MIKE WOLLENBERG

Bay Area guitarist Mike Wollenberg is best known for his work as a fingerstyle solo guitarist. By playing two or three parts simultaneously or by suggesting bass lines or chord patterns and allowing the listener's ear to fill in the gaps, Mike is able to create the illusion of there being much more than just one guitar... When Mike's interest began to shift towards acoustic Swing music, he helped co-found, with Dix Bruce and Bob Alekno, the popular string swing and jazz band Back Up & Push (named after an old fiddle tune). BU&P was in the thick of the exciting new acoustic scene spearheaded by David Grisman and his Quintet, and performed with such notables as Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Juice Newton, mandolin legends Jestro Burns and Tiny Moore, Duck Baker and the David Grisman Quintet. In the 80s Mike became the bass player for Back Up and Push. In this role he developed a bassist's sensibility -- the skill to create a groove to propel a band without the aid of drums. These elements..

Primary location: Canyon United States