One of Finland’s greatest musical exports, legendary rocker MICHAEL MONROE returns to the US for a special New York City show on Sunday, May 9th at Highline Ballroom.

Prior to the Highline show, Michael Monroe and his bandmates will perform at a private John Varvatos event on May 6th as part of John Varvatos’ Thursday Nite Live Series.

Michael Monroe has long been at the forefront of breaking music barriers. The Finnish musician and multi-instrumentalist rose to fame as the singer for HANOI ROCKS and has served as the frontman for many all-star collaborations including GUNS N' ROSES and DEMOLITION 23 with Little Steven. Coming off the Hanoi Rocks reunion from 2002-2008, Michael returns with his new group. Together they will perform an assortment of material ranging from Hanoi Rocks and Demolition 23 classics, Michael Monroe solo favorites and some brand new songs the band has written over the last few months.

The band features bassist Sami Yaffa, who has played with a remarkable variety of bands including Hanoi Rocks, NEW YORK DOLLS and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, and guitarist Ginger, who has dazzled audiences over the world with his band THE WILDHEARTS. Also on guitar is Steve Conte, the New York Dolls master fretman who has played with WILLY DEVILLE and his own bands THE CRAZY TRUTH, CROWN JEWELS and COMPANY OF WOLVES. Rounding out the band is drummer Karl "Rockfist" Rosqvist, whose resume includes providing rhythm for the likes of CHELSEA SMILES and DANZIG.

“Really looking forward to playing New York again, especially with this band!. After all, it was my hometown for about 10 years and I’ll always feel a part of it", states one-time Big Apple resident Monroe. “Last time I played there was over 10 years ago and with Sami over 15 years ago, so it’s about time we came back to play there together. I love New York and I can hardly wait for this. It’s gonna be a great show!”

Adds Monroe's bandmate Sami Yaffa, “I’m looking forward to these NYC dates with great excitement as it’s been 15 years since we last shared the stage in my hometown. The Grand shows we did together back then were legendary as we had many of our friends like Joey Ramone, Ian Hunter, Walter Lure and Little Steven etc. come up and share the stage with us. The current band we have kills. Can’t wait for the Nu Yawkers to see and experience this.”

Fans can keep up with all the action via the Michael Monroe Mobile Backstage mobile application available now for free through Apple’s iPhone/iPod application store and at MichaelMonroe.com. Look for more from Monroe and his band as they are set to enter the studio soon to record a new album for the fall.

In related news, Monroe's website reports:

"Attention all Michael Monroe fans. We want YOU to help us promote Michael’s upcoming show in New York City on May 9th at Highline Ballroom! What we want is for you to create a promotional campaign for the show and send us links to your work at competition@michaelmonroe.com and we’ll pick the best one.

Be as creative as you want – videos, flyers, banners, artwork, anything that gets the word out! The winner will receive tickets to a show of their choice and an exclusive backstage meeting with Michael & the band. So get your thinking caps on, the contest closes on May 9th! The winner will be notified by email once we’ve made our decision.

Photos and logo here."