Page 24 - BiTS_06_JUNE_2025_Neat

That's when I had real instruments. So I got rid of the drum machine. I got a real bass.

I had a real Fender and set up a drum set in my dad's living room. Not in the living
room, in my bedroom at the house. I had cheap microphones, and I had my friends

come over and we were recording all this stuff, and finally I put out my first real CD.
It had to be about, I think about 1991/92, called “Breaking The Stress Factor”. We
used to go to studios and rent time and then do all that. I used to bring in these big

Marshall stack cabinets, and one time the guy had me set up in the laundry room and
it was like way loud. Then I learned
later on, like you didn't have to be

that loud. You get a better tone at a
low volume. It took me time to figure
this stuff out. But I love rock. I love

blues. I love soul, and I also love
reggae too. So I have the reggae
band. I have the rock band, we got

the blues band, we got an orchestra.
I do horn arrangements. We do
funky stuff. I’ve got pop stuff. I'm just

in love with music.

BiTS: You are a master of all kinds
of stuff, Mike.

MD: I'm still trying to get better. I’m
still trying to get better.

BiTS: Listen, let's talk a bit about

“Empty Chair”. It's an EP. Why is it an EP? Why didn't you make a full album?

MD: Well, I originally did the CD because I haven't done any blues recordings in a
while. The last blues CD I did may have been ten years ago. I was with my band. So I

said well, let me just try and do a couple of songs and see how they sound and I'm
just going to put it out there and see what happens. So it was like a test. It was like
an experiment. So to my surprise, I'm getting a lot of airplay, and people really like

it.

BiTS: When you went into the studio, did you have a whole series of songs ready, or
did you make it up in the studio?

MD: All of my songs, since I've written and recorded so many songs, I can basically
lay a song out in like an hour. Then I have my guys come in and do their parts. Along
the way, I learned to play a lot of these instruments myself. So I just like to have other

musicians to get a different feel, to get a different vibe. Like my drummer, it’s my
nephew Casper, he's been playing with me for 35 years.

BiTS: Really?