Mike was one of my oldest and dearest friends, going back to undergraduate days at the University of Vermont. He passed away December 10, 2017, some thirty years after a diving accident left him a quadriplegic. But he hardly missed a beat, and continued to live a rich and full life in the midst of a wonderful community of friends and family, all the while writing and playing music and teaching at East Carolina University. You can hear him talk about his life in an interview from 2010 with Mark Helpsmeet of Northern Spirit Radio here.
A song we wrote, Lonely Surfer Boy from Vermont – recorded by the Ultra Brothers here, (turn it up! and try it in mono) – had some legs but, uh, never cracked the Billboard charts.
I hope you’re enjoying the Celestial Music, my friend. We miss you here.