Michael Kang (musician)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kang, born in South Korea
on May 13, 1971, is a multi-instrumentalist
for the jam band
The String Cheese Incident (often abbreviated to SCI).
The mandolin
is his primary instrument, although he plays violin
on several songs, and electric guitar
on many others. He provides both a melodic and rhythmic sound. Kang has lived in South Korea
, Indonesia
, England
, Germany
, New York
, San Francisco Bay Area
(California
), United Arab Emirates
, Alaska
, and Colorado
. He is a graduate of UC-Berkeley a former emergency medical technician, and a former ski patrolman in Steamboat Springs, CO. He provided critical medical attention in the rescue of a seriously injured person from Cataract Canyon, Utah, in June, 1992.
, progressive bluegrass music
ians Paul McCandless, Darol Anger, and Mike Marshall, and drummer Aaron Johnson. More recently he is found playing with the band Panjea and with Chris Berry
.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
on May 13, 1971, is a multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
for the jam band
Jam band
-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...
The String Cheese Incident (often abbreviated to SCI).
The mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
is his primary instrument, although he plays violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
on several songs, and electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on many others. He provides both a melodic and rhythmic sound. Kang has lived in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
(California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He is a graduate of UC-Berkeley a former emergency medical technician, and a former ski patrolman in Steamboat Springs, CO. He provided critical medical attention in the rescue of a seriously injured person from Cataract Canyon, Utah, in June, 1992.
Side Projects
In addition to his role in SCI, Kang has participated in several side projects, among these was the 2000 album Head West by the collaboration called Comotion. Musicians joining Kang in the studio included Jeff Sipe and Tye North of Leftover SalmonLeftover Salmon
Leftover Salmon is a jam band from Boulder, Colorado, formed in 1989. Their unique blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco, which the band calls "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass", has found favor with the jam band scene...
, progressive bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
ians Paul McCandless, Darol Anger, and Mike Marshall, and drummer Aaron Johnson. More recently he is found playing with the band Panjea and with Chris Berry
Chris Berry
Chris Berry is a master of both mbira and the ngoma drum, from the Shona people of Southern Africa. He has earned the title of gwenyambira , a distinction reserved only for those who have achieved the highest fusion of the technical and the magical in Shona music...
.