SAU On The Lawn Spotlight...My Pet Dragon

My Pet Dragon is a Rock band founded by Todd Michaelsen. The 5-piece band consists of dancer Reena Shah, bassist Mario Padron, guitarist Vincent Mascolo, and drummer Rajeev Maddela. "MPD", as their fans call them, are signed to Gimme That Sound Productions.

A young Todd Michaelsen came to NYC via the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. He had just quit college and knew that he needed to be in a place where things were happening. His goal was to expand his horizons, so he crashed on his uncle’s couch on the lower east side, soaked up music and read every book he could get his hands on while taking in the excitement of the big city. Todd soon found himself hanging out with musicians, artists and DJs in Brooklyn’s burgeoning art rock scene. It was there that he met Reena Shah, a beautiful Indian dancer and actress.

The two became inseparable and quickly moved in together, their blossoming romance punctuated by the harsh reality of living in a cold water flat in a rough neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn. A shared love of music and art got them through this stressful period. They may have been dead broke but they were falling in love and exploring new ideas. Their luck changed when they went to Mumbai to visit Reena’s relatives. It was Todd’s first trip to India and he was amazed by the experience. The couple explored Jain temples and saw live music, dance and the martial arts of Kerala. Indian culture was thriving despite intense poverty, just as they had thrived as a couple despite the hardships of their lives back home in Bushwick. After two months in India, Todd proposed to Reena on a beach overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Upon returning to New York, the couple formed My Pet Dragon as a music and dance duo. Their encounters in India heavily influenced Todd’s songwriting—rock fans and DJs, alike, embraced their debut album, First Born. A remixed version of the song “Dragon Breath” was played on BBC radio and the album and subsequent tour received rave reviews.

I've been listening to this song "Lover In Hiding" since April of this year and the band gives off a fresh sound that is much needed in music today absolutely love it