I have not updated this page for a VERY long time so here is the latest on me as of July 2007. My name is still Mike Fred. I have released 4 solo guitar CD's, one of which was a Christmas CD. The other 3 contain original material and a few selected traditional church hymns. I play instrumental guitar (fingerstyle) and my original music sometimes has a Celtic/Irish flavor to it. I am not looking to make a living with playing music, I just enjoy playing the guitar and recording what I come up with and sharing my music with however wants to listen to it (and my bad jokes and storis).
Well let me rattle the memory banks here a bit.
My parents had a Chet Atkins record (CHET ATKINS WORKSHOP to be exact) and that tweaked my interest. When I saw George Harrison playing a Gretch like Chet's, and the screaming girls on the Ed Sullivan show, that was it! I started playing when I was 9 years old (1964).
I played in rock bands from 1967 until 1980. In 1981 I became a Christian and quit playing for 10 years. Sold all my guitars (STUPID STUPID STUPID) and amps.
In 1990 I saw Phil Keaggy here in Florida (I am from Ohio), and was inspired to play guitar again. I started playing electric guitar again in 1991, and in 1999 I switched to fingerstyle playing and switched over to acoustic guitar at that point.
I have performed in Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, Utah and Colorado.
I no longer play with bands. For one I am not interested, and in general I do not play well with others.
Do I play live live? Well I would be pretty boring if I played dead!. I play at churches, coffee houses, house concerts and for whoever will have me!
electric guitar: Ritchie Blackmore (love his tone), Ventures, The Shadows, Brian May, Chet Atkins, Lenny Breau, Brent Mason (he smokes on a Tele) and very small doses of Yngwie Malmsteen (not much into all that shred stuff).
acoustic influences: Phil Keaggy, Jim Earp, Pete Huttlinger, Ed Gerhard, Laurence Juber, Doug Smith, William Coulter, Al Petteway, Pierre Bensusan, Muriel Anderson, Dorian Michael, Pat Kirtley, Eltjo Hasselhoff, and a host of other really great players.
My electric guitar is a custom made 1991 ZION (like Phil Keaggy's white strat style model). Phil was kind enough to sign it for me.
Acoustic guitars:
2006 handmade Paragon GOM Sitka/Koa (K&K Trinity Powerblend electronics) Muriel Anderson has signed this one for me. It also won Best Of Show at the Vancouver Guitar Show in 2006!
1996 Taylor 514C (Fishman piezo and microphone)
My effects are real simple:
Line 6 Delay Modelor box (mainly for looping)
Raven Labs Master Blender (for my Taylor)
My acoustic amp is an Ultrasound amp
That is it! Keep it simple or I will get more confused than I am already! To many buttons spells trouble for me! Plus the more junk you have on stage the more that can go wrong or trip over!
I use several different tunings and capo set ups. The tunings I use are:
DADGAD
DADF#AD
DGDGGD
CGCGCE
EAEAC#E
DROPPED D
I also use a double capo set up as well.