Creamer soon immersed himself in the guitar and became fascinated by the playing styles of Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, Randy Rhoads, George Lynch, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and of course, his original guitar hero, Eddie Van Halen. Exposure to Randy Rhoads and his classical guitar musings led Michael to enroll in a local college to study classical for a semester, giving him a valuable introduction to both sight-reading and finger-picking.
Now a young adult and legally allowed to gig at local clubs, Michael played with a variety of rock bands before ultimately hooking up with his first serious outfit, Chequered Past. Finally, teamed up with like-minded musicians, Michael got to perform consistently in the Bay Area and recorded a full-length CD with the band. Chequered Past was the runner up in BAM magazine’s best local talent poll and they garnered a spot on a nationally distributed compilation CD. Being local favorites, the band shared the bill on shows with Bay Area heroes such as Mr. Big’s Eric Martin, Night Ranger’s Jeff Watson and Craig Chaquico of Starship. At this point, Michael’s guitar skills earned him an endorsement with Jackson Guitars and he was listed in that companies catalog next to Phil Collen of Def Leppard.
In 2002 Michael joined the progressive power-trio Rhythm Slaves. The band recorded a CD of technically challenging instrumentals that were infused with Creamer’s intuitive melodic sense on guitar. Though musically and rhythmically sophisticated, the band enjoyed frequent showcases at many venues due in large part to Michael’s rare ability to conjure guitar parts that are technically thrilling and yet melodically pleasing with rich tone and soulful expression.
A student of his craft, Michael Creamer is always striving to improve his playing across a wide variety of styles. Currently, he is writing and recording material for an upcoming solo acoustic release.
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