Dude Acoustic Trio w/ Mike Ward Trio – February 7, 2026

DUDE acoustic trio is from Detroit, MI. U.S.A.  DUDE acoustic trio is a striped down version of the songs that are based on the power pop & rock group that is the amplified, electric band, DUDE. DUDE’s songwriting style is predicated on the late 60’s & early 70’s era bands like The Pretty Things, Todd Rundgren, Lovin’ Spoonful & Big Star, to name a few.  

At the core of this three-piece harmony, acoustic trio is front man, lead singer/songwriter/Fender Rhodes piano bassist, Tony Muggs.  Tony Muggs gets his songwriting inspiration from his life experiences and imaginative mind, always thinking about melody and harmonies, while attempting to tell a good story.  Tony also plays Fender Rhodes piano bass in his original bands, The Muggs and The Hourlies and his two other tribute bands, Rattlesnake Shake, a Peter Green Fleetwood Mac tribute band and Mega Weedge, a tribute to the band, WEEN.

Stephen Garcia, adding harmonies and playing acoustic guitar, has been in the band since starting the “live” iteration of the amplified, electric band, DUDE, back in 2015.  Stephen is also a singer/songwriter in his own right.  In 2025, he released his own, Stephen Simple Podcast on Apple Music where you can hear all of his new musical releases.  Stephen also sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar in the Grateful Dead tribute band, Supercrunch.

Kristin Von Bernthal rounds out the third voicing to DUDE’s three-piece harmony, acoustic trio and also accompanies the band playing acoustic guitar.  Kristin Von B, as she’s known around Metro Detroit, has been singing and playing guitar in rock n’ roll/pop rock bands for her entire adult life.

The history of DUDE’s discography:

DUDE’s first album, KID GLOVES, was written, recorded and co-produced over the span of 3 years with Grammy winning musician, Bobby Emmett (Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson & Jack White) and was officially released in March of 2012.  These songs reflect Tony’s tumultuous life after surviving a near death, hemorrhagic stroke in September of 2001.

DUDE’s second full-length album is entitled AUTOBIOGRAFFITTI.  This album of eleven tracks (released 4.15.23) is interesting and dense in the spectrum of style, pop craft, rock machismo, and textural sensibility.  This album has eight pop/rock songs, two dreamy ballads ala bands like The Beach Boys and an alt country & western ditty.

AUTOBIOGRAFFITTI (the album) took six years to make, due to the recording, mixing and producing processes (and COVID).  Coinciding with this album, Tony Muggs also wrote the first of two autobiographies entitled AUTOBIOGRAFFITTI (the book) – released on 12.1.2022 – about his life as a stroke survivor, coming of age as a musician on the Detroit music scene, his extraordinary friendship with Danny Muggs, his two months in various hospitals and a rehab center, The Muggs adventures on national TV in 2007 for the American Idol spin off flop, The Next Great American Band and other harrowing stories from his childhood like surviving after a bi-plane crashed in his backyard when he was playing in the yard upon the time of impact.  The book is available through Amazon and to learn more about Tony Muggs, how to get his book and DUDE, please visit: tonymuggs.com

DUDE’s next adventure:

DUDE is currently in the studio producing their third full length album entitled DESTROYIT, which is due out on streaming, CD, downloads and vinyl in the fall of 2026. 

Award-winning Detroit singer-songwriter Mike Ward is known for his lyrically-centric, vocally-charged folk songs. Born in the 50’s, he grew up through the conscious-raising 60’s, where a new awareness of the world was colliding around him (both good and bad). His influences range from Dylan to Prine to Jason Isbell.

Mike has an intimate songwriting style that reflects family, community and the world around us. His fear of leaving this world without making a difference in the lives of others, is part of what drives him.”How can any of us rest with so much work to be done?”