A Modern Crooner

Michael Carter brings the golden-age crooner into the modern Bay Area with a voice that feels both familiar and new — warm as a low-lit lounge and smooth as a well-made martini. Metro Newspaper hailed him as “a latter-day crooner who sings in the style of Sinatra,” praise he carries with an easy grin and a relaxed confidence that sets the tone for every Vintage Noise performance.

Born into a multi-generational musical family, Michael sharpened his craft under Bay Area jazz legend Nate Pruitt of Primary Colors. With his mentorship, Michael developed a baritone that’s rich, honest, and quietly magnetic — the kind of voice that makes people stop mid-conversation just to listen. Drawing inspiration from Sinatra’s swing, Jobim’s sensuality, and Bennett’s charm, he creates a sound that feels timeless but never dated.

On any given week, Michael is the warm center of lounges, wineries, and jazz venues from San Francisco to San Jose, inviting audiences into a world where the night slows down and the music takes over. Leading Vintage Noise, he sets the ensemble’s signature tone: smooth, intimate, lightly swinging — a modern echo of the classics with its own fresh spark. As The Metro noted, “If there’s a time for crooning to make a resurgence, it’s probably now — it’s totally Vintage.”