Range Life is a new one man band consisting of Mike Chiarappa. Chiarappa started releasing music in 2020 as a solo artist; in addition, he has released four songs and is currently in the making of a record. “Range Life” is inspired by Chiarappa’s favorite song by Pavement, and he said he just thought the name sounded cool. Chiarappa is from N.J. and has been making music basically his whole life. He is currently in a band called The Stolen, which has been on Billboard. In 2020, Chiarappa decided to start making his solo music along with his band’s music. “I basically started making a solo record because I would always write songs and thought why not put them out rather than keep them for myself,” says Chiarappa.

With his four current songs, his sound is alternative. He says that most of his influence comes from 90s alternative and some folk music. His first song released, “Runaway”, has a sound that makes you just want to keep listening. With every song feeling a little different from the last, all of his releases thus far have been hits. Chiarappa has been making all these songs himself in a studio that he also works at. When I asked him about his creative process he said, “My creative process is basically I write a song on an acoustic guitar and then if I am happy with it, I’ll record it at my studio I work at. It is definitely frustrating but it is rewarding doing most of it on your own.” He also used a tape recorder, and even though many people may think it is outdated, he enjoys the sound of it and it sounds really nice with the style of his music.

In my opinion, Chiarappa also has a wonderful stage presence as I have had the pleasure of seeing him perform ten times. He is underrated and I feel like people definitely need to give his music a shot. Not only is he a wonderful musician, he also is one of the nicest and funniest people I have met. He puts his all into his music and you can tell he has a passion for it. Mike’s advice for people wanting to go into the music industry is, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Make sure you are happy with what you make and that’s all that matters.” Chiarappa says that what’s next for Range Life is finishing his record. To listen to Range Life, all of the music is available on Spotify, Apple Music and any other streaming service. You can keep up with Mike on his Instagram and Twitter @rangelifeband. For any other questions regarding this article, you can reach out to Katlyn Roberts at [email protected].