In the 90's Mike met his dream vocalist Matt Wells. He joined Matt's band Bad Habit - a pure power pop outfit with heavy arena rock overtones; then came Nirvana and the band disintegrated after being offered a minor record deal. In retrospect Mike E.T. is thankful Bad Habit never made it. “Nirvana opened up a whole new can of worms man, and that was right after hearing Nine Inch Nails for the first time. I was never gonna be the same person.” Matt and Mike then went on to record an album for their own selfish purposes and Bliss(This)' "Chasing the Mad Rabbit" was born. Unfortunately for Bliss(This), just as positive reviews and feedback were heading the bands way, Michael's ex-wife was stricken with a serious illness and the music had to be put on hold. During that time, he wrote and demoed the entire "Captain Freak" album. With Mike's ex-wife's illness finally in check he bought a new studio and started recording. But then Matt's wife became pregnant and Mike was pushed into handling all the vocal and instrumental duties. "Fuck it," said Trapp, "I'll change the name of the band to CrimsonFaced and take over the fucking world anyway."  During this dark period of his life Mike also re-wrote and re-arranged and added new songs to "The Furious Guitar" - A 13-song instrumental guitar CD that is one part genius/one part insanity. Fans of over the top guitar playing and amazing instrumental melodies will be FLOORED. It was also during this period that Mike met the beautiful and talented Cash Casia and he was hired for some NYC showcases and recorded on her demo that was shopped to major labels.
     In 2005, Mike E.T., now of CrimsonFaced, released the stunning "Captain Freak" CD. 13 songs of rock and roll majesty, a tapestry of rock's powerful take no prisoners history. Bored of all the nameless faceless rock of the new decade the Alien gave music's boring landscape a serious kick in the ass. Then the Alien disappeared for a few years, rumors of a mushroom crazed binge on Uranus were highly suspect...
     In 2009, the long awaited follow up to "Captain Freak" was finally released. WTF was Mike E.T. doing over the 4 years since Captain Freak? Geez, you would think a musician that locks himself up in his Sober Sucks Studios would come out once and a while to play - but not Mike E.T. The Alien was lovingly caressing his guitar strings in the most god awful perverted way. His poor keyboard was banged and hammered from one end of the studio to the other. Between writing music for a futuristic CGI movie still in development and adding some cool tunes to Cable TV shows and movie soundtracks, Mike E.T., between psychotherapy sessions with his mixer/therapist Paul Kurzweil, wrote and recorded 18 songs, 13 of which come together on the deliciously demented and aptly titled "Lunatic Binge." Whereas "Captain Freak" was mostly in your face the entire CD, "Lunatic Binge" veers from sick rock and roll to melodic musings about life. Think Trent Reznor meets the Bee Gees; after a drug binge. Think Pink Floyd for the 21st Century. Think Ozzy and a sequencer doing battle for each others' soul.
     In 2011, the Alien came back with yet another over-the-top, crazy, insane, strange and weird creation. After spending a year back on Uranus, Mike E.T. started writing a new The Alien Mike E.T. CD. Aptly entitled, Psychobabble, this is an even weirder, more psychedelic, insanity inducing CD than The Furious Guitar. Think Vai meets NIN meets Porcupine Tree and they fall down the rabbit hole after taking acid. Mike E.T. hopes you enjoyed his creation. He poked his head out of his studio to give the world Psychobabble, and then he once again crawled into his studio, locked the door, put a huge dresser up against the door, and imprisoned himself with 50 cases of Corona, 5 bottles of Patron, 5 guitars and 12 Virgins...
     2012 was a great year for The Alien - TV and Film wise - as his music was placed in a TON of Cable series' and cool movie soundtracks...
     2013 found The Alien once again locked up in Sober Sucks Studios with some new shiny equipment. This time a chance meeting with a friend of a friend - one John Jones - a.k.a. RAK 47 - introduced the Alien to the world of - wait for it... RAP and HIP HOP... What?!?!?!? OMG you have NO idea, it isn't rap or rock or hip hop as you would normally think of it. In the space of two weeks Mike E.T. and RAK 47 created 5 diverse tunes that each have their foot in elements of rock, rap, hip hop, metal, punk and disco... oh yes... Welcome to the future - a 5 song EP that will be called - The Alien RAK 47 Attack...
     2014 was the year of The Alien RAK 47 Attack as it is was released and available everywhere for your demented listening pleasure... And out of nowhere a new CrimsonFaced single emerged! Featuring the same people that brought you The Alien RAK 47 Attack, fans of Mike E.T. and CrimsonFaced will be pleasantly surprised by the results!
     2015 was the year The Alien really started cutting his chops composing for film and TV. Beginning work on the score for Toxic Tutu, a two year project that will FINALLY be unleashed on the world sometime in 2017! He also composed over 200 pieces that were added to his publishers (Jingle Punks) catalog...
     2016 Mike E.T. finished up the score for Toxic Tutu and penned the music for the up coming 2017 horror short Psych Therapy... Also adding another 100 pieces to his Jingle Punks catalog. The Alien also FINALLY got back to work on the long awaited up coming 2019 CrimsonFaced CD Twisted!!!
     2017 Mike E.T. decided to start releasing a bunch of his film and TV scoring works on CD and streaming services. So The Alien Mike E.T.'s Aural Fixations, Vol. 1 was unleashed on an unsuspecting planet... Madness and mayhem ensued...
     2018 has already seen the Alien release another film and TV soundtrack work CD, The Alien Mike E.T.'s Aural Fixations, Vol. II. And he is hard at work on a few film projects. Looks to be another amazing year in the life of a little green man...

     2019 he was hard at work on a few live gigs so not much was recorded but lots was performed!

     2020 saw the release of the Alien's score for the major documentary film by the one and only Staci Layne Philips - Stars on Guitars - a documentary on the music group - The Ventures

 


Brief Mike E.T. Interview

Why the name CrimsonFaced?
Ahhhhhhh... That one's easy... CrimsonFaced is a loving tip off the hat to my need for Samuel Adams Lager, Patron Silver, and Frey Vineyards Merlot!!!

Do you play live?
Not at this time. If there is a demand for it I will hire a band and get to it. I am a very spiritual and whacked out of my head performer. The stage is a whole different ballgame than the studio. I feel like an uncaged wild animal when I perform... been known to have sex with my guitar on stage!

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3's) change the music industry?
The internet is the single greatest thing for the musician.... EVER!!!! F*** the record companies and their endless stream of sound-alike bands. F*** the no talent pretty boys and girls who saturate MTV. I care about the songs. If they are great you have my attention. Anything less and I'll pass.

Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
I highly doubt it. It would have to be on my terms... and I doubt that would be o.k. with any label...