Keith Bam Bam Michaels

Drums



KEITH MICHAELS IS ENDORSED BY
Vic Firth Sticks

FAVORITE LINKS
Check out Keith's other projects:

 The Groove Monsters

PHOTOS

with Hughie Thomasson

of The Outlaws

with Randy Threet & David Dix
of The Outlaws

with Doug Grey
of Marshall Tucker

with Chris Hicks
of Marshall Tucker

Tango Down

with BB Borden
of Marshall Tucker

with Gary Moffit
of 38 Special

with Jason Bonham
 

with Rob Duluca & Ray West
of Spread Eagle

with Jeff Keith
of Tesla

with Henry Paul

of The Outlaws

 

 

with Dickey Betts

with Chris Hicks
and Clay Cook

of Marshall Tucker

with Frank Lombardi

of Great Southern

with Doug Grey

with Vincent Pastore

with Taylor Dayneey

with Phil Naro

with Pamala Debras

with David Johannson

(aka Buster Poindexter)

with Bruce Kulic

of Kiss

with Davey Jones

of The Monkees

with Elvira

with Don Dokken

with Traci Guns

of LA Guns

with Jizzy Pearl

with The Outlaws

with Roger Earl

of Foghat

with Brett Michaels

with Johnny Van Zant

with Rickey Medlocke

KEITH “BAM BAM” MICHAELS HAS BEEN PLAYING THE DRUMS SINCE 1973. AFTER 8 YEARS OF STUDYING PERCUSSION AND PERFORMING IN HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA & MARCHING BANDS, KEITH DECIDED TO START HIS FIRST ORIGINAL BAND. IN 1980 THE EXITZ WERE BORN AND KEITH STARTED PLAYING IN NIGHT CLUBS AND RECORDING ORIGINAL MATERIAL IN A 16 TRACK STUDIO IN BRONXVILLE NY. THE EXITZ WON A BATTLE OF THE BANDS CONTEST HELD AT THE LEGENDARY LEFT BANK IN MOUNT VERNON, THE PRIZE WAS TO RECORD IN A 24 TRACK STUDIO. THE EXITS RELEASED A TWO-SONG DEMO THAT WENT OVER WELL IN THE NEW WAVE SCENE IN NYC. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION THE EXITZ BROKE UP SO KEITH DECIDED TO CONTINUE HIS MUSIC EDUCATION AT WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE WHERE HE GRADUATED WITH AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN PERFORMING ARTS/ APPLIED MUSIC.

THROUGH THE 80’S KEITH PERFORMED IN SEVERAL ORIGINAL AND COVER BANDS, TRILOGY, FOUR IN HAND, THE BADBOYS, AND THE STIRPE BROTHERS BAND JUST TO NAME A FEW. IN 1986 HE DECIDED TO CONTINUE HIS EDUCATION BY ATTENDING THE PERCUSSION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. AFTER SPENDING ONLY THREE WEEKS THERE, KEITH CAME TO REALIZE HE HAD ALL THE TOOLS NECESSARY RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK. APPLYING HIMSELF AS THE MANAGER AND BOOKING AGENT OF FOUR IN HAND IN 1987 HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE BAND TO NEW HEIGHTS THEN JUST PLAYING A FEW LOCAL CLUBS A YEAR. FOUR IN HAND PERFORMED ALL OVER THE TRI-STATE AREA FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS, POSTING OVER 100 GIGS A YEAR FROM THE HAMPTONS IN LONG ISLAND TO THE UPSTATE CATSKILLS SKI RESORTS.

IN 1989 KEITH AUDITIONED FOR A LOCAL POP METAL ACT CALLED VANDAL. KEITH GOT THE GIG IMMEDIATELY AND THE BAND SOON HAD MAJOR LABEL INTEREST AND IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT ON THE ROAD SHOWCASING IN NEW YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND ALMOST EVERY WEEK. UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO INNER HARDSHIPS VANDAL WAS SHORT LIVED AND DISBANNED AFTER JUST ONE YEAR.

KEITH CONTINUED HIS WORK WITH LOCAL COVER BANDS SUCH AS KYNGS RAGE, THE SKINN FLIXX, TRIX, NO BREAKS, LICKITY SPLIT & ELEVENTH HOUR THROUGH THE 90’S.

IN 1991 KEITH RECOLOBORATED WITH THE GUITAR PLAYER OF VANDAL, GREGG LIVESAY AND TOGETHER THEY FORMED THE ACCLAIMED ORIGINAL METAL BAND “LIVESAY”.

LIVESAY SOON BECAME THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LOCAL METAL BAND AROUND. LIVESAY RECORDED THEIR FIRST DEMO “LIVE & LET ROCK” AT THE FAMOUS NORTH LAKE SOUND STUDIOS IN WHITE PLAINS. THE DEMO WAS SO WELL RECEIVED THAT LIVESAY SOON STARTED GETTING BOOKED AS THE OPENING ACT FOR THE LIKES OF RONNIE JAMES DIO, DEE SNYDER, RATT, WARRANT, FATES WARNING, STEEL HEART, SPREAD EAGLE & MR. BIG JUST TO NAME A FEW AS WELL HAS HEADLINING AT LOCAL CLUBS IN THE AREA. IN 1997 LIVESAY’S FIRST SELF TITLED CD RELEASE TOOK OFF IN EUROPE AND JAPAN. RECORD DEALS WHERE IN THE WORKS BUT DUE TO UNRESOLVED LITIGATION ALL DEALS FELL THROUGH. LIVESAY AT THAT TIME DECIDED TO CONTINUE WRITING NEW MATERIAL AND WAIT FOR A BETTER DEAL.

BY 1998 THE LOCAL ORIGINAL METAL SCENE WAS CLEARLY DYING OUT. KEITH WAS SOON CALLED BY GUITARIST STEVE MITCHELL, WITH WHOM HE PLAYED WITH IN FOUR IN HAND AND LICKITY SPLIT AND WAS ASKED IF HE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PLAYING IN A SOUTHERN ROCK BAND. EVEN THOUGH SOUTHERN ROCK WAS NOT REALLY IN KEITHS REPITORE HE GAVE IT A TRY. AFTER A FEW FILL IN GIGS KEITH WAS IN THE SUNDOWN BAND TO STAY.

WHILE LIVESAY WAS EXPERIENCING PERSONNEL CHANGES THEY STILL MANAGED TO RELEASE THERE SECOND EFFORT “DARKEST HOUR” WHICH ALSO RECEIVED GREAT REVIEWS AND LABEL INTEREST OVERSEAS. DESPITE THIS, KEITH DECIDED TO LEAVE LIVESAY AND CONTINUE ON THE GROWTH OF THE SUNDOWN BAND.

IN 2001 IT WAS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF THE SUNDOWN BAND SO KEITH PROMOTED THE SUNDOWN 25TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR, WHICH POSTED 72 GIGS THAT YEAR. SUNDOWN SOON BECAME WESTCHESTER BIGGEST DRAWING ACT IN THE LOCAL CLUB SCENE.

IN 2006 KEITH TOOK ON ANOTHER SIDE PROJECT WITH PHIL NARO OF TALAS FAME, (BILLY SHEEHNAN, “SHYBOY”) AND RECORDED A NEW CD ON KIVEL RECORDS. ALSO ON THE CD WHERE SONG WRITERS, SCOTT “RIFF MILLER”, GUITARS, AND CHRIS KONYS, BASS & KEYS OF “NO MORE JOHNNY”. AFTER THE RELEASE OF THE CD “TANGO DOWN””TAKE ONE” AND A FEW SHOWS, KEITH HAD TO LEAVE THE PROJECT AS THE COMMITMENT TO SUNDOWN WAS OVER BEARING.

KEITH IS STILL CONTINUING TO PROMOTE AND BOOK THE SUNDOWN BAND ALL OVER THE TRISTATE AREA WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE UNSURPASSED SUCCESS OF SUNDOWN TO THIS DATE. THERE IS NO STOPPING SUNDOWN RIGHT NOW.