Mike Hackbert is the creative force behind Hackdaddy. Mike has been an active musician since the early ’70s, when he began playing brass instruments and settled on the trumpet as a primary instrument. Mike was involved with a number of bands and ensembles in high school and college; his composing and arranging skills were honed in college and are still in use today. In the ’80s and ’90s Mike was based in Champaign-Urbana Illinois and could be seen in a number of groups around the area in addition to work as a soloist, in the theatre pits and in local recording studios. The main focus at that time was the group Champaign Brass, a brass quintet founded by Mike in 1986 that is still active today. Mike’s ability to play in a variety of styles has him frequently playing with a diverse set of groups. As Hackdaddy, Mike collaborates with other musicians globally. Mike's main influences are smooth jazz, latin beats and progressive rock, with some baroque, classic and new age thrown in as well. He has been accused of never finding an added-note chord he didn't like, and is fond of complex rhythms and time signatures. With Hackdaddy, these creative projects (some are years old, some are months old, some are only weeks old) from Mike are finding a wider audience for listening and enjoyment.