Nicole Brice
Oct 20, 2022
Meet Mike Poole
Meet Mike Poole.
Mike plays the drums, and he plays them loud!
He is one busy man, and he not only holds down a normal 9-5 job, but he also finds time to play drums in not one, not two, but THREE bands that are heavily involved in the South Louisiana music scene.
Seriously.
How DOES he do it all?
Recently, I reached out to Mike to speak with him about what drives him to perform and what interests him about being a musician. With a lengthy history in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, music scene, Mike isn’t just another drummer. His current projects are DeadCentered, Vatic Decryption, and Glacial Coffin, and all three bands have original music available you should check out, with even more on the way.
A percussionist is a more fitting term for Mike because of the technical aspects he incorporates into his playing. LIKE WHAT? His ferocity on the kit is what sets him apart from all the others twirling the sticks out there.
This man can play!
MaM: Obviously, you have someone or something that inspired you to pick up the sticks when you were younger. Who would you cite as your ultimate inspiration if you could only pick one?
MP: Honestly, Phil Collins was my earliest influence. I've been a huge fan of his since middle school. I remember watching a live video of him playing the drums fill on ‘In the Air Tonight’ (yes, THAT drum fill) and that was the moment I knew I wanted to play the drums.
MaM: I think everyone loves Phil Collins and you can't help but turn the radio up when the epic part of that song starts to come in. I can relate. You are currently involved in many projects ranging from Punk Rock to straight up Death Metal, but I'm sure you have an eclectic mix of music you listen to daily, as do I. What type of music inspires you to create?
MP: I guess anything metal would be a given and obvious but oddly enough, a lot of my creativity and inspiration for wanting to create comes from a good bit of the pop music I listen to. Lady Gaga, to me, is one of the greatest artists of this day and age. Brian Fallon and any project he is a part of, too. And the Killers are one of my all-time favorite bands, too, so you have that. Their drummer, Ronny, is one of the greatest drummers I've ever had the privilege of seeing play live. His playing inspires me so much.
MaM: I, too, am a huge Killers fan, and I feel they do not get enough recognition. What age were you when you first realized you had a heavy interest in music and what truly made you want to become an actual musician?
MP: Well, I'll circle back to Phil Collins because I was heavily into his music in middle school, but it was probably around 8th grade when I decided I wanted to get a kit and start playing drums. Discovering heavy metal music really lit a fire under me, too, and it was somewhere between hearing the band Tourniquet, which is THE band that got me into metal, and hearing Metallica's ‘And Justice For All’ that turned my want to play drums into a NEED to play drums.
NB: Lars Ulrich is truly one of the greats, but I'm pretty sure he knows that. ::laughs:: Now, at the moment you’re involved in three music projects, right? Tell us a little more about those.
MP: Well, currently, I am in three different bands, and I've been in all of them since 2017. I joined them all within a few months of each other. DeadCentered is a hardcore punk/thrash band. Glacial Coffin plays what I would call melodic Scandinavian death/black metal, and Vatic Decryption is a death metal band rooted in the second wave of death metal (90's Florida/New York death metal scene). All of my bands are currently active, and we have music available via all streaming outlets.
NB: If you had to pick a favorite time of the year for playing music, what time would you pick?
MP: Fall, hands-down! There is just something about the beautiful mild weather and the smell of bonfires and burning leaves in the air. It automatically puts me in a great mood. Plus, it's nice to not be sweating so much. And for us big guys, that is a very big deal. ::laughs::
For more info about all of Mike's current projects and to hear him in action, check out:
DeadCentered Official (@deadcentered_official) • Instagram photos and videos
Vatic Decryption (@vaticdecryption) • Instagram photos and videos
Glacial Coffin (@glacialcoffin) • Instagram photos and videos
Vatic Decryption Official - YouTube
*All photos by Gary Governale*
Questions or Comments? Reach out to the_nicolebrice@mixedaltmag.com.