Mik first got the drumming bug from his cousin Andy Jenkins (“The biggest single reason as to why I play drums” Mik has stated). Andy has been one of the most in-demand drummers in Kent for years and it was his Premier set up that caught Mik’s eye when he was a callow youth although Mik never shared Andy’s love of Premier drums (ironically enough Andy now uses Yamaha drums like Mik)
watching him play was always a joy.
Pretty soon, inspired by his cousin, Mik went down the usual drumming on books/pans/biscuit tins route that so many other drummers have trodden but it wasn’t until the age of 14 that Mik actually got his first kit. It had one cymbal and eight drums, but it was a start! (The kit was actually bought from a convent bizarrely enough…)
Pretty soon Mik formed his first band, Marauder (although they were called Aces High for about ten minutes!) at school and from there (after getting his first ‘proper’ drum kit. A five-piece Pearl set up) Mik went through a succession of bands, including Foreign Voices, Lynx Gunslinger (Bernie Torme produced their demo) and a few others, but it was the unlikely named Homeboys that would cause the biggest
splash locally. After one more name change, to Mr Scary (“We were Dokken fans, we apologise for nothing!” says Mik) he left the band headed off to join Maidstone based Torque. A legal challenge quickly saw the band change their name to Lever, and it was with this band that Mik got to tour extensively, opening for Reef, Dub War (now called Skindred), Shootyz Groove, Understand, Tribute To Nothing, Medulla Nocte, Leeway, Skyscraper and a host of others…But all good things come to an end and that band split up due to an increasing frustration with the music industry.
After a little time out and move back down to Kent from London and old friend (in fact the guitarist from Mik’s first band) mentioned that a local band were looking for a drummer. Which is how, one night in 2003, Mik found myself in Thanet at an audition for a band called Tortilla Army…
The rest, as they say, is history…
Some of my favourite things, that you may not care about, but I’m going to tell you about them anyway.
Some of the drummers I admire:
Andy Jenkins, Tommy Aldridge, Tommy Lee, Art Blakey, Billy Cobham, Brian Tichy, Philly Jo Jones, Tony Williams, Vinnie Colaiuta, Jeff Porcaro, Bjorn Fryklund, Danny Carey, Thomas Haake, Tibor Bodnar, Brian Downey, Munetaka Higuchi, Bun E Carlos, Neil Peart, Eric Singer, Clive Burr, Steve Smith, John Bonham, Leonard Haze…
Some of the music I love:
Jellyfish, Thin Lizzy, King’s X, Freak Kitchen, Kiss, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Burrell, Tool, Slayer, Motley Crue, Sixx A.M., Van Halen, Sonny Clark, Journey, Skindred, Dio, Black Sabbath, Sonny Rollins, Cheap Trick, Accept, Our Lady Peace, The Faces, Blackfoot, Rush, Mute Math, Parliament, I Mother Earth, Funkadelic, Quicksand, Birds Of Tokyo, Live, The Meters, Ohio Players, The Szuters, Kashmere Stage
Band, Helmet, Dan Reed Network, Molly Hatchet, UFO, Black Crowes, Marvellous 3…
Some of my favourite singers:
Andy Sturmer, Sam Cooke, James Michael, Rob Lamothe, Beth Hart, Ronnie James Dio, Benji Webbe, Tori Amos, Bon Scott, Floor Jansen, Dug Pinnick, Chris Robinson, Billie Holiday, Steve Perry, Charlotte Wessels, Lou Gramm, Richie Kotzen, (early) Rod Stewart, Paul Shortino,
Ricky Medlocke, Butch Walker, Tina Dico, Ron Taylor, Johnny Cash, Robin Zander, Mahalia Jackson, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale, Ann Wilson, Dan Reed, Phil Lynott, Raine Maida, Geoff Tate…
Guitarists I rate:
Randy Rhoads, Dave Meniketti, Stevie Salas, Paul Gilbert, Ace Frehley, Robbin Crosby, Doug Aldrich, Mattias ‘Ia’ Eklundh, Warren Haynes, Billy Gibbons, George Lynch,Jake E Lee, Mick Mars, Richie Kotzen, Michael Schenker, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, J3, John Norum, Wolf Hoffman, Angus Young…
Favourite food: Indian, Mexican, Chinese
Favourite drinks :
Cubans, Jack Daniels, coffee, fruit juice, water
Favourite TV : Family
Guy, Simpsons, Scrubs, Match Of The Day, The Killing, Band Of Brothers, The Pacific…
Favourtie movies : Shawshank Redemption, The Pianist, TheCounterfeiters, The Millenium series, Black Book, In The Loop, Star Wars, 36,
Sin Nombre, City Of God…
Favourite books : WW2 history, any Richard Laymon, Stephen King, Jeffrey Deaver, Ian Rankin, music biographies.
Favourite waste of time : juggling soot
Favourite quotes :
‘Here you are Brian,
your polished turd for the evening’ Stewie Griffin presents Meg to her date on
her prom night.
Lois:
‘Oh, I haven’t been on a college campus in years. Everything seems so
different.’
Stewie: ‘Really? Perhaps if you laid on your back with your
ankles behind your ears that would ring a few bells.’
Lois: ‘What’s going
on down here?’
Stewie: ‘Oh, we’re playing house.’
Lois: ‘That boy’s all
tied up.’
Stewie: ‘Roman Polanski’s house’
