The Bay Area music scene is small and when you know one person you seem to have connections to all. It all started with an introduction to Mike Drew's uncle's Saxophone / Guitarist player, Kenny Schick, who now produces and records the band's albums at Basement3Productions in Nashville. Kenny introduced Mike to their first drummer and Noah Freedman, fiddlist. From there, it snowballed to connect the rest of the band. Currently, the Mike Drew Band is playing the majority of their live gigs in California and are continuing to write new music as the band grows in popularity.
Mike Drew
Mike Drew is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Northern California where he still lives today with his wife and three children. Mike, a self-taught pianist and vocalist, began writing songs as early as 15 years old. His first love is baseball, which led him to Eastern Tennessee to attend college at Lincoln Memorial University. This is where Mike found his true passion of Country Music. Meeting the likes of Sugarland, Gary Allen and Dierks Bentley in 2003 certainly pushed Mike to newer heights with his music.
Endika Currier
Endika Currier is the upright bass player for the Mike Drew Band and has been involved in music and bands his entire life. His was the composer and bassist for his previous band, Panthelion, which played New Urban Classical music. Palo Alto Weekly has called Endika’s music “the evolution of jazz.” He is pure energy on stage and delivers consistent, rhythmic tunes.
Alex Govan
Alex Govan began playing, recording and teaching at the Carmel Youth Center in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, which was founded by Bing Crosby and outfitted with studio gear by local resident film composer Alan Silvestri. Upon graduation from Carmel High, Alex was given the “The Clint Eastwood Achievement for Outstanding Student Jazz Musician” award, and became guitar principle for The Monterey Jazz Festival County Honor Band. Directed by Paul Contos, the group toured throughout Japan and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival’s 50th Anniversary.
Alex attended and graduated from Berkley College of Music on scholarship. He studied a variety of different styles utilizing the guitar as both a singular instrument and an arranging tool, learning slide and fingerpicking while playing with some of the best young bluegrass and folk musicians in the world. In 2017, due to his vast musical knowledge and possession of the finely tuned ear of a seasoned studio veteran with only minimal hearing loss, Alex was hired to help with the development of the Youtube Music App. At this time he also began performing with Kid Mystic, who became known as a “punk-rock Grateful Dead” and would go on to be a fixture in the Bay Area DIY scene. Alex was a featured performer at the Y2k18 International Live Looping Festival in Santa Cruz, CA. A CD and Cassette release of original material is planned for Spring of 2022. He currently lives in San Francisco and enjoys pickin’ and singin’ in the Mike Drew Band.
Evan Bautista
Evan Bautista has been an active touring/studio drummer for 25 years. He’s played and recorded with acts such as Queensryche, Dr. Dre, Stunt Monkey, Haley and Micheals, Mira Goto, Animal Party and more. Evan also shares an equal passion for Country Music, both on stage and in the studio. Influences include Sound Garden, Slipknot, Creedence Clearwater, Tom Petty and Pantera.
Fun fact: Evan’s main hobby and passion aside from teaching and drumming is Live Steam Model Railroading.
Kenny Corso
Kenny Corso is a guitarist known for his complex and sultry solo’s that Mike Drew Band fans have come to love. Kenny’s long history in bands and music makes him a key piece in developing the band’s unique sound. When he’s not playing with the Mike Drew Band, Kenny teaches guitar and passes along his knowledge to up and coming stars.
Noah Freedman
Noah Freedman is an acclaimed Bay Area jazz violinist and was selected as the 2007 Student Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year by The Monterey Jazz Festival. Noah has studied with jazz greats guitarist Bruce Forman, and violinists Regina Carter, John Blake, and Christian Howes.
Noah enjoys playing in many styles. He has toured with bebop Western Swing band CowBop, and brings a unique approach to country music with the Mike Drew Band. Fun fact: he was just barely talked out of burning his violin on the same stage where Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar. While not jamming out with the Mike Drew Band, you’re likely to encounter Noah playing in a friend’s bar in Santa Cruz, an SF jazz club, or busking on the streets anywhere in between.
