Mike Herrera

{{short description|American singer, songwriter and musician}}
{{About||the baseball player|Mike Herrera (baseball)|the Cuban runner|Michael Herrera}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Mike Herrera
| image               = Mike Herrera (May 9, 2022).png
| caption             = Herrera in 2022
| image_size          =
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          = Michael Arthur Herrera
| alias               =
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1976|11|06}}
| birth_place         = [[Bremerton, Washington]], U.S.
| death_date          =
| origin              =
| instrument          = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* bass guitar
* guitar
}}
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Skate punk]]
* [[punk rock]]
* {{nowrap|[[pop punk]]}}
* {{nowrap|[[country rock]]}}
* [[alternative country]]
}}
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* songwriter
}}
| years_active        = 1992–present
| label               = {{flatlist|
* [[SideOneDummy Records|SideOneDummy]]
* [[A&M Records|A&M]]
* [[Tooth & Nail Records|Tooth & Nail]]
* {{nowrap|[[Fat Wreck Chords]]}}
}}
| associated_acts     = {{flatlist|
* [[MxPx]]
* [[Arthur (band)|Arthur]]
* The Cootees
* [[Tumbledown (band)|Tumbledown]]
* [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]]
}}
| website             =
}}

'''Michael Arthur Herrera''' (born November 6, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and musician best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and songwriter for the [[punk rock]] band [[MxPx]]. He is also the frontman of [[Tumbledown (band)|Tumbledown]] and the bassist of [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]].

==Early life==
Herrera was born in [[Bremerton, Washington]] to Art and Michele Herrera and is of Mexican and English / Welsh descent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zoomh2.net/mike-herrera |title=Zoom Handy Recorders: Mike Herrera |publisher=Zoomh2.net |date=July 6, 1992 |access-date=July 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724141534/http://www.zoomh2.net/mike-herrera |archive-date=July 24, 2011  }}</ref> He is the middle of three children and has an older sister and a younger sister. His parents live in Bremerton in the house he grew up in.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/ckr/news/19787044.html |title=MxPx's business manager plays dual role – Central Kitsap Reporter |publisher=Pnwlocalnews.com |date=June 23, 2004 |access-date=July 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717025436/http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/ckr/news/19787044.html |archive-date=July 17, 2011  }}</ref> He grew up playing guitar, inspired by listening to country and punk rock music. Herrera started [[MxPx]] while he was in high school with friends Andy Husted and [[Yuri Ruley]] with the band's first performance in his back yard.

==Career==

===MxPx===
Herrera is the primary songwriter, vocalist and bassist in [[MxPx]]. Herrera started the band with Andy Husted and Yuri Ruley in mid-1992, just before starting high school.

===Mike Herrera solo===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=March 2016}}
[[File:Mike_Herrera.jpg|thumb|Herrera in 2006]]
As MxPx became less active in the late 2000s, Herrera increasingly appeared as a solo act. These performances include both MxPx and Tumbledown songs, and are generally performed with only vocals and acoustic guitar, though Herrera is occasionally joined by one or two others, including at times Kris Roe of the Ataris.

In Herrera's own Monkey Trench Studio, he recorded ''Live In the Basement'', consisting of six Tumbledown songs, five MxPx songs, and a cover of the Beatles' "[[I've Just Seen a Face]]". The album was released digitally with a limited CD pressing. Live online performances are also available as digital albums, ''Live&Raw on StageIT.com'' and ''Live.Web.Feb.4.2013''. ''Live in Southampton'' was released to MxPx fanclub members only.

===Tumbledown===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=March 2016}}
Herrera started the band [[Mike Herrera's Tumbledown]] with guitarist Jack Parker, bassist Marshall Trotland, and drummer Harley Trotland. The band draws influences from being on tour as well as from "great American songwriters" such as [[Hank Williams]], [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Johnny Cash]]. The sound of Tumbledown differs greatly from MxPx, taking a lighter, more [[Country music|country]] inspired sound.

===Side projects and production===
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2016}}
Herrera  has produced albums such as ''At Any Rate'' by Too Bad Eugene and ''Future Plans Undecided'' by Element (101). He sang backing vocals on "Radio #2" from [[the Ataris]]' album ''[[So Long, Astoria]]'' and "Runaway" by [[Amber Pacific]], on the group's album ''[[Truth in Sincerity]]'' and shared lead vocals [[Stephen Egerton (guitarist)|Stephen Egerton]]'s album, ''The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton''.

In addition to Tumbledown, Herrera was the frontman of Arthur (MxPx with the band's former bass tech Neil Hundt), having released a six-song EP and a full-length album before disbanding, as well as the Cootees (Mike Herrera, Jiles Brandon, Tom Wisniewski, and Dale Yob), a Tooth & Nail side project in the mid-1990s.

Herrera opened Monkey Trench studio in Bremerton in 2008.

In 2016, Herrera was recruited by [[John Feldmann]] to join ska punk band [[Goldfinger (band)|Goldfinger]] as the group's new bassist. His first single with the band is "Put The Knife Away", which was released on May 24, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYkEJgXu49U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/oYkEJgXu49U |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Goldfinger - Put The Knife Away (Official Lyric Video)|last=riserecords|date=May 24, 2017|access-date=October 11, 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Equipment===
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=March 2017}}
Herrera endorses [[Music Man StingRay]] basses and [[Ernie Ball]] strings<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.music-man.com/artists|title=Artists|work=Ernie Ball Music Man|access-date=November 13, 2018}}</ref> and has used them on almost every MxPx recording. For amplification he uses a Hartke LH1000 head and a Hartke 8x10 cabinet. Herrera is also endorsed by [[Takamine (guitar manufacturer)|Takamine]] acoustic guitars, Sparrow guitars, [[Mesa Boogie]] amps, Samson Tech, Hartke and Latin percussion.

In March 2020 [[Ernie Ball]] announced a new Mike Herrera signature [[Music Man StingRay]] bass featuring an [[ash (tree)|ash]] body, [[maple]] neck, Schaller tuners, and a unique electronics configuration, being the [[Pickup (music technology)|pickups]] are wired directly to the input jack with three "dummy" knobs for aesthetic purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ernie Ball Music Man Mike Herrera StingRay Bass|url=https://shop.music-man.com/ernie-ball-music-man-mike-herrera-stingray-bass.html|access-date=2021-05-27|website=shop.music-man.com|language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Herrera married his wife Holli in 2001<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ohhellocupcakeblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/thought.html|title=ohhellocupcake.: [a thought.]|last=Ohhellocupcake|date=March 29, 2012|access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref> and together they have two children. In 2017 the Herreras moved from Washington to Waco, Texas (Holli's home state) and appeared in Season 5, Episode 19 HGTV of the [[HGTV]] series ''[[Fixer Upper (TV series)|Fixer Upper]]'' in which their new home was renovated and decorated for the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hgtv.com/shows/fixer-upper/episodes/rock-star-renovation|title=Rock Star Renovation {{!}} Season 5, Episode 13 |website=www.hgtv.com|access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref>

As of 2015, Herrera has said he is no longer Christian and identifies as an agnostic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://weaselradio.bandcamp.com/track/the-mxpx-episode|title=MxPx Episode|website=Weasel Radio|access-date=July 1, 2019}}</ref>

== Discography ==
{{Main article|MxPx discography}}
<!-- This section is only intended to include studio full-length albums. It should not contain EPs or live albums. Cover albums and holiday albums are acceptable.
see Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians/Article guidelines 
 -->
'''With MxPx'''
* ''[[Pokinatcha]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Teenage Politics]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Life in General (album)|Life in General]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The Ever Passing Moment]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Before Everything & After]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Panic (MxPx album)|Panic]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Secret Weapon (album)|Secret Weapon]]'' (2007)
* ''[[On the Cover II]]'' (2009)<!--A studio album, even if it's not original material-->
* ''[[Punk Rawk Christmas]]'' (2009)<!--A studio album, and a holiday album-->
* ''[[Plans Within Plans]]'' (2012)
* ''[[MxPx (album)|MxPx]]'' (2018)
* ''[[Find A Way Home]]'' (2023)

'''As a producer'''
* Marine View Drive – ''Five Days Down EP'' (2010), producer and engineer, vocals on "Let's Go Out"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marineviewdrive.bandcamp.com/album/five-days-down-ep|title=Five Days Down EP - Marine View Drive|date=January 20, 2010|work=Marine View Drive|access-date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>
* [[The Water Tower Bucket Boys]] – ''Sole Kitchen'' (2010), producer and engineer, vocals on "Blackbird Pickin' At a Squirrel"

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://twitter.com/mikeherreratd Mike Herrera on Twitter]

{{MxPx}}
{{Goldfinger}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrera, Mike}}
[[Category:20th-century American bass guitarists]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American musicians of Mexican descent]]
[[Category:American people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:American punk rock guitarists]]
[[Category:Pop punk singers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American punk rock singers]]
[[Category:People from Bremerton, Washington]]
[[Category:Singers from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:American performers of Christian music]]
[[Category:American former Christians]]
[[Category:American agnostics]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Washington (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American bass guitarists]]
[[Category:1976 births]]