- Bio
Bettina - Chris - Jeff - Julio - Mike
Music has been important to Mike his whole life. He has brought joy to himself and others by playing, recording and listening to all types of music. His musical journey began at age five when he began taking piano lessons. The piano was a great way to be introduced to an instrument. It involved reading music, practicing the instrument and performing in front of people at the annual recital. Mike made his first change of instruments when he joined his elementary school band as a percussionist. He enjoyed playing the drums but it made him realize how much he would rather learn a new instrument that involved rhythm and melody.
He first got interested in guitar at age thirteen. He was listening to Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana and other bands that used a lot of different electric guitar sounds. After a few years of learning the basics on the guitar his influences began to change. He was listening to more blues and classic rock. People like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughn were teaching him how to play the blues. He also started to take lessons on the guitar. These lessons taught him the theory behind the blues and Mike was practicing as much as possible. It was during this time that Mike was very interesting in finger picking. He would spend hours practicing and experimenting with different fingering styles. It would be in college where Mike really started to take his music to the next level.
In 2000 Mike moved to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. He was not a bluegrass fan until he found himself at the Elk’s Lodge for a Yonder Mountain Sting Band show. He had never heard anything like it and was immediately on the dance floor loving every note they played. This was also the time period when Mike and Jeff began playing guitar together regularly. They would sit in their dorm rooms and play Grateful Dead songs, or whatever they felt like playing at the time.
In the summer of 2001 Mike purchased a mandolin and started to learn the instrument and how to play bluegrass. He started listening to Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Del McCoury and all the greatest Bluegrass players. Jeff and Mike started to really enjoy playing together and started to play around town in Missoula. They honed their live skills playing open mike nights, bars, theaters, parties, and picking circles every chance they had. Jeff and Mike also got interesting in the writing and recording side of music. They recorded two homemade Cds while living in Missoula.
In 2003 Mike started playing the banjo. He took lessons from an excellent teacher in Missoula. The banjo came quickly because Mike was able to use his experience of learning the guitar and mandolin and apply them to the banjo.
Mike met Bettina and Julio four years before they formed Frickin’ Pickin’. He was introduced through a mutual friend and began showing up to jam sessions at A pizza shop. In 2006 Bettina moved to the twin cities and the opportunity came up to play a couple of shows with Julio, Bettina and Jeff. The shows went so well that they decided to start a band. Chris was available to play the bass and Frickin’ Pickin’ was formed.
