Drummer, Mixer

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: There are so many! Growing up, my mom was big into disco so I heard alot of the Bee Gees and Donna Summer. My dad loved Jimi Hendrix and my uncles listened to Kiss, Ozzy and so many different heavy metal groups. The music of Pearl Jam , Temple of The Dog, Sound Garden, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews band were also big ones for me along with hip hop/R&B ranging from Tribe Called Called Quest, Dr Dre , Mary J Blige , Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and Michael Jackson. Currently, Dave Grohl inspires me as I feel he can do anything he puts his mind to and it's usually awesome. I have always loved Rick Rubin's approach to making records.I love his taste. As a mixer, Chris Lord- Alge inspires me with his work ethic and production approach. They all drive me to be the best I can.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That it never feels like a job

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio, Mike's Garage, is over 600sf with a great sounding live room! I run Protools 12 and mix mainly with the Slate Everything Bundle. I have a variety of big and small vintage and modern drums, and percussion.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I try to be a chameleon for each song as to not put my stamp on it.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I got my first drum set from my uncle at age 5 and I fell in love! I played along to the radio and my favorite albums everyday, and started playing in bands when I was 12. After high school I put together an original Rock band named Sci Fi Lullaby, which was heavily influenced by Pearl Jam. After that was a Rock band named Base2 which had elements of hip hop. Next was a cover band called Turn Styles,which allowed me to play everything from Stevie Wonder to Fuel and The B52's. This lead to an original modern rock/adult contemporary band called Makel. We traveled,played some really great rooms and were featured in an issue of Rolling Stone. When that project finished up I built a studio in my house and started recording bands and doing remote drum session work. In the process , I met a singer songwriter named Benny Mikula and we eventually formed the original band The Alpaca Gnomes . I am currently play the drums, engineer and mix all of our material in my studio which is called Mike's Garage.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I try to be the best listener I can be!

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Rock,Singer/Songwriter,Folk, Americana,Jam,Hard/Heavy Rock,Pop,Funk

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Whether I am playing the drums or doing production, I always give everything I have to make the song feel the best.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Record live Drum tracks and mixing.