Keyboard, Guitar, Backup Vocals
Raised in Eagle River, WI, Mike Barden has lived in Waupaca since 1997, and has been performing professionally on keyboard and piano since he was 13 years old. Experienced in a wide variety of musical genres and performance situations, Mike has been a top-call keyboardist in and around Wisconsin for decades.
Graduating with degrees in music from UW-Stevens Point and University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign, Mike has also worked as a teacher (piano, guitar, music theory, and ear training), musical arranger, composer, church music director, live and recorded music audio engineer, recording studio owner, and producer of recordings for many other musical artists. Since 1994 he has produced a number of his own recordings of original music and cover songs. His talents and musical adaptability have brought into performances all around Wisconsin and the Midwest states, as well as points beyond, including Florida, Punta Cana and Cancun and Akumal, Mexico.
As a performer, Mike Barden has had the opportunity to share the stage with Greg Koch, Janet Planet, Maynard Ferguson, Joan Rivers, Joe Piscopo, Father Guido Sarducci, and Victoria Jackson. Currently he is the keyboard player for Boogie & the Yoyoz, but In the past he has also played as a member of many ensembles including River Cities Jazz, the Justmann Band, John Check & the Wisconsin Dutchmen, Unity the Band, and Ask Your Mother.