STEEL KINGDOM Bios

Born and raised in the Hudson Valley of New York, Mike Caputo first began playing guitar at a very young age. After learning a few basic chords, and switching to trumpet at age eight, he rediscovered the guitar at age twelve. By fourteen, Mike was maintaining a rigorous practice schedule and digesting as much music as humanly possible. In addition to the normal influences of a teenage guitarist (classic rock, blues, metal, etc.), he spanned out into jazz and classical music. During these formative years, he took private lessons from such noted guitarists as Frank Gambale (Chick Corea band), Andy Timmons (Danger Danger), Steve Kahn (Steely Dan, Billy Joel, Saturday Night Live), among many others. Mike also took master classes and taught at the National Guitar Workshop along with many of the world ’s top guitar magazine columnists.

Mike entered college at age eighteen and studied classical guitar at SUNY Fredonia. He excelled in classical music during this time and performed works by Bach, Villa-Lobos, Sor, Torroba, Paganini, etc. in recitals for faculty members, students, and the general public. While studying in college, Mike played and recorded with the melodic metal band Senebyss with fellow Steel Kingdom guitarist Jeff Cummings.

Mike is a founding member of the progressive rock band “Mind Sky”. Mind Sky released the album “Timewise” in 2005, which enjoyed international acclaim and brisk sales driven by internet promotion. He was featured in the November 2005 issue of Guitar Player magazine and described as “the quintessential progressive guitarist demonstrating a command of textural elements, acoustic guitar technique, and a melodic lead style utilizing impressive legato phrasing. ” Additionally, Mike released a solo album of original acoustic material titled “Mosaic” in 2006 and performs finger-style and classical material regularly. His acoustic music is influenced by noted finger-style players such as Michael Hedges, Alex DeGrassi, Antoine Dufour, and Andy McKee.

Mike joined Rochester, NY based metal band Steel Kingdom in 2006 and rediscovered his metal roots, applying his broad experience in a multitude of musical styles to Steel Kingdom ’s power metal format.

Equipment:

Ibanez USA Custom electric guitar, Ibanez RG 560 electric guitar, Taylor auditorium style acoustic guitar, Takamine nylon string classical guitar, Line 6 POD Pro pre-amp, DOD noise gate, Peavy Pro Fex signal processor, Peavy Supreme 160 amp head, Marshall 4X12 speaker cabinet, BOSS volume pedal, BOSS Line Selector.

Influences:

Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Jason Becker, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Jim Matheos, Frank Gambale, Alan Holdsworth, Al DiMeola, Neal Morse & Spock’s Beard, Yes, Genesis, Eliot Fisk, Andres Segovia, Hector Villa-Lobos, Fernando Sor, Alex DeGrassi, Michael Hedges, Antoine Dufour, Andy McKee.