Michael Mood

Keyboard, Vocals

This versatile musician popped in and out of our kennel as a sub on multiple instruments before accepting the role of permanent keyboardist in 2009.

Michael has been playing piano since age four. He can electrify a song with blazing and well-constructed solos and ad-libs. His ability to play keys and sing at the same time has given us some wonderful change-ups to our set list, like Walking in Memphis. But he nails anything which requires great keyboard mastery, from rockabilly solos in Jerry Lee Lewis tunes to the best of the Billy Joel repertoire.

Mild in manner, he is focused and energetic onstage. We don’t have to modify our set list to fit him, he instead allows us to vastly expand our horizons! His versatility is legend: Michael has filled in on every position in the rhythm section at one time or another!

The depth of his musicianship reflect his personal tastes. “I have a pretty complex idea of what I like about music. It must be beautiful above all else, but having it rock really hard and be somewhat complex are definitely pluses.” Among his favorite groups/performers are Tool, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Fair to Midland, Karnivool, The Intersphere, Dream Theater (all albums before Train of Thought), and Nickel Creek.

Unlike the rest of the band, Michael has performed at Summerfest. Also unlike the rest of the band, he actively performs with the Beth Kille Band. He joins fellow Dawgs Jamie Sercombe and Todd Thompson in Alumni Dawg Evan Riley’s Band.

He has four albums of his own original music available for download from michaelmood.bandcamp.com. He writes and produces albums from his home studio and has been doing so for ten years.

Michael is also a writer, having completed four novels that he hopes to shop around soon! He’s working on a fifth and sixth currently, in case that just doesn’t work out.

The other professions he follows are that of piano teacher and farmer.

Visiting www.michaelmood.com would be a great step to take if you want to find out more about his original music, home recording studio, books, and more!

Michael lives in Cottage Grove with sheep, turkeys, chickens, bees, three cats, one dog, a wife, four boys and “one something on the way”. He’s a real treat come census time!