Mike Albert began playing the guitar at the age of 9. Through out high school his ability on the instrument became well known and most parties he played at were packed or broken up because of the masses of people. By the age of 18 Mike began teaching the guitar professionally at Johnny Thompson’s Music Store in Monterey Park CA. As their youngest teacher ever, he developed a large clientele of students.
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A year and a half later, in 1975 Mike received an offer from Berry & Grassmueks in Pasadena, CA. There Mike met Eddie Van Halen and the two became fast friends. This was years before the first Van Halen album, and though they developed a mutual admiration of each others playing ability, they never collaborated on any mutual projects.
In 1978 the word was out that Frank Zappa’s “Reuben and the Jets” band was looking for a lead guitarist. Mike got the audition and soon was performing and recording with the group. Although the album never climbed the charts, the professional atmosphere was a great learning experience for Mike.
During that same period Mike did quite a few movie sound tracks including Cheech and Chongs’ “Nice Dreams” and performed live with Cheech and Chong as their lead guitarist with Cheech on vocals and Tommy Chong on rhythm guitar. Mike kept busy playing in various blues and rock clubs in the Southern California beach area.
MIKE ALBERT IN MEGADETH:
In 1985, Dave Mustaine, the leader of Megadeth was looking for another lead guitarist (Chris Poland had just left due to personal reasons). He heard about Mike through Megadeth's manager Jay Jones. Daves reaction to Mikes playing was "...[It was like] blowing the top of my head off..."
Mike was given the lead guitarist spot and after just 2 months of intense rehearsals Mike and his new band Megadeth were off on the band's first U.S. tour KILLINGS MY BUSINESS TOUR. The tour took them through over 40 cities. Co-headlining with them was ANTHRAX, EXODOUS, and SLAYER. After the 2nd branch of the tour, friction between Mike and Mustaine escalated to the point of Mike leaving the band. The Megadeth affiliation lasted under a year.
Needing a break from all the touring and endless rehearsals Mike began an intense "wood shedding" and writing period. At the time Mike wrote over 80 original songs, in somewhat the same vain of his Megadeth experience. He also returned to doing recording sessions and sound tracks, the most recent sound track was in Tia Carreras Hostile Intensions, a Bud Light commercial, and a Paul Rodriguez TV special. Recently Mike has performed at the Los Angeles Greek Theatre and at the Los Angeles Coliseum with his own band.
THE PRESENT:
The original songs Mike has written took years to develop and finding the right musicians to interpret them took just as long. Finally through a friend of Mike's, (Steve Medrano (RIP)), Mike found the right combination and the MIKE ALBERT PROJECT was born.
Enter, JON ESCOBEDO on Bass, In 2009 the MIKE ALBERT PROJECT released the studio album "Afterlife" on Big Deal Records with vocalist Richard Schroeder.
The band is currently gigging and working on new material with new vocalist COLIN SIMSON.
(с) http://www.myspace.com/mikealbertproject