A lot of people here would probably have never heard of Mike but i'm putting him down as a hero of mine because he thought me when i was 18 & when i
was 31 he not only thought me how to reach a grade 5 standard but gave me the confidence to go & sit the exam. Mike is passionate about drums &
drumming. Sometimes half of my lesson would be gone just listening to him telling me storys about the greatest drummers & what they have done to be
truly great. Unfortunatly Mike has had some personal problems in the past few years & has took a break from teaching but is now back gigging with a
pop/rock covers band called ''oddity''.
About 3 years ago Mike formed a group called ''too many notes'' with some of the best musicians in galway. I really couldnt decide which clip to post
so i've stuck in the lot!! Please take the time to check it out.
Btw: the clips were shot in sally longs pub over 5 nights with one camcorder placed in a different position each night. You'll notice how clothing
changes colour every so often!
Its never too late to be what you might have been.
I'll wait a few more replies before before I answer, c'mon guys
Watched most of the clips now. The more I watch the more I like the way Mike plays. Strange how someone with this ability in a small country like this
can fly beneath the radar. He deserves more recognition.
To be straight I don't like the music, it feels very dated to me, and I don't like the flat drum sound, however I do like the way he plays the music,
and his ease on the meters. He plays a nice drum solo over a vamp in 5 in the final clip, I particularilly like the double time 5 thing he does on the
cowbell. It gets a little ropey at times but I don't think it's his fault.
Once again thanks for posting these.
Conor
with this ability in a small country like this can fly beneath the radar. He deserves more recognition.
Thanks conor,
Mike flew into the radar back in the 80's with a band called ''the fuse'' & had a top 10 hit but as usual, being ireland , things went pear-shaped.
I also like that you mention things ''get a little bit ropey at times' because during one of my lessons with Mike i had brought along a live Dream
Theater cd just for him to hear & he was thrilled to say the least the even the great Mike Portnoy choked on the double bass drums during a solo. His
comment was ''Everybodys Human''.
Thanks Conor & hopefully you''ll meet him someday but be prepared to talk drums drums drums..........
Derek.
Its never too late to be what you might have been.
Interestingly, Arrigan studied for a time with Gary Chaffee.
I lived in Galway for a few years from about 89-92, was looking for a teacher who was into jazz funk and fusion, had been listening to a lot of 70s
stuff, Cobham was my hero, got hooked up with Mike and I have to say, he opened my eyes to a vast array possibilities; though perhaps to my detriment,
because very quickly I reassessed my alleged talents and realised that without an 8 hour a day regime, for at least two years straight, I was never
going to be the player I wanted to be, humble pie I had to swallow because I had neither the time or the talent to achieve what I wanted - but I'm
still trying!!
Anyway, I digress, Arrigan packed his bags and headed to Boston in search of Chaffee some time in the early to mid eighties, he was working on
building sites by day and drumming in pubs at night to pay for his $50 an hour tuition fees.
As far as I'm aware Arrigan was quiet possibly the only guy in Ireland at that time (late 80s) who was teaching Chaffee's sticking techniques and
linear time keeping methods - I think I still have photocopies he gave me of pages taken from the Patterns books. He also turned me on to Afro-Cuban
and Latin-American rhythms.
He really was the only teacher in Galway back then who had an understanding of contemporary drum set playing, I think I was very fortunate to learn
what I did when I did because it gave me a solid theoretical foundation in rhythm; at least that's what I took from the lessons with him.
yeah Mikes the real deal all right...had lessons from Mike in the early 80's..a great player and teacher and a gent too..after he left galway for the
states i got his cover band gig and later the re vamped fuze gig too...id' imagine he will be chuffed to hear about the D.I thread..nice one
Mike..b
Yea I studied with mike for years when I was a teen he was a great teacher and very passionate, did the grades with him as well. They were great
times. He is the man.
Mike is probably one of my biggest hero's. When I was around 11 or 12 I started going to lessons with him in Salthill and I swear to God I never
wanted to leave! He made me love drumming with a passion. The memories I have playing in his tiny room on his battered old drumkits are amazing. He'd
show us videos of the masters such as Buddy rich and Bonzo... and he liked the same music I was into, so we could relate to eachother so well. He's
the best drumming teacher I've ever come across. And I was really REALLY upset the day I turned up to find that he wasn't teaching anymore. I've been
with many drum teachers in galway and sure, they have all the musical theory to offer...but Mike had something else, he was one of a kind. I've been
drumming ever since that day. If anyone knows if he's teaching or where he's at, please could you let me know!
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