People ask me how I select the music I play. It’s the stuff I grew up with with added caveat that it can be performed with a guitar and voice.  Sure, I could play Freebird but I don’t because I can’t do it justice.  I don’t claim to do it better than the original, however I can apply my own style and nuance and make it uniquely my own. 

I started playing piano at the age of 10, at 14 I went to Hidden Valley Camp and learned to love guitar.  When camp was over I told my mother I was quitting piano and taking up guitar. In her wisdom, she compromised and asked me to continue piano for a few more years but she would buy me a guitar that very day.  Mayers Music was located on 1st Avenue in downtown Seattle and there I found a nylon string rosewood classical guitar.  That guitar spent time on mountain tops, around campfires, on beaches, Literally any place i was willing to pack it.  I still have this guitar to this day.  I took rock guitar lessons, classical guitar lessons, learned from others, and gleaned songs from books.  The very first song I learned was Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding.

The first band I played in was called Metaphysical.  We played one gig, a reggae Christmas party.  I was the bass player.  Several members of that band got together and formed a new group called Hoist.  We started out playing ZZ Top, Hendrix, and Clapton but eventually got to all originals of which I wrote the majority.  I also played with a band called the Thrill Junkies.  Playing in bands is a lot of fun but very few make it to the big time or make a living from it.  I discovered that playing solo gigs was also very fulfilling.  I signed up online with a gig finding website called Gigmasters.  My first gig was a request for a set of only Jimmy Buffet songs so I learned how to be a parrot head.  My set was 45 minutes long and when I was done, I said “That’s all the Buffett I know.”   The hostess asked me to play it again and I ended up  playing it three times that night.  I got such great reviews that my next gig was a wake where I played about 6 hours straight.  That is where I learned the depth of my book.  For many years I played weekly at the Tandem Dinner and Wine Bar in Bothell, WA.  I was also a charter boat captain at the time and so they called me Capt. Mike

In High School, I began writing songs.  Experience tells me that you need to write a whole bunch of crappy songs before you can write any good ones and I wrote a lot of crappy ones.  The fun part is I don’t feel a need to follow a formula, so who says a song has to have a chorus.  I had to drop out of my music theory class in collage.  It was only many years later that I learned why the chords I chose sounded good together.  Usually what makes a band or song special is the fact that something new and innovative was done.  I also appreciate the great song writers, how they built on the shoulders of those before them.

I play the music I grew up with as well as originals. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can receive is when people dance and sing along with me.  With a book of over 6 hours of music I can match the mood and atmosphere of any venue I play. Requests are often fulfilled.

My favorite band is Steely Dan.  Their lyrics are sublime.  I also admire, the Grateful Dead, CSN&Y, Neil Young, Tom Petty, John Prine, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and of course Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Currently, on the weekends when the weather is good I play music on the Boardwalk in la Conner in front of the La Conner Waterfront Day Spa. We have great outdoor lounges and firepits. You are welcome to take a seat and enjoy.  If you desire to tip the musician he won’t mind.