Michael Farneti -

Michael Farneti is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Palm Beach Shores who released the 1976 album Good Morning Kisses on self-press Full Moon. Subsequent 1980s demos surfaced on Looking for a Goddess.

Background

Michael Farneti was born on March 19, 1951, and grew up near the Atlantic coast in Palm Beach Shores, Florida. He taught himself guitar at age twelve or thirteen and added piano two years later. Farneti also played viola and baritone horn in his high-school orchestra, then majored in music theory and composition in college.

Several high-school groups preceded the solo format he developed through a summer job at a country-and-western bar. Farneti supported himself through nightly performances and later succeeded guitarist Pete Dollard at the Loggia Lounge on Worth Avenue. Bass pedals and a drum machine expanded the act into a one-man setup.

Palm Beach party engagements financed a two-track Ampex and an eight-track Ampex. He later leased half of a warehouse beside his father’s advertising agency and established Farneti Recording Studio in Riviera Beach. Farneti then began the album sessions.

Good Morning Kisses

Michael Farneti released his debut album, Good Morning Kisses, in 1976 on self-press Full Moon.

Farneti built the eleven-song album through layered solo performance and selective family participation. His twelve-year-old brother Dan supplied percussion, while Ira Smith played banjo on “In Love Again.” Farneti’s mother and sisters added backing voices, and his father joined “Come to Europe.” The singer wrote every song and created larger ensembles through doubled trumpet plus six overdubbed violin lines.

“Come to Europe” parades through doubled trumpet phrases and straight-faced delivery. “ESP Switch” glides through sunlit, glassy contours and clear phrasing. “Nineteenth Summer” drifts across winding chord changes, soft singing, theremin haze and piano-bass unison. “Good Morning Kisses” sways between 3/4 and 4/4 measures with tender phrasing.

“In Love Again” skips through a banjo-led acoustic pattern and homespun motion. “In the Jungle” struts across a party-floor beat with a classical contour drawn from Tchaikovsky. “New York Mugger” scampers across a dance-floor beat before a kazoo solo.

A1. “Come to Europe” (2:04)
A2. “Movie Star” (2:22)
A3. “ESP Switch” (3:06)
A4. “Nineteenth Summer” (4:00)
A5. “Rock Candy Roll” (2:28)
A6. “Good Morning Kisses” (2:58)

B1. “In Love Again” (1:51)
B2. “In the Jungle” (3:27)
B3. “New York Mugger” (2:00)
B4. “Georgia Peaches” (3:38)
B5. “The River” (3:34)

Farneti produced and recorded Good Morning Kisses in 1976 at Farneti Recording Studio in Riviera Beach, Florida. He used the two Ampex machines financed through Palm Beach engagements and calculated the acoustic treatment for the warehouse room.

Uncredited front artwork places an orange sun above a blue-and-orange geometric horizon beneath outlined block lettering and Farneti’s script name. Back-cover typography frames a black-and-white outdoor portrait beside the studio and personnel credits.

Companion Records handled the first licensed reissue in May 2011, after collector Paul Major recovered an original copy at a garage sale and contacted Farneti. The 2016 repress comprised 500 exact-reproduction LPs pressed at RTI in heavy Stoughton jackets.

“Hello Young Lovers”

Farneti resumed release activity with “Hello Young Lovers” on August 26, 2021, through 3260400 Records DK.

Looking for a Goddess

Michael Farneti released his second album, Looking for a Goddess, on August 2, 2022, through 3260400 Records DK.

Farneti first assembled the project as a 1980s cassette demo and circulated copies among Nashville companies. “Loose Women” appeared on a K-102 battle-of-the-bands compilation in 1983, while “Jump City” credits Ron Hunt and the Windsurf Guys. The group returns on “Young Rich Good Looking Wimp.”

1. “Looking for a Goddess” (5:01)
2. “You Make Me Feel Like a Million Dollars” (3:35)
3. “Piece of Light” (3:28)
4. “Brush Fire” (2:28)
5. “Givin’ It Up” (4:07)
6. “How Do I Make It Beautiful” (3:11)
7. “Jump City” (2:25)
8. “Loose Women” (4:21)
9. “Young Rich Good Looking Wimp” (3:06)
10. “The Union” (1:46)
11. “For You and Me” (3:30)

The digital release derives from a cassette Farneti recovered while clearing his mother’s home. He transferred the tape after the original Nashville circulation produced no deal.

“Piece of Light” reappeared as a standalone digital single on August 28, 2023, through 3260400 Records DK.

Later Singles

Farneti issued “When You Love Someone” on January 24, 2024, through 3260400 Records DK. “Attic” followed on May 21 through the same imprint. The label released “What You Gonna Do?” on August 28, 2025, as his next digital single.

Discography: