Michael Wilson	Back To Search
	Tribal Affiliation: Loon Clan Ojibwe Genre: Instruments: Dance-Traditional, Keyboards Email: shinob001@yahoo.com Phone: 952-930-0349 Website:

Half Canadian and Half American, Michael Wilson (A.K.A. Wilson the Younger) was born in Grand Rapids Minnesota in the year Nineteen-Seventy-and-Four. Raised in rural Minnesota –far away from the hardships of urban relocation and reservation politics – Michael was promptly indentured to classical studies of the piano at the age of five. For the next twelve years, baroque and early renaissance tunes were consumed on a daily basis from four p.m. too 5 p.m. Percussion and drums were also picked up along the way, which wasn’t so much encouraged as tolerated by the rest of the household. The radio was a big deal in the Wilson household. Wilson the Sr. had fallen in love with radio plays and country music as a young man and sought every opportunity to steep Wilson the Younger in the greater glories of Nashville. Every fishing trip, hunting foray, and outdoor recreational journey had a soundtrack courtesy of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. This later evolved into a love of Rockabilly music for Wilson the Younger, which included a palette of influences including Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Rockabilly really fired up in the 90s, and sparked Michaels’ interest of punk and post-punk rock. Band like The Cramps, Reverend Horton Heat, Rocket form the Crypt and The Meteors fueled Wilson’s desire to play music and also facilitated his switch from keys to the bass guitar. Rockabilly begat punk and punk begat metal and classical music was left alone and un-mourned in the proverbial dust. After a seven-year stint in rock bands, Wilson go the itch to try something new. Techno and the Rave Scene had gotten his attention back in 1990 and this new kind of music seemed to be the way to go. Wilson picked up a pair of turntables and played records all over the Midwest. The underground aspect of techno, much the same with rockabilly and punk, was really appealing to Michael. An artist could be fairly successful and travel all over the world without having to ever enter the public consciousness. From here, Wilson moved back to the keys and started producing his own music. In 1996 he enrolled at Music Tech in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated in 1998 with an AA in Music Production and Recording Techniques. While at Music Tech, Wilson did studio work for artists including Prince, Michael Bland (New Power Generation), Monte Moir (Morris Day and the Time), as well as several local bands and performers. After graduation, live performances written on the spot using complex MIDI rigs and analog synthesizers became his M.O. and gigs all over the United States soon followed. An intimate knowledge of equipment and his own abilities made these extemporaneous performances possible, and he went on to work with several prominent local techno artists until the entire underground industry collapsed in the late 90s and became a part of the club scene/industry. Not wanting to spend his time working for free drinks, Wilson switched genres again and focused his time and energy towards traditional Ojibwe singing. University studies were promptly dropped and Wilson moved to Ontario to learn from the old men back home. George Bushkaygin-ibun, Walter Red Sky, The Big Georges, The Johnson Boys, Joe Morrison, and Louis Counselor were all influential on his learning process. In order to continue his education, Wilson traveled all over North Western Ontario from drum to drum and powwow to powwow for several years. He is currently employed as a Youth Development Specialist and teaches traditional drum protocols, teachings, and songs to young men and women in Minneapolis. Recently he has performed along such word class Native artists as Buffy Ste Marie, Brian Akipa, and Midnite Express.