Mike Pinto in Long Beach Saturday

On Saturday, Aug. 21 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., self-built singer/songwriter Mike Pinto and his band—just returning to Southern California from a nationwide tour—will perform their brand of storytelling ska-raggae-surf rock on a solar-powered stage, just below the The Pike’s Ferris wheel at the southernmost end of Pine Avenue.

A special, last-minute addition to Summer And Music (SAM) 2010—Downtown Long Beach’s award-winning, sustainable concert series providing an entire summer of free music to the public—Wildcard will take place just after the Red Bull Flugtag challenge on the waterfront at Rainbow Harbor. Sponsored by Red Bull and predicted to draw nearly 100,000 people to Downtown Long Beach, Flugtag (German for “Flying Day”) is a competition among everyday people to create human-powered flying machines.

Mike Pinto—whose musical career has become airborne itself in the last decade—has been touring relentlessly since his first self-released full-length “Little District” came out in 2005. Over the last five years, he has built an enormous underground following and a rabid fan base at home and abroad.

Originally from the Philadelphia suburb Fairless Hills, Pa., Pinto blends together an extraordinary variety of sounds—including reggae, ska, dub, surf rock and Latin rhythms—all accented by his notable acoustic guitar chops and a distinct, imploring voice.

His 2005 solo release “Little District” was flushed out by fellow Philadelphian producer Tim Sonnefeld, allowing Pinto to complete his musical and lyrical vision with a full horn section, organ, heavy bass lines, samples and even some hip hop beats. Pinto’s second full length, a self-titled album graced by the likes of legendary drummer/producer Chuck Treece (Pearl Jam, G Love, Bad Brains, McRad), sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide.

The album, featuring a full band, gained so much attention, that Pinto was urged to follow it up with an entirely acoustic version in 2008. “Everything I Got,” his latest album, has 15 raw, unedited original acoustic tracks (many of which were captured in just one take), and has been pleasing old fans and captivating new ones since it came out in 2009.

“The thing that I think differentiates myself is the storytelling,” Pinto said on a Hawaiian documentary, Hi Surveillance 2. “Most of the time my songs are personal stories. However, there are a lot of stories I find when I meet new people, and I’m looking for a different angle on life. That’s when I try to look to other people, and see what angle they’re looking at.”

Currently residing in Encinitas, Calif., Pinto has played in more than thirty states, doing an average of four shows a week. He played more than 200 shows in 2009. Having played various live acoustic college performances, popular venues and on-air reggae radio station spots, Pinto has hit an unheard of level of success for an unsigned artist.

After the Red Bull Flugtag challenge—where teams of everyday people who build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight—folks can expect a whole new meditative, reggae-induced flying lesson when they venture over to The Pike’s Ferris Wheel and witness The Mike Pinto Band.

Alternative transportation to the event is encouraged, with several public transit options offered by Long Beach Transit. Flyers for the show will be distributed by the SAM Street Team during and after Flugtag to all the foot traffic in Rainbow Harbor. Before and after the show, a local DJ will also be spinning tunes to set the tone for a caliber of instrospective ska almost too perfect for an end-of-summer outdoor surprise.

SAM is co-produced and sponsored by the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) in partnership with SAM co-founders Rand Foster and Justin Hectus.

For more information, visit www.summerandmusic.com or call (562) 436-4259.