Mike  - Drums 

I was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne more years ago than I care to remember, I first got interested in drums when I was eleven when I heard 'let there be drums' by Sandy Nelson and from then on started beating the hell out of anything I could lay my hands on.

My very first drums were a Gigster snare drum and a John Grey Autocrat bass drum. I think the first song I ever played to was 'Wild Thing' (perhaps the shape of things to come). I had moved to sussex and was playing in school bands, and also a big swing band. None of the bands did much one noteable incident was when a drum riser parted and left me with just my head showing above the stage.

I moved to scotland when I was fifteen and played with local bands in the borders they were much older players than me by a good ten years or so it was a great grounding in rock, I was playing  Hendrix, Robin Trower, Lynyrd Skynryd, Wishbone Ash , Free etc

Unfortunately our guitarist has a problem with drugs and ended up at her majesty's pleasure and the band folded, he has since died, a real tragedy as he had real talent. I mucked about with Bill , who was at the same school as me, for a while but I don't think we actually formed a band.

I moved to Newcastle when I was eighteen and joined NE speed metal merchants Raven, I was with them for a couple of years or so and play some brilliant gigs - but the band was becoming more thrash than I was happy with. I formed a new band with other ex-raven guitarist Paul Bowden. When Paul departed from married life I played with a couple of NE bands - Warbeck and others before forming Renegade.  After quite a successful period I left Renegade and played with NE Club Band 'Sleeper' before moving back to Scotland. I stopped playing for a while and sold my drums - big mistake, my wife reckons I was  hell to live with and forced me (I begged her not to -hehe) to buy a kit and start playing again.

I joined a charity Rock'n'Roll band with Bill  on bass and Sir Archy Kirkwood on guitar. I also joined a band called Pulse based in the borders (now called Dog Town) .  Zander and I still play with them as hired guns.

After ten years the charity band had run it's course. I first met Zander when I auditioned for Mule but apparently whilst Zander wanted me in the band the vocalist thought I was too heavy and they got someone else. Then I met Zander in our local music emporium and both of us missed playing old school hard rock so after recruiting John  on vocals, and yes it's that man again - Bill  bass - Straight Shooter were ready to rock (cliche cliche)  and the rest as they say is history.

My influences are varied but the two drummers who influenced my early playing were John Bonham and Ian Paice. I would say players I really get off on now are Mike Portnoy (Dream Theatre), Travis Barker (Blink 182) and still to my mind the master of british rock drumming - Ian Paice. I teach drums locally and get involved in various other musical projects, I play bass as my second instrument and my pride and joy is a 1972 Fender Jazz Bass Custom with maple neck and natural finish solid alder body.