Michael Barker (drummer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Barker is a New Zealand
percussion musician best known for performing with many Australasian acts, including The John Butler Trio and Split Enz
.
, Australia
to learn orchestral percussion.
His studies began at Box Hill College of Tafe, where he completed 2 years of drum and percussion tuition under Bruce Barber. From here Barker went on to study Orchestral and solo percussion at The Victorian College of the Arts under Barry Quinn. In Barker's final year at the VCA he performed ' Pssapha ' by Xenakis, ' The I Ching ' by Per Norgard and ' The Black Page ' by Zappa.
and Tim Finn
respectively, Split Enz
, The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Kasey Chambers
, Missy Higgins
, Alex Lloyd
, Nathan Haines
, Vika and Linda Bull, The Black Sorrows, Deborah Conway
, Christine Anu
, David Bridie, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, to name but a few.
Michael has also performed music in theatre productions of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Cats', 'Rent', ' Tap Dogs', 'Poor Boy' and 'Jerry's Girls '.
In addition to performing and recording, Michael has written songs and music with Tim Finn, David Bridie, John Butler, Shane Nicholson, Eddie Rayner, Brian Ritchie, Vika and Linda Bull and Christine Anu.
Michael wrote, recorded, mixed and released his first solo album, 'Wonderland' in November 2006. This album saw Barker collaborate with Bob Moore, Jeff Raglus, Bill Mac Donald, Steve Hadley, Ray Pareira, Peter Neville and the VCA percussion ensemble.
In 2008, Michael played with Split Enz
on their NZ Reunion tour. He was introduced by Tim Finn
at the Wellington
concert as "the newest Split Enz
member".
In June 2008, Michael performed at the Australia's Ultimate Drummers Weekend Festival held in Melbourne
.
, New Zealand
to Celeste and Clive Barker. He is married to Catherine, and they have two sons, Marvin and Tristan.
In 2007 he made headlines as he unsuccessfully tried to save the life of a drowning man in Townsville, QLD.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
percussion musician best known for performing with many Australasian acts, including The John Butler Trio and Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
.
Early musical education
Inspired by his older brother Douglas, Michael began playing the drums around age 10. As a teen, he played with various bands in Rotorua New Zealand until 1985 when he moved to MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to learn orchestral percussion.
His studies began at Box Hill College of Tafe, where he completed 2 years of drum and percussion tuition under Bruce Barber. From here Barker went on to study Orchestral and solo percussion at The Victorian College of the Arts under Barry Quinn. In Barker's final year at the VCA he performed ' Pssapha ' by Xenakis, ' The I Ching ' by Per Norgard and ' The Black Page ' by Zappa.
Musical career
Barker's unique drum and percussion style has seen him record and tour with prominent contemporary recording artists such as - The John Butler Trio, NeilNeil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
and Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
respectively, Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
, The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers
Kasey Chambers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.-Solo success:...
, Missy Higgins
Missy Higgins
Melissa "Missy" Morrison Higgins is an Australian pop singer-songwriter, musician and actor. Her No. 1 albums in Australia are The Sound of White and On a Clear Night , and her Top Ten singles are "Scar", "The Special Two", "Steer" and "Where I Stood". From a musical family in...
, Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd is an Australian singer-songwriter. His most popular album Watching Angels Mend, which includes the songs "Amazing" and "Green", was released in 2001 went double platinum. His third album Distant Light released in 2003 featured three songs that made the Australian top 40 singles charts...
, Nathan Haines
Nathan Haines
Nathan Haines is a New Zealand jazz and adult contemporary saxophonist.-Life and career:Haines was born in 1972. His father, Kevin, played jazz bass, and his brother, Joel, played guitar. Haines played gigs with Joel across New Zealand, before moving to New York in 1991 to study jazz...
, Vika and Linda Bull, The Black Sorrows, Deborah Conway
Deborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
, Christine Anu
Christine Anu
-Early life:Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.-Career:Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993...
, David Bridie, My Friend The Chocolate Cake, to name but a few.
Michael has also performed music in theatre productions of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Cats', 'Rent', ' Tap Dogs', 'Poor Boy' and 'Jerry's Girls '.
In addition to performing and recording, Michael has written songs and music with Tim Finn, David Bridie, John Butler, Shane Nicholson, Eddie Rayner, Brian Ritchie, Vika and Linda Bull and Christine Anu.
Michael wrote, recorded, mixed and released his first solo album, 'Wonderland' in November 2006. This album saw Barker collaborate with Bob Moore, Jeff Raglus, Bill Mac Donald, Steve Hadley, Ray Pareira, Peter Neville and the VCA percussion ensemble.
In 2008, Michael played with Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
on their NZ Reunion tour. He was introduced by Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
at the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
concert as "the newest Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
member".
In June 2008, Michael performed at the Australia's Ultimate Drummers Weekend Festival held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Personal life
Michael Barker was born in RotoruaRotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to Celeste and Clive Barker. He is married to Catherine, and they have two sons, Marvin and Tristan.
In 2007 he made headlines as he unsuccessfully tried to save the life of a drowning man in Townsville, QLD.
Preferred Percussion Instruments
- PearlPearl DrumsFounded in 1952, the is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominately percussion instruments.-History:Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa, who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo on April 2, 1946...
Reference Series Drums & Zildjian Cymbals: - Drums – Purple Craze w/Nickel Hardware
- 12x10" Tom
- 16x16" Floor Tom
- 18x16" Floor Tom
- 14x6.5" Brass Reference Snare
- 22x20" Bass Drum
- 10" Soprano Snare
- 13" Timbale
- 11.5" Pearl Conga
- ' monkeys
- Cymbals – Zildjian
- 15" K Custom Hi-Hats
- 22" K Custom Ride
- 19" Armand Beautiful Baby Ride (w/Rivets)
- 19" K Custom Crash
- 17" K Custom Crash
- 15" K Custom Crash
- 10" K Custom Splash
- 8" K Custom Splash
- 6" K Custom Splash
- 8" Zil-Bell
- 20 K China