Mike Baxter

Professional Musician

Glendale, AZ

“I appreciate the ability of the Myers Pickup to capture the full tonality of the mountain dulcimer and beyond. I tinker and modify my instruments, which includes adding multiple drop-d strings for a heavy low end to my dulcimer. The Myers Pickup captures it wonderfully.”

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BIO:

I grew up in a Midwestern family that listened to a broad range of music, from classical to classic rock. We camped in Tennessee or Kentucky every summer, and heard the occasional Old-Time and Bluegrass Music. Baxter is a Scottish-English border name and a Sept of the Clan MacMillan, but my ancestral heritage is split almost evenly into Irish, Scottish, and English, with a wee bit of Welsh. I suppose the music is in my blood, as my great-great paternal Irish grandparents, Joseph Baxter and Catherine Clare came to America in the late 1800's.

I was a teenager in the 90's when I begged my parents to go see the Chieftains live. That was the classic lineup of Moloney Paddy Moloney, Martin Fay, Seán Keane, Derek Bell, Matt Molloy, Kevin Conneff. The show solidified my love of Irish music and I first saw rhythm bones, played by Fiddler Martin Fay. From that point on I collected as much Gaelic and Celtic Music as I could afford. In 2015 I saw Gaelic Storm with my own family and had the fortune of meeting the band. Patrick Murphy was high energy and had me place my son on his shoulders. He thanked me for bringing my little ones out to hear the music of their ancestry.

Despite listening to the music for decades, I never picked up an instrument after elementary school, having been discouraged by the formal music education taught in schools. Eventually, I heard the calling and started with a pair of rhythm bones. I then joined the Rhythm Bones Society at a time when many of the great players were passing on. Shortly thereafter, I joined Phoenix Old Time Music Society. I started producing music videos, with the desire to preserve the magic that happens in an informal music jam. This turned into an ongoing series called Barn Jam. When I decided to pick up harmonica and dulcimer, new opportunities opened up and several members of POTMS formed some smaller bands like Black River Barn Band and Ice Machine. It's a nice mix of Irish jigs, Scottish reels, Appalachian tunes, and just a little Piedmont Blues.

We are a group of friends that play throughout the year at Folk Festivals, local events, and a few formal venues. We spend the majority of our time together in the Barn Studio just having a good time, improving our skills and learning new tunes. The range of instruments includes Irish whistle, guitar, six-string banjo, mandolin, bass guitar, rhythm bones, mountain dulcimer, accordion, fiddle, upright bass, harmonica, washboard, recorder, bodhran, drums, cajon, fiddlesticks, shruti box, and vocals. Despite not being professional musicians, this group is full of talent and passion for this music.