I’ve had a deep passion for music since I was a kid, and my path to becoming a musician was a touch unconventional. At the age of nine I worked as a janitor at a ranger station in the Sierra foothills, and every Wednesday and Sunday night while we were vacuuming and scrubbing toilets, I harmonized with incredible singers like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Prince. I learned everything I know about singing from them, and to this day, my biggest musical thrills come from singing in harmony with others.

I eventually graduated from janitor to music teacher, and as a vocalist, bassist and flute player, I’ve been a part of bands ranging from the acoustic duo After Eights to the 11-piece Sacramento power horn outfit On Air. Right now you can also hear me holding down bass and vocals with Truckee’s Steel Sparrows, a five-piece, all-female, all-mom rock, pop, folk and blues band.

It gets confusing with all the Mikes in Dark Horse, so you can just call me Loomis like the rest of the band does.  Guitar player here (including 12-string and slide) for many moons.  

I hail from the US heartland (Ohio), but landed in Lake Tahoe’s north shore in the late 70’s to rock out for several years as a member of the Warren Jay Band. Been making music in Northern California ever since (Tahoe, Truckee, East Bay, Chico, Nevada City, Livermore). 

I’ve had the pleasure to open for a few well-known acts over the years including Vanilla Fudge, Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon, Luther Allison and the Allman Brothers.  But right now, I am so loving the fact that I found my herd with these other Dark Horses.  And we want you to know that we are so very primed to make some great music for your next event!  Stampede ! ! !

I started driving my family crazy at a very young age banging out funky grooves on anything that made a cool percussive sound—the kitchen table, glassware, every surface inside the family station wagon, my brother’s head, and more.  At the age of 8, I built my first 10-piece kit using my mom’s best pots, pans and assorted kitchenware using wooden salad spoons for sticks.  

Every day, I’d run home from the school bus stop, put on my oversized 70’s earphones, slap on Police, Who, Stones, Zeppelin, Dead Kennedys and Rush albums and develop my skills playing along with rock’s GOATs.  After about a year of this, my parents came to the conclusion that they should probably get me a drum set—a vintage black Ludwig—and the rest is history.  

Since then, I’ve played in numerous rock, jazz, jam and blues bands in high school and college and post college in NYC and on the West Coast. In the Tahoe area, I was originally recruited to join Sixth Sense and I’ve sat in and gigged with The Beer Gardeners, Steel Sparrows, Wild Ginger and Michael Blakeman and the Sonoma Posse.  In Dark Horse, along with saddling up behind the kit, you’ll see me playing a variety of roles including serving as a contributing vocalist and guitarist.