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It was a sixth grade graduation play, theme was early California history. As he was a late add on, his teacher draped a seraphe over young Michael Amitin's shoulder, thrust a spanish guitar in his hands, and shoved him up on stage to play the role of a prop. Throughout the tediously boring play, he kept looking curiously at the odd, strangely beautiful creature cradled between his skinny twelve year- old arms.

It was the 60's, and his brother who was attending Berkeley, brought home the Dead, Quicksilver and that was it, the road to ruin was irretractable. It weaved and bobbed from LA where Michael recorded with Paul Rothschild, then producer of Janis and the Doors, through Detroit where he recorded the melodic, harmony infused, acoustic oriented (American Beauty influenced) album with RCA entitled "First Fire", and while there, had a tune cut by Temptations singer David Ruffin for Warner Bros. Natalie Cole cut Michael's R&B tune "Tears On My Pillow". Michael went on to produce and co-write the "Seaspiders" album in San Francisco. A bristling uplifting record, the Seaspiders offers a collection of soulful, groove oriented tunes featuring players the likes of Joe Craven (Garcia, Grisman) Walfredo Reyes (Santana) and Marty Walsh (John Fogerty). Now, after adding mandolin, laud and banjo to the list of instruments he plays, Michael's currently breaking ground on a self-produced solo album slated for fall an off the clock release.