Mike Santelli's story...
I was
born into a typical middle class family in Newark, NY.
I grew up with a brother, two sisters and both my mother and father. At
the age
of 12, I found a drum set in the corner of my uncle’s basement. I
can remember
going to visit and spending most of my time in the basement playing the
drums.
Soon I found myself wanting to play all the time and that’s all
she wrote.
The drums were given to me and I played them every day. When I turned 16, I started playing out with my first real band. A couple of years later I bought my first set of Ludwig© drums. Many of my musical influences came from the music my brother and sisters listened to like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, Queen and many more. The first drum solo I fell in love with is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly.
I have played with many local bands over the years: Bill Hacket, Country Cousins, Ground Zero, The Blue Flames, Angry Bob, Fire and Ice, Hot Face, and Misfit Karma, among many others. I also have an extensive working knowledge of percussion and hand drums.
The drums were given to me and I played them every day. When I turned 16, I started playing out with my first real band. A couple of years later I bought my first set of Ludwig© drums. Many of my musical influences came from the music my brother and sisters listened to like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, Queen and many more. The first drum solo I fell in love with is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly.
I have played with many local bands over the years: Bill Hacket, Country Cousins, Ground Zero, The Blue Flames, Angry Bob, Fire and Ice, Hot Face, and Misfit Karma, among many others. I also have an extensive working knowledge of percussion and hand drums.
I am now
43 and have a vast music library in my head. Playing has always been a
passion
of mine and I hope to share that passion with you when you come to see
us play.