"I found a Sonor Phonic snare drum at a local music store. I played it for a few minutes and I was sold. Later that year I happened upon a 1974 Sonor Champion kit and bought them. After that, no other drum would do. I still have that Phonic snare and the Champion kit, along with a 1994 Hilite kit, 2001 S-Class Pro kit and a 2008 SQ2 kit. I would not even consider playing another brand. Sonor's sound, fit, finish and quality are second to none!"
Mike Starcher is originally from Lakewood, Ohio and started playing the drums at the age of nine. He’s played with local Cleveland bands “Fixture”, “Past Due”, “Threshold”, “The Remainders”, “The Swingtown Rebels” and “Cactus Jack”. From 2005 to 2020, Mike handled drumming/vocal duties with popular Cleveland blues/rock band “Shady Drive”, whose debut CD, “Darker Shade Of Blue”, was ranked as #3 of the Top 20 Blues CDs of 2015 by BluesMusicFan.com
Who?
OK we know that question is going to be asked a lot. This Cleveland trio proves that Cleveland really does rock … the blues! The album is full of blues originals, and one audacious cover of “Folsom Prison Blues”. Independently produced and a cut above the others, our own DJ Siani (in New Zealand!) stumbled across this album from an Ohio band, and told the rest of us about it – and we were pretty much all hooked and big fans – and we want more!
Chris Allen: These guys are the definition of a working man’s blues band. A rocking self-owned sound and true passion for what they do.”
Currently, Mike appears with GS Harper and Joshua Donato in Cuyahoga Slim, in an acoustic trio with Caryn Swanson and Dwayne Dickman as Prime Numbers Trio and with Dwayne Dickman, Bill March and Tony Koussa in Prime Numbers. He also hosts an acoustic open mike night every Wednesday at the Fairview Tavern as well as working as an independent artist with many of Cleveland’s top musicians.
Mike has played Sonor drums exclusively since 1996 and has been an endorser for Sonor since 2004. You can learn more about the best drums on the planet at www.sonor.com. He’s also a proud endorser of the Kelly SHU Bass Drum Microphone Mounting System and Beato Drum Bags.
Over the course of his career, Mike has shared the stage with artists such as the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Elvin Bishop, John Lee Hooker Jr., Mary Bridget Davies, Billy Sullivan (The Raspberries, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Herman’s Hermits), Kristine Jackson, Buckwheat Zydeco and The Buckinghams. He has appeared on WERE radio’s Jay Turner Show and with Cleveland radio personality Uncle Vic.
Mike frequently appears at charity events, including:
Twilight at the Zoo (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) A fund raising event for the Cleveland Zoological Society
JDRF/Ford Car Show (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) A benefit for juvenile diabetes research
Animal Jam (2004, 2005, 2006) A concert series to benefit local animal shelters
MS Pedal To The Point (2007, 2008)
MS Walk (Columbus Zoo, Mahoning Valley)
GreenFest (2012)
Metro Hospital Children’s Burn Unit benefit concert (1998)
Mike, his wife Erika and their boxers reside in Columbia Station, Ohio, just southwest of Cleveland.