This month marks the second year Mike Schleicher has been drumming for us, and we’re mighty pleased about that! While I’ve known Mike the least amount of time — didn’t know him before he auditioned for the band when we were in search for a better and … er … more stable drummer — we’ve sure enjoyed getting to know him.
Mike makin’ it happen
A true blue South St. Louis fella, he’s been hittin’ the skins since he was a mere youth of seven, and has played in every kind of band imaginable, plus theater pits and for churches, all of which makes him such a good fit for us. Mike has what it takes to maneuver through tricky jazz instrumentals like Take Five, keep people dancing on swing tunes like L-O-V-E, and keep the fun coming through our rockin’ bluesy tunes like Stormy Monday. He’s also an excellent percussionist, and his switching to bongos or congas for our Caribbean-influenced tunes are always a highlight. He’s fun to watch and you can tell by the way he plays he’s been influenced by childhood heroes Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa.
Mike is an interesting guy — he’s been in the boxing ring and ran for local office. And ask him about his experiences playing in biker bars! Oh I forgot to say he also juggles. Or maybe I’m confusing him with another …
He’s creative in other ways too. For example, he just put together this nice slide show of us from a tune from our latest album, so please check it out on youtube here.
