Biography

Mike Northcutt is a professional guitarist, singer, and composer with more than 20 years of performing and recording experience. He has played over 2,000 live shows and composed music for award-winning film and video projects. He has an extensive catalog of original recordings and copyrighted works, most notably 2420—a groove-driven album spanning rock, pop, and Americana-funk.

The son of two classical musicians, Mike picked up the guitar at eleven and never looked back. At age twenty he left college, earned his certificate from the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), and began playing professionally as a solo acoustic entertainer and band front man throughout Silicon Valley and the greater SF Bay Area. Through the '90s and early 2000s he performed regularly, playing 3–5 nights a week in clubs, festivals, and street fairs. For three years he played alongside virtuoso guitarist John Wedemeyer (now touring lead guitarist for the Beach Boys), drummer Bryant Mills (John Lee Hooker touring drummer), and veteran bassist and instructor Tim Allen.

During this time Mike earned a second music credential, in songwriting and composition, from the Dick Grove School of Music, and worked as a composer and producer for Northcutt Productions on film and video projects that earned a Gold Cindy, a Bronze Telly, and a New York Festivals Finalist. Client highlights include Apple, IBM, NASA, and NFL Publishing. Travels to Spain immersed him in flamenco guitar and the Spanish language—influences that still surface in his music.

Since 2005, Mike has made West Seattle his home, playing select local shows, working in UX and instructional design domains, and earning a Master's in Human-Centered Design and Engineering from UW. Beyond his activities in education and tech, he's currently developing a personalized guitar-instruction method and composing new material for upcoming recordings and live work. The new material will be a deeper and edgier continuation of 2420, rooted in raw polyrhythmic funk grooves, original melodies, and abstract-to-personal lyrics.

Contact Mike if you’d like to stay informed about upcoming releases and shows, or book him for an event.