I've known Mike since Junior High. I think the only reason he talked to me was because I had a drum set. Mike was a cool kid so I was okay with that... He came over every single day after school to play my drums. At first, he wasn't very good but over the years he was able to jam a few grooves. Music really brought us together. We liked a lot of different bands, but one band that we were both diehards for was Incubus. Anyone who knew Mike knows he was a huge fan. We'd sit around for hours just listening to albums or watching the Morning View Sessions DVD over and over again. We learned the lyrics inside and out and could rock the air drums like it was nobody's business. We had a great time! I was fortunate enough to have Mike in my life long after those early days of our Incubus fanaticism. Mike went on to New Mexico and Japan and it was so awesome hearing of the stories and relationships he built along the way. I did my own bit of traveling so it was really cool being able to share stories and experiences with each other. We remained part of a great group of best friends, brothers really, up until the day of his accident. I could go on for days with memories of Mike, but I'm just going to end by saying I am so thankful for Mike in my life. He really inspires me to simply be myself. Sometimes it's not easy to be yourself, but Mike was a master at it.
I've included two photos with this post: The first is of Mike playing my drums when he was about 15 years old and the second is the two of us after our first Incubus show together on Halloween Night in 2003.
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