Michael Longoria—known for his powerful vocals as a star of Jersey Boys and The Midtown Men—is celebrating the release of his new album, Catch a Wave, a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Beach Boys. The project captures the sun-soaked harmonies and timeless melodies that defined a generation, while showcasing Longoria’s own dynamic vocal style.
The album will be officially launched during a special release concert on April 11 at 7 PM at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, where Longoria and his band will bring classic surf-era sounds to life in an evening celebrating nostalgia, harmony, and the enduring magic of Beach Boys music.
INTERVIEW >>>
Your new album pays tribute to the iconic sound and spirit of the Beach Boys. What inspired you to celebrate their music, and how did you approach honoring their legendary harmonies while still making the project uniquely your own?
It’s interesting. I was spending a lot of time alone. I started to change my life. I was no longer in a relationship and instead of jumping around looking for love, I thought I should try to spend some time alone. Which is scary as hell because I am used to having a guy in my life. I was just unlucky in love so many times that I was like, “I’m going to wait now. Let me just see what happens. Let me ask myself ‘What do I want?’ for once.“ Because once I am in a relationship, it’s all about who I’m with and what do they want. I kind of surrender everything to what their experience is. I decided to just see what the universe brings to me. Spending all this time alone, I started developing playlists. I’ve always liked the Beach Boys. They were always a part of growing up for most people. If you grew up in America, you’ve heard some form of Beach Boys somewhere. I wanted to see what it would be like if I sang one of their songs. The first song was “The Warmth of the Sun”. It is not one of their famous songs, but it starts off with this really high falsetto, which reminded me of the way I normally sing, and the kind of music that I sing, 1960s rock. That was the first song I added to my playlist and then “California Girls”. I really started to explore their entire catalog. I realized that these songs not only fit my voice, but with different harmonies it gave you different characters to be in the song. You could be the main guy, who is heartbroken. Or you could be the background vocal soaring high above the clouds. It gave me so much to explore.
The Beach Boys are known for their lush vocal arrangements and nostalgic storytelling. Which elements of their music did you most want to capture on this album, and which songs or eras influenced you the most?
I heard the story behind one of the songs. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, he wrote “Don’t Worry Baby”. He wrote that song in response to a song he loved so much, which was “Be My Baby”. He originally wrote this song for Ronnie Spector to record, but she wasn’t allowed to. We all know she was under some crazy contract with Phil Spector. So he ended up releasing it on his own. But the song behind it was about them. As a musical theater person, I’m always looking for the story behind the story. On paper, the story is about a boy who is about to be in a drag race. He’s sitting in the car and he is scared to race, but he already bragged about it to his friends. That his car is so good and he’s going to beat them in this race. And he’s thinking about this girl. In my mind, I think he’s thinking about Ronnie Spector. In my imagination, he’s in the car and the song is on the radio and the music and the beauty of the girl’s voice kind of gives him the strength and courage to go through with the race. I love the story about it and knowing that Brian Wilson was so inspired by the Ronettes.
You’ll be celebrating the album with a special release show on April 11 at the Laurie Beechman. What can audiences expect from that evening, and how will the live performance bring the spirit of this tribute album to life?
I’m going to be debuting these songs live with my band, the Surf Notes. It is just going to be a celebration of this music. I did a little presentation of it back in January. It was a music convention. It was interesting that people were questioning if this was a tribute act. It really is not. My band is not dressing up like the Beach Boys. We are not trying to recreate the characters. It’s just me taking these songs on as me. A gay Latin man from New York City.
The music really is universal and genderless. Even though they were singing about a surfer girl, I’m still able to connect with these words and the experience of somebody getting around and going down a boulevard and being the hot stuff of the night.
Even in “Help Me Rhonda”, he’s talking about needing a girl to help him get over another girl. How many of us don’t know what that’s like?
Their songs can go anywhere you want them to go. And that’s what’s also interesting about them as a band. They were kind of these nice, all-American boys, but they were really the down and dirty party boys that were writing about real things and real experiences.
Is the April 11 show going to be a traditional concert or are you planning to incorporate storytelling, visuals or theatrical elements to reflect both the Beach Boys’ legacy and your own style?
It will be a live concert with a band. Two guys, a la the Ronettes. Instead of beehives, they will be wearing letterman jackets. We are trying to recreate some of the vibe of the ‘60s. And also try to keep true to some of what the Beach Boys were about. That old school vibe being brought to a new lens in 2026.
In addition to your recording career, you’ve appeared in several Broadway productions. Has your experience on the Broadway stage shaped the way you approach performing live music?
I think so. Because just on the dramatic part, when I take apart a song, yes, there is a hook and a melody that is very important to the joy of expressing the music of the song. But I always dive into those lyrics as a story. Because deep within each song is a story. I always look at each song as a three-minute play. In the verse, they’re telling you what is up. In the chorus, you’re getting the gist of what the issue is. And then you go back into it in more detail in the second verse. In a song that I recorded, “Let Him Run Wild”, he’s talking to this girl that he really wants to be with, but she is broken hearted by this other guy who runs around on her. He is telling her how it drives him crazy to hear this guy lie to her. That she could do so much better and just let him run. That is a complete monologue in a sense. You’re listening to the storyteller telling you two things. He’s telling you he’s in love with this girl and that this girl doesn’t love him. You go on this ride. You’re hearing the music hook and you’re singing along. You’re going on this mini play. You are experiencing the heartbreak of this young man.
Looking back at your journey through theater, recording, and now this tribute album, what continues to inspire you most as an artist at this stage of your career?
I find being in the recording studio my favorite place to be. Even though I love being on stage and performing for people, I enjoy perfecting a song experience. Live, you get one chance. You start and whether you forget the words or not, that is going to keep going. You’ve got to finish that song and hit that high note. But in the recording studio, if the emotions are not right or if the note just isn’t quite right, you get to go back and really perfect it. By the end product, you get this almost perfect masterpiece of the best version it could possibly be if I was to really express this with no flaws. Sometimes there’lll be flaws because it is emotionally effective.
