About Achilles’ Heart
Achilles’ Heart is a father/son variety music duo from northeast PA comprised of Mike and Austin Ciarlante. AH formed in the end of 2021 and they played their first show in February of 2022. AH performs a variety of music including rock, pop and country, as well as some original music. They love playing music from different genres, eras and styles of music. Their setlists are always evolving as they add new music (covers and originals) into their sets as much as possible. They’ve never played the same setlist twice and take great pride in that. You’ll never get bored of AH shows because Mike and Austin keep you on your toes with their song choices and have a lot of fun along the way in some of northeast PA’s best venues! They keep each other on their toes too; they enjoy messing with each other and play well off of one another. AH has performed over 175 shows and over 275 different songs in the last three years, and they are excited to see these numbers continue to climb! Mike and Austin love working together and sharing the magic with their audience! Come out and see for yourself!
About Guitar Mike
Mike Ciarlante, aka Guitar Mike, plays lead guitar, bass and sings backing/lead vocals in Achilles’ Heart. Mike started playing guitar at 9 years old. Mike was always interested in music and came to enjoy rock and progressive music the most in his teens. It was during this time, that he also fell in love with live music, as he has been to hundreds of concerts. Mike’s curiosity, hard work, and impressive ear helped him become a versatile guitarist and songwriter. Mike has also been enamored with the engineering side of music for most of his life, recording his own music since his early 20s. He writes rock and country mostly. Mike loves being fun, goofy and creative when performing live. He takes pride in his ability to have a great ear and feel for what to play when improvising guitar solos. Guitar Mike is never content, always looking to push the boundaries of the music AHs plays and utilizing their equipment the best way possible. He is excited to continue to push AH forward by expanding their audience and keeping their performances fresh and unique!
About Big Puppy
Austin Ciarlante, aka Big Puppy (a work nickname that happened to stick), sings lead/backing vocals, plays bass and rhythm guitar in Achilles’ Heart. Austin started playing guitar at 12 years old and writing original music as a teenager. Guitar Mike exposed Austin to all kinds of music growing up and they shared their love music through listening and analyzing which led Austin to developing a strong interest in music theory. That shared love of music transitioned into the studio where Guitar Mike helped Austin record his first solo album “Force of Nature”. In the studio, Austin gained a lot of confidence in his voice as the technique, strength, range and control improved. Austin enjoys using the versatility of his voice to sing all kinds of covers too. For example, emotional ballads like “All of Me” and heavy shredders like “Enter Sandman”. Austin has now released his 7th solo album “When Only the Moon Rages” and is so excited to share more original music through AH performances! He is looking forward to expanding the AH brand and experiencing everything live music has to offer!
