[ Mika Fineo ]
Group // Filter
Stick // West Side
Mika Fineo began developing his musical reputation early on. Far before finishing high school in Miami, Mika was already long performing in church playing alongside some of the best artists in the gospel music scene. I was always the kid on stage Mika illustrates. How the world of drumming found way into Mikas life could be explained as follows
Through his fathers musical influence Mika was exposed early on to so many artists of the Funk, R&B, and Classic Jazz scenes on the east coast. Growing up, most of Mikas peers were far too young to share a commonality on this musical influence. Mika describes his early start My father gave me an advance through a library of his albums that I feel helped to shape my sound early on. Tower of Power, Curtis Mayfield, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Steely Dan these where just a few of the hundreds of records I would burn through as a kid. It didnt hurt that my pops was a touring keyboardist (most known for his time spent with George McCrae and the Newborn Band) and session player throughout my upbringing as well. There was so much musical input filling my brain at such an early stage of my life. I literally grew up in the studio and would mess with all my dads keyboards whenever I could. That is how the piano became my first instrument. I wasnt too bad either because I was able to start taking classical lessons at only 3 years old - and I continued to up throughout my teenage years."
It was also early along Mikas influential journey through music where Hip Hop found way into his collection. Like all of a sudden I was really into Eazy E, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS One, and all that killin old school stuff. I mean I was a bit young to be allowed to listen to those tracks at the time so I would sneak out of the house with my "boom box" and listen to those albums in my apartment stairwells with friends. When I later found the drums (through a neighborhood drummer friend) I wanted to sound like those drum machines right off the bat! All those records had me approach the instrument in this way, and through that approach, I became instantly hooked on drumming. I still trip out on all those records even today.
As Mika had always been serious about a career in music with his love for music and now drumming, he was careful to captivate his own sound. Rapidly advancing on the drums, Mika was quick to begin taking lessons from the great Steve Rucker of The University of Miami where he was challenged to expand his voice thru his instrument. It was during Mika's studies with Steve that a deeper understanding of "musicality in drumming" came to be unveiled. Along this growth track Mika found his passion for music launching the pursuit of a musical career within the face of his endeavors. As Mikas early years moved along playing in countless local bands and then a few failed record deals later, he was off to Los Angeles to begin a new journey. Among his arrival, and now in the hands of a new deal with Geffen Records, Mika soon found himself among the forefront of the west coast scene.
Today Mika has generated a solid resume panning all styles of music. Mika is probably most known for his time spent as the drummer for the multi-platinum industrial band FILTER (from 2007-2012) where he co-wrote and released various albums, soundtracks, and music videos with the group. Having performed and co-wrote on three major motion picture soundtracks, Filters 2011 full album release The Trouble with Angels, and countless international tours, Mika has packed an immense amount of experience within a short amount of time. Mika has also been on call tracking for many a-level producers and artists between Los Angeles and New York.
In addition to Mika's life as a touring/studio drummer and writer, his most recent projects have placed him collaborating with film directors and music score composers co-supporting many humanitarian causes. Mika's visions have placed him with great focus on the Global Water Crisis (in partnership with Generosity Water). Mika's efforts to help put a stop to the global water crisis can be seen through his "live performance to a film and score" show by the name of The Blue Guardians. All proceeds generated by The Blue Guardians will go towards building clean drinking wells in impoverished water stricken villages around the world (alongside the Generosity Water organization). Mika's love for film scores and the synth driven hit music of today can be heard on the score to The Blue Guardians project and will be sure to find it's way to his future collaborations. "There is such a resurgence of European Dance, New Wave, and Synth Pop making way back to the US and I am just all over that stuff" Mika illuminates.
Among all the musical approaches described before, Mika has been supplied a unique advance. "I think when it comes to the way I approach the drums I know I will always be a Hip Hop/Gospel drummer at heart, and it has helped me to have a leg up on the scene. There is just so much dynamic you get from Gospel Music and you can really apply that influence to almost any style of music. It makes you humble too! A lot of the players today are so narrow-minded and lack knowledge on all the many styles and approaches to music and it can really kill a potential career. Hopefully, I can inspire future generations to keep an open ear for everything that's out there. When I play, I want to sound like Mika. You can hear the influence of my past and present flow through me. I love when other players have a voice of their own - it's so inspiring. My advice to new players coming up: Always have a humble approach to working in a team and have a pure hearted determination to stay on top. Be inspiring, bring something unique to the table. And when you show up bring all you got. Offer up what youre asked to do and have fun with it! Always respect others and bring value to peoples lives. Its amazing to be able to play music for a living. Know that its not a right, its a privilege".
"By having the consistency, balance, and precision I need to stay on point, Vater drum sticks continue to be the only tools I need to speak my voice on the drums! An artist demands great tools....Vater's are mine. The Universal brings out a fat tone on the toms and snare while being delicate enough to fool the cymbals into thinking it's a smaller stick! It's great for when just a little more front end balance is needed while not being an anchor weight! Maybe that's why they call it the Universal...."
Through his fathers musical influence Mika was exposed early on to so many artists of the Funk, R&B, and Classic Jazz scenes on the east coast. Growing up, most of Mikas peers were far too young to share a commonality on this musical influence. Mika describes his early start My father gave me an advance through a library of his albums that I feel helped to shape my sound early on. Tower of Power, Curtis Mayfield, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Steely Dan these where just a few of the hundreds of records I would burn through as a kid. It didnt hurt that my pops was a touring keyboardist (most known for his time spent with George McCrae and the Newborn Band) and session player throughout my upbringing as well. There was so much musical input filling my brain at such an early stage of my life. I literally grew up in the studio and would mess with all my dads keyboards whenever I could. That is how the piano became my first instrument. I wasnt too bad either because I was able to start taking classical lessons at only 3 years old - and I continued to up throughout my teenage years."
It was also early along Mikas influential journey through music where Hip Hop found way into his collection. Like all of a sudden I was really into Eazy E, Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, KRS One, and all that killin old school stuff. I mean I was a bit young to be allowed to listen to those tracks at the time so I would sneak out of the house with my "boom box" and listen to those albums in my apartment stairwells with friends. When I later found the drums (through a neighborhood drummer friend) I wanted to sound like those drum machines right off the bat! All those records had me approach the instrument in this way, and through that approach, I became instantly hooked on drumming. I still trip out on all those records even today.
As Mika had always been serious about a career in music with his love for music and now drumming, he was careful to captivate his own sound. Rapidly advancing on the drums, Mika was quick to begin taking lessons from the great Steve Rucker of The University of Miami where he was challenged to expand his voice thru his instrument. It was during Mika's studies with Steve that a deeper understanding of "musicality in drumming" came to be unveiled. Along this growth track Mika found his passion for music launching the pursuit of a musical career within the face of his endeavors. As Mikas early years moved along playing in countless local bands and then a few failed record deals later, he was off to Los Angeles to begin a new journey. Among his arrival, and now in the hands of a new deal with Geffen Records, Mika soon found himself among the forefront of the west coast scene.
Today Mika has generated a solid resume panning all styles of music. Mika is probably most known for his time spent as the drummer for the multi-platinum industrial band FILTER (from 2007-2012) where he co-wrote and released various albums, soundtracks, and music videos with the group. Having performed and co-wrote on three major motion picture soundtracks, Filters 2011 full album release The Trouble with Angels, and countless international tours, Mika has packed an immense amount of experience within a short amount of time. Mika has also been on call tracking for many a-level producers and artists between Los Angeles and New York.
In addition to Mika's life as a touring/studio drummer and writer, his most recent projects have placed him collaborating with film directors and music score composers co-supporting many humanitarian causes. Mika's visions have placed him with great focus on the Global Water Crisis (in partnership with Generosity Water). Mika's efforts to help put a stop to the global water crisis can be seen through his "live performance to a film and score" show by the name of The Blue Guardians. All proceeds generated by The Blue Guardians will go towards building clean drinking wells in impoverished water stricken villages around the world (alongside the Generosity Water organization). Mika's love for film scores and the synth driven hit music of today can be heard on the score to The Blue Guardians project and will be sure to find it's way to his future collaborations. "There is such a resurgence of European Dance, New Wave, and Synth Pop making way back to the US and I am just all over that stuff" Mika illuminates.
Among all the musical approaches described before, Mika has been supplied a unique advance. "I think when it comes to the way I approach the drums I know I will always be a Hip Hop/Gospel drummer at heart, and it has helped me to have a leg up on the scene. There is just so much dynamic you get from Gospel Music and you can really apply that influence to almost any style of music. It makes you humble too! A lot of the players today are so narrow-minded and lack knowledge on all the many styles and approaches to music and it can really kill a potential career. Hopefully, I can inspire future generations to keep an open ear for everything that's out there. When I play, I want to sound like Mika. You can hear the influence of my past and present flow through me. I love when other players have a voice of their own - it's so inspiring. My advice to new players coming up: Always have a humble approach to working in a team and have a pure hearted determination to stay on top. Be inspiring, bring something unique to the table. And when you show up bring all you got. Offer up what youre asked to do and have fun with it! Always respect others and bring value to peoples lives. Its amazing to be able to play music for a living. Know that its not a right, its a privilege".
"By having the consistency, balance, and precision I need to stay on point, Vater drum sticks continue to be the only tools I need to speak my voice on the drums! An artist demands great tools....Vater's are mine. The Universal brings out a fat tone on the toms and snare while being delicate enough to fool the cymbals into thinking it's a smaller stick! It's great for when just a little more front end balance is needed while not being an anchor weight! Maybe that's why they call it the Universal...."
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