Mike Finders Musician
Entertainer, Educator, Songwriter
Mike's Story
Mike Finders (rhymes with "cinders") has had a guitar in his hand since he was a toddler.
A natural storyteller and educator, Mike performs both with the bluegrass/new acoustic quintet from Colorado, FY5, as well as his electric blues quartet, Spidercat. FY5 is a nationally touring band with more than ten years on the road and five self-released CD's of original music, and Spidercat is a newer project, playing only in Colorado.
He has had a music career spanning decades, including jam bands, blues bands, folk and roots duos, mostly in Iowa, where he grew up. He has written hundreds of songs, and is a registered BMI songwriter and performer, as well as past and present member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, the Colorado Bluegrass Music Association, and the Colorado Blues Association.
He occasionally performs solo, both as a bar-room entertainer in local watering holes along the northern front range in Colorado, as well as a touring singer-songwriter.
He is a two-time winner of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, and enjoys co-writing with a few of his favorite writers.
As a music educator, Mike has crafted and facilitated hundreds of adult and kid-centered acoustic music workshops, camps, and group lessons. He teaches a five-day bluegrass camp every Spring at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, as well as at the Pagosa Folk and Bluegrass Festival (with FY5).
He is a dad to four kids, a husband, a struggling runner, a martial arts enthusiast, and coffee snob.