Mike was born in San Luis Obispo, CA, and later moved to Virginia with his family at the age of 12. When he was in 8th grade, he had the opportunity to buy a Peavey Foundation bass guitar, and decided that would be an interesting instrument to learn. He taught himself how to play initially by reading technique books, and listening to songs on tape and on the radio. When he went into 9th grade, he had the opportunity to join the high school Jazz band. There he learned the importance of playing 'in the pocket', or setting the rhythm foundation for the entire group. This jazz ensemble was fairly large (on the order of 20 horn and wind players), so he got exposed to some of the more well known Big-Band licks like 'Take the A Train', along with the more esoteric numbers like 'Winter Games' and Exposition. It was at this time he joined a small 3 piece rock band that mainly did Rush covers. The over-the-top punchy playing style of Geddy Lee was an interesting departure from the normal I-IV-V boogie/jazz routines he was used to playing, and showed him how important the bass tone and playing style effected the overall tenor and sound of a group. Fast forward to 1998, after graduating from WVU with majors in Electrical and Computer Engineering and moving back to his home state of California, he was introduced to Martini Max, and proverbial history was made! Since they shared similar tastes in music the pairing was ideal! He joined the band at his inception and has been a member ever since.

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