About Me

From the day my mother gave me my first musical instrument at the age of five, I became a musical sponge.  I learned any instrument I could get my hands on and it didn’t take long before I was repairing and connecting instruments to PA systems.  By 15, I was recording my original songs on reel-to-reel.

Years later, while managing a local music store, I was given the opportunity to perform with the areas most talented musicians, including The Merchants Of Death, Euphoria, Harry Strawberry, Crash Landing, It, and Tellin’ Ellen, The Chase and I haven’t stopped since.  I currently write and record all of my own original music in my home studio.

 

My latest album, Before The Chase, is available now through iTunes and CD Baby. This is an original acoustic rock album recorded with an Ovation 12-string guitar.

Before the Chase on iTunes

Retrograde on iTunes

Touchdown on iTunes

 

Comments
  1. ml844's avatar ml844 says:

    A musical sponge–> love that! It’s so inspiring to see childhood passions grow. Thank you for showing my recent post some love.
    Best,
    Daisy

    Liked by 5 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      Much appreciated, Daisy! For me the passion still grows every day. Looking back just helps me appreciate it all the more. You are very welcome. See you soon.

      Like

  2. simonfalk28's avatar simonfalk28 says:

    Thanks for the follow. See you on the ‘Press.

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      Oh man! How could you have known that I am a long term CB fan???!! Hot Rats on the Zappa album is one of my favorite tunes and all of his work is worthy. It’s a blimp! It’s a blimp! I never think to much when playing guitar, he is absolutely right. Thank you, that was totally unexpected and appreciated!

      Liked by 2 people

      • Creekrose's avatar creekrose says:

        symbiosis i suppose 😉 came my way by way of a local gee-taar playing friend, and i loved the ‘commandments’ (even though i’m no ‘musician’), besides listening to the birds . . . keep the hood on the engine one’s my favorite . . . get ya red hot under there, all fired up ready to let out steam 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      • midimike's avatar midimike says:

        Amazing! The world is a small place. Sometimes the connections seem so far apart when in reality we are all much closer than we think! I hope to hear from you often, my symbiotic friend!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Creekrose's avatar creekrose says:

        ola from arizona where there be ‘real’ cowboys!
        a musical pass along you might like:: vagabond opera . . . mix up of duke ellington/fishtank ensemble/meets drunken piratey opera singers and then some duke otherwise minus the broccolli and coconuts:: fun stuff . . . . makes for movement that reaches the face in a smile 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

      • midimike's avatar midimike says:

        Ola! I am vaguely familiar with them. I did a quick search earlier and will have to do a refresher course soon! I am a sponge and have always relied on others to steer me in the right direction. Thank you!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Kate Rauner's avatar Kate Rauner says:

    Congrats on the albums – I don’t know much about recording but I bet that’s a lot of work on top of the effort to compose and perform.

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      Very kind of you. My daughter’s growing up thought everybody had a studio in their house and instruments everywhere, only to find out none of their school friends knew what they were talking about. Most people are not familiar with the equipment or the process, but a lot of us are curious like you are….. I love to record as much as create new music, live performances are still challenging to this day, but there is a reason they call it “playing”…… it makes you feel like a kid having fun again. Thanks for the comment, Kate.

      Like

  4. Hello, my name is Gregory Thomas, I’m a writer and poet, and post my work on my blog at “Cascadialegends.wordpress.com” I just wanted to thank you for liking one of my stories on my blog. thank you very much! I don’t possess the know how, or money to make a book out of my work, if perhaps you know anybody that could help me, please do let me know, also thanks again. It’s my passion to make people smile through my writing, I wish you the best of luck as well

    -sincerely,

    Gregory Thomas

    Liked by 2 people

  5. 1nv1ctvs's avatar littlewolf121 says:

    Thanks for the like!

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Hello midimike, thank you so much for reading my poem and following my blog 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  7. bino32's avatar bino32 says:

    Hey,
    thanks for liking my post and following my blog. I really appreciate it. It was the first piece I wrote for a project I’m working on. I never thought someone would like it. Thank you so much. Hope you’ll like the other pieces I wanna publish.

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      You are quite welcome, my pleasure! I often feel that way about my lyrics or songs; it takes a few times listening or reading before many people begin to appreciate them. Don’t get discouraged like I did LOL

      Liked by 2 people

      • bino32's avatar bino32 says:

        I don’t think I’ll be discouraged. Writing lyrics helps me to cope with different things. So, if no one likes it, it’s ok, but still it took some weight off my shoulders. If someone likes it, well, all the better.
        Wish you all the best with your music and lyrics.

        Liked by 2 people

      • midimike's avatar midimike says:

        Awesome and good to hear. In my posts and comments, I relate to poems and songwriting as good communication tools to express our thoughts to others, but the best thing about writing is that we get to communicate to ourselves! If you want to have your tunes on the top 10 charts you have to follow a bunch of rules. To take weight off your shoulders, you simply do what works for you! Thanks for the encouragement and hope to see you back soon as well.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. rosemcom's avatar rosemcom says:

    Thanks so much for the like and the follow 🙂 Cheers

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Anne Skyvington's avatar Anne Skyvington says:

    Thanks for stopping by my River Girl

    Liked by 2 people

  10. quiall's avatar quiall says:

    Thanks for the follow Mike. I hope you enjoy your visits.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. sporterhall's avatar sporterhall says:

    Hello. Congratulations on your album releases. You are proof that dreams really do come true! Thank you for recently visiting my blog and following. I truly appreciate that and hope that you enjoy the content you find there. I am returning the favor and am now following you also and look forward to the new connection. Have a great evening!! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      Thank you very much. As they say, behind every great man (…… is a daughter that believes in you!!!) Had it not been for her I would not have done this so a big KICK every once in a while is needed to realize those dreams. I applaud those of you that make your own dreams happen LOL. I share your thoughts, and wish you the best.

      Like

  12. Nimmi's avatar Nimmi says:

    Thank you for following my blog and liking my work. It really is very much appreciated. You have a lovely blog and I loved your work too… Looking forward to read more of your lovely work 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      That is very kind of you! As you stated we are all just people. And the fact that you share your life experiences thoughts, poems and ideas with others is what makes this great. I love your format, by the way. Very clever and I will be visiting a bunch!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Nimmi's avatar Nimmi says:

        Indeed!! Sharing is what we call love and love is what we feel and feeling is life!!
        Aw!! That so sweet of you 🙂
        Thank you so much 🙂

        Liked by 2 people

  13. kmjmreed's avatar kmjmreed says:

    Thanks for following my blog, your time is very much appreciated.

    Liked by 2 people

  14. EJ Jackson's avatar elainejackson12014 says:

    Hi Mike, thank you for following my blog! Are you a sci-fi fan? I love your enthusiasm for your music – I feel pretty much the same way about my writing, especially since I have only come back to it quite recently. It’s a continual learning process, isn’t it?

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      You are quite welcome. To answer your question….. ABSOLUTELY ! I will post thoughts from time to time, but have always been fascinated by the possibilities of man/woman kind and science, planned or unplanned! Thank you for beautiful comments. As you know…. Sometimes it is after the “reset” or the vacation that we renew that connection; the joy of creating and at the same time opening up. I have always said, “I wouldn’t get out of bed of I didn’t think I’d learn something new”.
      Yes, but the learning process is all the fun – isn’t it? Thank you again, that was special.

      Like

  15. EJ Jackson's avatar elainejackson12014 says:

    PS – I see we’ve chosen the same WordPress theme for our blogs, too!! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Mukta's avatar Mukta says:

    thanks for liking my blog!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Thank you for following Storyteller. — Ray

    Liked by 2 people

  18. 2ndhalfolife's avatar 2ndhalfolife says:

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. patgarcia's avatar patgarcia says:

    Hi,
    So nice meeting you. I am a musician/singer also and I will check out one of your tunes. Absolutely fantastic the network connections that we can build up by using the net.
    Shalom,
    Pat Garcia

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Humberto Piccoli's avatar betopiccoli says:

    Hey man, thanks for following my new blog. Nice job with your music and page! I “overhead” above there that you are a Cap. Beefheart fan, that’s pretty cool! I am a FZ fan, and the types of you and I are not easily found nowadays!
    Since you have a good taste in music AND you are my blog’s first follower I’ll make sure I’ll write something cool about either CB or FZ in the next weeks 😉
    I’ll be checking out your news too.

    Cheers!

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      You are quite welcome, glad to help! Agreed. I go way back with FZ. I think the third album zi ever purchased was a FZ and The Mothers of Invention. Amazing stuff even today so stay proud! That would be appreciated and I will keep checking in on your blog. Hopefully the first of many followers. Thank you for comments.

      Liked by 1 person

  21. dridenour's avatar writing, writing, words words words. says:

    Congrats!! But don’t follow me cuz I am freaked out by Followers – IDK, I think it’s bcuz I read everything they write and I respond and then have no time left over for my own writing, off the computer. But thank you so much!!

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Aneesha Sopori's avatar aneesha sopori says:

    you have a great blog. please suggest me ways to improve mine too. Thanks in advance. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      That is very kind of you to say. I do not take credit as my daughter is the one who kicks me every day to make sure I do this right. So my first piece of advice is to have a daughter that makes you look great LOL!! I am new at this but I will be glad to help. Thank you for stopping by.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. von reuth's avatar von reuth says:

    Thank you for the like and the follow, we look forward to hearing more from you and your experiences as a ‘musical sponge’. vr

    Liked by 2 people

  24. iangardner's avatar Ian Gardner says:

    Welcome to the blog Neoptions, Mike, may what you glean from it inspire your music and help you on your journey 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  25. DeniseBalog's avatar DeniseBalog says:

    Thanks for stopping by my place today Midimike:) Your the first musical blogger who has crossed my path. I am looking forward to listening and reading more from you! Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Thanks for the follow!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Crysh's avatar Crysh says:

    Thank you for visiting and following my blog. I appreciate it very much. 🙂 More power to you sir.

    Liked by 2 people

  28. indmish's avatar indmish says:

    Hi..Thanks for following my blog! I would love to know your thoughts on the posts…:)

    Liked by 2 people

  29. rosesarecool's avatar rosesarecool says:

    Hello! Thank for the follow! I think your music is pretty awesome 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  30. […] a nice weekend off, and I found to my delight that I had a new subscriber who goes by the name of midimike. Thanks for subscribing Mike, I do find it genuinely […]

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Thanks for the follow, Mike. I hope your albums do well.

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      You are very welcome, and thank you for the good wishes. Seeing the positive comments and feedback is amazing and I hope listeners more enjoy some of these tunes.

      Like

  32. A. J. Lee's avatar A. J. Lee says:

    Hi Mike, You are very talented. I hope all goes well for you. Thank you for stopping by my blog today and the follow. AJ 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  33. ntyagi9291's avatar ntyagi9291 says:

    hey 🙂 I am glad I came across your blog.. the music is lovely and I can really relate to the words that make it ..wish I could collaborate with you in some way ! its difficult to find art you can relate to 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      I enjoy meeting you too and thank you for a wonderful message. You know, sometimes it is the last place you would expect to look when you find it. I had no idea members of this community would end up being so much like me; creative, hopeful, encouraging, open and honest. I will dig deeper into your blog to get a better idea, but if you have ideas I would love to get your thoughts for a project.
      Once we do find art we can relate to, it changes our world. It is worth the search!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Thank you for the follow! I wish you continued success on your musical journey.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. AIG's avatar AIG says:

    Thanks for reading and liking my poems!

    Liked by 2 people

  36. Thank for taking time away from your music to visit my blog!

    Liked by 2 people

  37. meefoome's avatar M says:

    Hi there! Thanks for the like and follow, much appreciated.
    Your About story reminded me of my youngest brother 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/user/hansgitaar
    Wishing you success!

    Liked by 2 people

  38. Sandy Sue's avatar Sandy Sue says:

    Mike, thanks so much for visiting my site and choosing to follow along. I would be dead without music. Consider yourself a healer.

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      That is me too. I could not live without music. I am not sure what else is that powerful for me. A healer……. I LIKE that a bunch! You are very welcome and I am glad to know you.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. inari's avatar inari says:

    Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. Your music is great and I’ll be listening while draw and paint 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  40. Léa's avatar Léa says:

    You are indeed fortunate. I’m afraid music for me is limited to singing and listening. I’m afraid I am technically challenged.

    Liked by 2 people

  41. Sheila McIntrye Good, Author's avatar Sheila says:

    Impressive accomplishments. Thanks for stopping by the Cow Pasture and becoming a fellow fence jumper; much obliged and welcome.

    Liked by 2 people

  42. Very good songs! Have any video self recorded? Would like to post in my blog.

    Liked by 2 people

  43. Thanks for the follow, you are the first. I’m new to writing but hopefully you will like my future posts too 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Hi MIke… Thanks for stopping by and LIKING my post about my father…but I had actually published it inadvertently…. so it was deleted and is now up and ready for reading….. I look forward to keeping up with your blog!

    Liked by 2 people

  45. Hi midimike, thanks for following my blog and I look forward to following yours. Reel to reel – I’m sure we could swap a few stories. Best regards, Phil Stanfield

    Liked by 2 people

  46. NamelessGrace's avatar ParchedSouls says:

    Hi! thanks for following https://wanderingofwords.wordpress.com/
    Your blog looks really interesting and I can’t wait to read more about it.

    Liked by 1 person

  47. brickthomas's avatar brickthomas says:

    Thanks for stopping by and following. I wish you the best with your music.

    Liked by 2 people

  48. Robin Vansal's avatar Robin Vansal says:

    Hello Mike! Thanks for gracing robinsimpressions with a follow!
    I like the way you describe your self- a sound engineer, I am a student of engineering myself!
    A follow in return for your fabulous blog. I can’t express the thrill of being a part of a wonderful community in which there are so many amazing people like you:) I have always loved to listen to music, whether in a language I know or not. Unfortunately, I don’t own a guitar or something. I will enjoy my journey WordPressing with talented folks like you!
    -smile and shine
    robin

    Liked by 2 people

    • midimike's avatar midimike says:

      Hey! You are very welcome. We are all students, Robin and I learn something new every session. I have also been impressed by this community. A lot of talent and creativity out there. Thank you very much for the kind words! Exactly…… great music can be ‘felt’ even if we do not understand the language. (Half the time I cannot understand singers in my language!) Music is a language tool. Until you are able to practice on your instrument of choice, the voice may be good for you and percussion on anything can always be fun! Please feel free to visit often. Share and Enjoy!

      Liked by 1 person

  49. KT's avatar KT says:

    Dear Mike
    What a gentle soul you are! Thank you for following me, I am honored!

    Liked by 2 people

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