Mike Howard - Keyboards

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Mike is a true keyboard technician. Extremely versatile and talented, he has played over the years in a variety of groups ranging from rock to jazz, country to big band swing. He joined Big Planet Soul in 1996 after performing with "Rumor Hazit" in the Lexington, Kentucky area. He currently resides in Greensboro, North Carolina and commutes to rehearsals & gigs......... that's dedication!!! He is instrumental in preparing many of Big Planet Soul's arrangements. Mike's keyboard work in BPS shows influence from a number of keyboard heroes, such as Chuck Leavell, Steve Winwood, Greg Rollie, and Chester Thompson.

Current Equipment: Mike picked through his extensive collection of keyboards and modules to put together a compact rig that produces the range of "classic" keyboard sounds needed for Big Planet Soul. A custom-built cabinet houses Hammond XK-2 and XB-2 organs (for the double-manual B-3 feel without the 400 lb. weight) plus a Kurzweil SP-76 piano. Additional sounds - Rhodes, Wurlitzer, clav, strings, etc. - come from a Roland JV-1010 module with a "Keyboards of the 70s" expansion board. The organ send runs through the rotating horn channel of a Motion Sound KBR/M keyboard amp, giving the sound of a screaming Leslie cabinet but saving the bulk. The other keys go through the amp's "straight" channel.