Mike Babyak

Mike Babyak began playing guitar in his early teens while growing up in the Allentown, Pa area.

In the mid-70s, Mike enjoyed local success with his first serious project, Gateway , a 5-piece band that began by covering bands such as Steely Dan and Yes, and later evolved into a more open improvisational act. Here's a clip from way back then. During this time, he also played and studied with a number of other artists, including Mike Dugan, John Gorka, and Steve Kimock.

When Gateway disbanded in 1979, he went on to study classical guitar at Muhlenberg College, winning several local performance competitions. He spent the next 11 years performing as a classical soloist and guest artist with small chamber and early music ensembles. During this time, Mike also earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas and later joined the faculty at Duke University Medical Center.

In the mid-90s, his interests turned back again to the electric guitar. Also at this time he began to study the lap steel more seriously.

Early in 2001, after a number of years making only sporadic appearances at local open mikes and parties, he met singer Mariana Johnson, and founded the Triple Fret project, a blues and jazz act that enjoyed several years of great times in the Triangle.

Mike cites his long time teacher and friend, Steve Kimock, as his most important and enduring musical influence, with whom he still occasionally studies and collaborates. He also has recently studied with Durham jazz guitarist, Scott Sawyer, from Nnena Freelon's band. His listening influences are wide-ranging, and currently include V.M. Bhatt, David Lindley, R. Prasanna, Djelimady Tounkara, and Ry Cooder.

Gear:

Mike's show gear includes a '52 Supro Comet doubleneck lap steel, a 2003 John Suhr Custom Stratocaster, a '72 Fender Telecaster, a '66 Guild Starfire, an '89 Fender Stratocaster, and a '97 Weissenborn reproduction Hawaiian made by Island Koa Studios in London.

The Stratocaster is completely stock, but the Telecaster has undergone many modifications, including a DiMarzio treble pickup, a Gibson Humbucker up top, and Jim Dunlop Jumbo frets.

The three little switches on the Tele are for coil select, series-parallel, and phase.

The Guild is stock except for the '65 Gibson Humbuckers pulled from a Les Paul; the Island Koa Hawaiian is equipped with a Sunrise pickup.

His current setup includes a '72 Fender Vibrolux modified to blackface specs, which he plays in stereo alongside a Two Rock Custom Signature.

He strings most of his guitars with D'Addario Jazz-Rock strings.

Tunings for the lap steel are usually (top to bottom) E C G C G C, E B G# E B E, or a weird Em7/9. He uses a Shubb SP-1 tone bar and Alaska fingerpicks on the steel and Jim Dunlop super heavy picks for flatpicking

Click here for a pic of the amplifiers; and click here to see more guitars

Also, for you guitarists out there, check out his new tutorial on Lenny Breau/Steve Kimock style harmonics. He's also finished a new little bit of Kimock TAB, the little jazzy refrain from Bad Hair.

Also, Mike has recently done a few interviews regarding Kimock, one where he is interviewed about his early experiences with Steve, which appeared on jambands.com. There are also two interviews Mike did with Steve for Glide Magazine in the past year, one this past April and one during his spring 2003 tour.

Some pics of Mike playing with Steve Kimock and Jim Kost. Click here for Photos.