Mike Montero
Mike Montero
My musical journey began in the 4th grade when I received a Casio keyboard as a Christmas present. Back then it occupied a lot of my playtime and I quickly taught myself enough to realize that I might enjoy band as an elective in middle school, so I picked concert band and I ended up playing euphonium in the lower brass section. During my 2 years of middle school concert band I developed my ability to read music quickly enough to audition for an arts school in Jacksonville, FL, where I continued performing with lower brass & then upright bass in jazz and orchestra bands. This is about the time when I discovered my affinity for string instruments...
I distinctly remember my first year of high school coinciding with the grunge explosion of Seattle and this time around I asked my parents for a guitar, so my dad showed up at home with a bass one day... close enough! I then basically became a shut-in: in lieu of playing outside I devoured bass lines for dinner, and homework turned into hours of practice. Eventually I bought my first guitar with money from my first job as a grocery bagger and that little event changed my life and led me through adventures that I couldn't even have imagined!
Involving everything from collecting pedals, to learning about tube amps, to working in music retail after high school, to soldering my own pickups, to starting and joining bands, to coaching bands at music schools, and playing music with friends all over South Florida and Southern California... it's been an amazing ride so far and it truly feels like every step of the way has led me to this moment in life, and this is where Sweetwater comes in.
I come to Sweetwater from music education in Miami, where I taught independently and through several private schools over the last 20 years. To that end my areas of expertise were in guitar, bass, and music theory, but I also coached young bands and helped to prepare them for concerts and shows all around the magic city. I'm super stoked to be here and I aim to impart everything I've learned so far with everyone I come into contact through Sweetwater!
As your personal contact here at Sweetwater, please let me know anytime I can offer help or advice.
(800) 222-4700 ext 3709
E-mail Mike-
Education/Certifications:
Douglas Anderson School Of The Arts - Instrumental Music Performance
San Diego Mesa College - Psychology & Arts
Miami Dade College - Music Business & Creative Production -
Where are you from originally?
I was born in Peru but my father had attended university in California, so shortly after I came into the picture, he decided to move his young family to San Diego just before my first brother was born. I've also lived in Bloomington, IN for a bit but for the most part, Miami's my home base.
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What was your occupation before coming to Sweetwater?
I've been busy with music education for the last 20 years, but I've also experienced quite a bit of art & music retail, as well as event marketing, production, and managing.
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Why did you first apply for a job at Sweetwater?
The first thing to grab my attention was Sweetwater's level of care. The way I was thanked for my purchase, and the way that my sales engineer followed up with me after placing my order was supremely refreshing, and it led me to find out more about this company. It didn't take long for me to realize that when it comes to blending music technology education & unparalleled customer service, no one comes close to Sweetwater, and that's when I called in to inquire about working with this team.
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Foreign languages:
I'm equally fluent in English and Spanish. And I love to speak music too!
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Instruments you play:
In order of frequency: guitar, bass, effects pedals, synths, and drums.
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Gear you own:
Fender guitars and basses. Vox, Marshall, Traynor, and Jim Kelley amps. Korg synthesizers, a Gretsch Catalina Club drum kit, some live application microphones (mostly Shure), too many pedals (from MXR to Electro-Harmonix to Z. Vex gear), a didgeridoo, and more auxiliary percussion than I know what to do with.
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Other stuff we should know about you (hobbies, talents, interests, etc.):
I'm a nature-loving camper and own three different sized tents, and I've camped all over Florida from the bottom of the Keys to the northern edge of the state by the Suwannee. The camping music festival effectively ended my love/hate relationship with the stadium concert experience. In Miami I spent a lot of time in and around the ocean: fishing, kayaking, and island camping too. There are days I miss it all but I look forward to everything Indiana's nature has to offer.
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What in your background prepared you most to help your customers with their audio needs?
Performing on stage since my school days of the late eighties and early nineties with jazz and orchestra bands, and with the rock band scene in all kinds of venues throughout the nineties up until a few years ago, has taught me a lot about what it takes to produce a successful live show. Producing my own album with the help of my bandmates right after college was also a huge learning experience that I aim to expand on at Sweetwater. And being involved with voiceover work at Univision over the last few years taught me quite a bit about certain project studio tools in which I hope to invest while at Sweetwater.
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Links to my music
https://open.spotify.com/album/5iWyUT9BtrtgGLGxnj2IUa?si=mgaCKbSYTfKdeqASqFDk_w
https://soundcloud.com/mike-montero
