About Mike
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mike Panzeca got his first guitar at age 11. A gift from his mom and dad who thought that the guitar would be a more sanity saving instrument than the drum set Mike originally had wanted so that he could grow up to be the next cat make-up wearing drummer to dominate the rock scene. This proved to be a wise choice, Mike took to the guitar almost instantly, and soon found that he preferred creating his own tunes to learning songs off of radio and records.
At age sixteen, Mike was introduced to local studio owner, engineer, and producer Roger Cadle. Mike quickly formed a strong working relationship with Roger. Not of great means of any sort, Mike could hardly afford to book studio time. So Roger, who conducted production and engineering lessons from his studio, would call on Mike and his various band mates to be the "house band" for his students to learn engineering and production technique from. These experiences proved to be invaluable in Mike's future.
While still in Cincinnati, Mike played and toured the tri-state area with various local bands. During these years, he pitched a number of demos to various A&R reps from major labels and publishing houses to no avail. Still Mike persevered until he and his wife became pregnant with their first child. After hearing the words of his musical mentor Roger, who over the years had advised him that children and family should ultimately take precedence over his own starving artist principles, Mike did exactly that. He prioritized his newly forming family over his major label dreams, and put his musical pursuits on hold while working toward providing for his wife and children in the corporate world.
Through those years of musical dormancy, corporate ladder climbing, and relocations, Mike would say he learned some things about music, life, and family. He learned that music is not just a hobby for him, not just his passion. It's more than that. It is him, and because of that music, life and family are all intertwined. So through much soul searching and big investments in time and money, he entered the studio. Only this time it was his studio, putting in practice all the lessons he had learned over the years as a "house band" for Roger's students, as a musician, as a performer, as a songwriter, as a corporate employee, and most importantly as a father and husband.
Now residing in Alpharetta, Georgia, Mike packs a lifetime of lessons learned through trial and error into his music. He feels rock is like a roller coaster ride, and the twists and turns, and ups and downs are the fuel for inspiration in music. All those lessons can be heard on Mike's newly released CD "Going Over Dams," now available.