During his tenure with The Naked Barbies/Vagabond Lovers and his song-a-week internet project “52 Songs”, Michael Zapruder has gained a reputation as one of the Bay Area’s indie rock elder-statesman. Thus, when it came time to record his sophomore solo, he had no trouble building himself an indie-orchestra supergroup when it came time for him to record his solo debut. Dubbed “Michael Zapruder’s Rain of Frogs” the group features members of the Decemberists, Camper Van Beethoven and Pink Mountain and, along with other Bay Area contributors, have joined Michael for two records, New Ways of Letting Go on Howell’s Transmitter in 2006 and Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope, in 2008 on SideCho Records.

"...a damned fine singer-songwriter (and guitarist and pianist) from San Fran, Zapruder's little song-nuggets evoke Ron Sexsmith, Tom Petty (without the obvious roots-rock influence), Rufus Wainwright, [and] newer Elvis Costello." 
-- Village Voice 

"[Zapruder] is a master of mellow, sitting at his piano and playing songs that fit somewhere along the lines of Ron Sexsmith mixed with Paul McCartney and Elliot Smith." 
-- Mike Bennett, Fufkin.com 

"Michael Zapruder is part of a rare breed, able to weave sophisticated lyrics into sophisticated songs without losing our interest or bagging the whole thing in some Dylan-esque mad-grab for attention. Zapruder's not vying for some dime-a-dozen "new Dylan" tag like so many of that ilk. 

There's an ache in his voice and a cut to the cloth of his electric guitar and elaborate grand piano that's more Hunky Dory-Bowie and similarly grandiose glam, and might fit on either of Nick Cave's last two records. 

One of Zapruder's recent projects was a yearlong journal in which he produced a song per week. If there were any cliches or laspes in writing judgement left in Zapruder, cathartic exercises like this seem to have exorcised them. 
-- Justin Hopper, Pittsburgh City Paper