Todd Michaelsen is a singer/songwriter, a cinematic composer of award winning films, and producer living in Brooklyn, NY. He is best known for his work in the rock band My Pet Dragon, in which he and and his wife, Reena Shah, are the founding members. The band's main musical influences include The Beatles, David Bowie, Neil Young, Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Todd was born in Colorado but grew up in upstate New York along the Vermont border in a small town called Granville. His love affair with music started with his parents music of Led Zepplin, Springsteen, Dylan, and Neil Young. In grade school Todd started playing the trumpet and sang tenor in the school chorus and plays. Later in high school he taught himself to play the guitar and immediately began writing music. He then formed a rock band at Binghamton University called the Guilders.
He left school and came to New York City in 2002 to pursue music full time. There he became exposed to various kinds of music that eventually shaped his own creations. From Indie Rock and Electronica, to Drum and Bass, Hip Hop and Indian "fusion" music, Todd became mesmerized by the world of possibilities. After a brief stint in the post- rock band Cetacea, Todd branched out on his own and created My Pet Dragon. Along with his wife, actress/dancer Reena Shah, the two performed in New York City under the name My Pet Dragon with live loops and various musicians. He released "First Born", a self-produced collection of rock songs ranging from quiet folk to psychedelic electronica. DJ's and rock fans alike noted the album equally. EthnoTecho.com gave the album 5 stars citing that Todd Michaelsen "forges new territory in blending disparate sounds and influences together into a novel experience." After a performance in Chicago, CollegeNews.com wrote that My Pet Dragon "lulled the audience into a state of complete concentration and fascination" and "the sound Todd creates pushes music in a new direction ".
My Pet Dragon's performances and recordings caught the ear of acclaimed producer Karsh Kale. He asked Todd to co-write and sing on 3 songs for his 2006 release "Broken English" on Six Degrees Records. The song "Dancing at Sunset", received high praise and radio play, especially in England. Todd was later asked to co-write again with Kale, this time for the Anoushka Shankar/ Karsh Kale 2007 release entitled "Breathing Under Water", which also featured the work of Norah Jones and Sting, released on EMI records.
Also in 2007, Todd Michaelsen was asked by cartoonist Nina Paley to create an original soundtrack and score for her first animated feature movie called "Sita Sings the Blues". Todd created 2 original songs including the Title Music (Sita in Space) and Agni Pariksha (Sita Fire), as well the original score. "Sita Sings the Blues" had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and is currently on the film festival circuit. It won "Best Animated Feature" at the Annecy Film Festival in France and has been getting glowing reviews at every festival in which it has appeared.
Michaelsen worked with film maker Lindsay Crystal on her short film entitled "Spoke", a travel film for Holland.com penning the original song "Around the World With You" for the video. Michaelsen also scored Matt Linnell's award winning short called "Security".
In 2008, Michaelsen composed original music for Oscar winner Vanessa Roth's "Third Monday in October", a documentary which follows middle school children through their school's election process. The film won the audience award at the Austin Film Festival and will featured in October of 2008 on the Sundance Channel.
Currently, Michaelsen is working with producer Stephen George on his next My Pet Dragon record entitled "Mountains and Cities". The album will be released soon on Gimme That Sound Records later this year.
