Mike McNeil CONTACT
Website: http://mcneilprodrummingottawa.ca | Mike McNeil Professional Musician/Drummer Intro I am available to perform live and in the studio with artists in almost any style. Artists can also provide me with their song tracks and I can record drum tracks for them from my home studio in a very time efficient and cost effective manner. I also provide many other related services including a professional drum chart writing service. Bio As a drummer and recent music student graduate of Carleton University, Mike has embarked upon a music career which has already seen him hold the drum chair for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines “The Enchantment of the Seas Orchestra” and perform in the production show “Stage to Screen”, which is a musical that includes music from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Chicago and Hair Spray. His career as a drummer has also provided him the opportunity to perform with such artists as Billy Richard’s Coasters, Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters, Howie and Bert On the Edge Comedy Jugglers, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Singers and Dancers and The Carleton University Choir as well as become a registered member of the CBC Talent Resource Center. Having studied many aspects of music, Mike has specialized in drum set and has studied with Chuck R. Burrows (highly respected drum set instructor) and Sabian Cymbals Artist and Juno Award winner Paul Delong (Kim Mitchell, Tom Scott etc.). Mike has also taken a group master class with Randy Cooke (Kelly Clarkson, Five for Fighting). Mike’s pursuit of music and the drum set have allowed him the opportunity to fill in for Sonor drum set artist and endorser, Jeff Asselin, play live and/or in the recording studio with a wide variety of artists including a choir, a DJ, musicians, jugglers, comedians, variety acts and dancers and has required him to play many styles of music ranging from rock to cha- cha, from jazz to African Pop, from metal to samba and from blues to avant-garde classical as well as many other styles within the spectrum. From Ontario to Jamaica, from the U.S.A. to the Canadian praries and from the middle of the ocean to Nunavut in the Canadian North, Mike has successfully performed as a musician. As a freelance musician based out of Canada, Mike has had the privilege of playing with some great musicians including Mark Ferguson, who has performed with Tony Bennett and Holly Cole as well as Mike Mullin, who has performed with Natalie Cole. Mike is a member of The American Federation of Musicians of The United States and Canada and has played in many venues including the cruise ship main stage and orchestra pit, clubs, outdoor festival stages and recording studios all while dealing successfully with the professional demands of chart reading, playing to a click track, improvising, learning music by ear and performing with little or no rehearsal. In 2008, Mike performed twice as part of The Ottawa International Jazz Festival, performed at the London, Ontario Sunfest and also toured Canada and the U.S.A. which allowed him the opportunity to share a festival bill with Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo. Highlights in 2009 include a performance as part of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, a performance with Big Band Caravane at The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival and a performance on the Cisco Systems Ottawa Blues Festival Main Stage (Bank of America Stage) with Jeff Rogers and The Liquid Sound. Currently freelancing in his home town, Mike is known for his strong sense of time and his desire to constantly push himself by discovering new envelope pushing drumming techniques and learning new styles of music. |
