Starting in May, I’m going to be out of the country for most of the month doing some traveling with my family.  Yay for me!  In my absence, I’ve called upon my trusted music crew to help keep things humming here at the OCMD. Happily, they’ve obliged. Over the course of the next week, I’ll be introducing you to them – my boys, my inner circle, my trusted music sources.  Each of them OCMD in their own, unique way.  I trust their music taste implicitly and look forward to hearing their insights and opinions on the OCMD.  I hope you will too!  So without further ado, meet Mike….

Mike and his daughter, Kira, at Jazz Fest.

Name: Mike 
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
OCMD Since: Age 11
Category: Concert Picks, Obscure Bands, What’s Next
Obsessions: Obscure bands (I just can’t love ’em as well once they are discovered), live music, vinyl hunting, cheap t-shirts, music festivals, college radio stations and their ticket giveaways, free parking, vacation, the great outdoors, matinees, social justice, children and iiiiiiron chef.

The OCMD Says: Meet Mike, my longest running music friend and even more OCMD than me. I’ve known Mike since he and my friend Karen started dating in med school and have been talking music ever since.  Now that they’re married with kids, like me, our conversations have evolved from “What are you listening to these days?” to “How much Tylenol can I give a 2 year old?” and “Can you believe I’m getting flack for wanting to see three shows this week?!”  All addicts need a support group.

Mike is the master of ‘What’s next’, finding that obscure, undiscovered band that makes even the most ardent music listener feel like a novice. He discovers new bands at house parties, I find them at Bottom of the Hill. His musical genres range from garage punk to alt country with a little world music in between. While I may not always understand what he’s on to, I always heed the advice.  He was into Psychedelic Horseshit waaaay before Brooklyn Vegan.

Psychedelic Horseshit: “Portals“