Mike Underwood is an extremely versatile percussionist from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He started his musical career early, performing as an actor in local musical companies. He later began studying percussion and was hired to play in pit orchestras. Throughout high school Mike played with numerous symphony orchestras, jazz bands, wind ensembles, and rock groups. After getting accepted as a music performance major at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Mike studied under Dr. Payton MacDonald and Dr. Alison Shaw. He explored many aspects of the percussion family including Drum Set, Vibes, Marimba, Hand Percussion, Orchestral Percussion, and Steel Drum.
Underwood now resides in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin and performs over three-hundred shows a year with an array of different ensembles. When Mike is not holding down his demanding schedule in Wisconsin, he is touring the country with numerous bands and artists. As co-founder of "The Big Bang Drum Camp",Underwood is also dedicated to bringing music into the lives of the next generation. Mike regularly performs at clinics, workshops, and schools in many capacities. His styles include Jazz, Blues, Rock, R&B, Soca, Orchestral, Latin, and many more.
Mike has received a number of awards and accreditations including: The Richard "Snax" Jaeger scholarship, the US Marine Semper Fi music award, and a University of Wisconsin music scholarship. Also included are several recognitions from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry "WAMI" awards. In 2013 & 2017, Mike was named WAMI "Drummer of the Year". Other WAMI awards consist of "Alt Country Group of the Year" during his stint with "Andy's Automatics", "Rock Group of the Year" with "Greg Waters & the Broad Street Boogie", "Alt Rock Group of the Year" with "Kyle Megna & the Monsoons" and three time winner of "Jazz Group of the Year" with his long time jazz combo "The Jazz Orgy"!
Underwood now resides in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin and performs over three-hundred shows a year with an array of different ensembles. When Mike is not holding down his demanding schedule in Wisconsin, he is touring the country with numerous bands and artists. As co-founder of "The Big Bang Drum Camp",Underwood is also dedicated to bringing music into the lives of the next generation. Mike regularly performs at clinics, workshops, and schools in many capacities. His styles include Jazz, Blues, Rock, R&B, Soca, Orchestral, Latin, and many more.
Mike has received a number of awards and accreditations including: The Richard "Snax" Jaeger scholarship, the US Marine Semper Fi music award, and a University of Wisconsin music scholarship. Also included are several recognitions from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry "WAMI" awards. In 2013 & 2017, Mike was named WAMI "Drummer of the Year". Other WAMI awards consist of "Alt Country Group of the Year" during his stint with "Andy's Automatics", "Rock Group of the Year" with "Greg Waters & the Broad Street Boogie", "Alt Rock Group of the Year" with "Kyle Megna & the Monsoons" and three time winner of "Jazz Group of the Year" with his long time jazz combo "The Jazz Orgy"!
