We are only unique combinations of those who have shared themselves with us.
We are only unique combinations of those who have shared themselves with us.
I was born on Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma in in June 1989, but moved to Okinawa, Japan just a few months after. I spent six years on the island, which contributed to my initial Japanese influences.
After years of rigid disciplined practice, I was lucky enough to study under Adam Donmoyer. Adam pushed me out of my classical comfort zone and acquainted him with jazz, pop, comedy, rock and blues piano styles, essentially saving my love for the instrument.
During this era, I began exploring more instruments and styles, broadening my understanding of music as a whole. I created my first studio in 2007 and collected things like synthesizers and MIDI controllers, wind instruments like pan flutes, didgeridoos, and saxophones, and even purchased a violin, glockenspiel and recording equipment.
Home studio in 2007 with Korg Radias, Casio WK-3500, Yamaha Digital, glockenspiel, Schector Diamond Series 7-string Guitar, and Ibanez 6-string.
Home studio in 2007 with Cakewalk DAW, Boss BR-864 Digital Recorder, 2-tiered chromatic concert-tuned pan flutes
Cube Show 2010
Travis Air Force Base Talent Show 1996
In high school, I picked up a guitar and met various musicians to coordinate two different music projects: “Earth to Ashes” and “Nameless”. This began my experience with synthesizers, performance styles, band management, and recording. I wrote with these bands, recorded them, mixed them, and coordinated any performances we had through 2003 through 2007.
EARTH TO ASHES' FIRST PERFORMANCE 2005
NAMELESS' FIRST GARAGE PRACTICE 2006
In 2008, I went to Texas A&M University for Aerospace Engineering and joined Squadron 18 of the Corps of Cadets. There I met some of the most influential musicians of his career. They brought diverse cultural histories with them: Persian, El Salvadorian, Brazilian, Colombian, English and American Folk. Michael soon formed CUBE with them. CUBE went on to play over 100 shows from Houston to Austin, and released the first album Michael ever attempted mixing.
Cube Show 2009
In 2010, I said painful "goodbyes" to CUBE to join the U,S, Air Force. I was sent back to his childhood home of Japan. There, I started learning the traditional Japanese art of Taiko Drumming. I performed for hundreds of thousands of people over 4 years at festivals, military functions, and special events.
After finishing his contract with the Air Force, I moved to Portland, Oregon. I recorded bands in studios, editing videos for local drone pilots, recording and editing sound for local film projects, coding visuals for performances and local art shows, and creating his own performance piece DARUMA.
