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Music Department

Mike Gamble

instructor photo

Guitar

Mike Gamble is an adventurous guitarist and multi-instrumentalist whose work with electronic modes of composition are integrated endlessly into his setup. Gamble has spent the last 15 years immersed in the creative jazz, experimental rock and improvised music scene primarily in NYC, with close ties to New Orleans, Burlington, Boston, San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. He has had the pleasure of recording over 20 albums  and touring the states, Canada, and Europe with his critically-acclaimed guitar trio The Inbetweens, Counter Record’s Cougar, and alongside doom-metal originators Earth. His more recent collaborators have been prestigious drummer Bobby Previte, bassist Todd Sickafoose, guitar virtuoso Nels Cline, and PNW cellist Lori Goldston. Since relocating to Portland Mike has been running a monthly Audio/Visual series featuring local and touring artists, encouraging them to play rare solo, duo, and trio sets with his own audio-reactive projection setup. Among working on soundtracks, web-series, and branded content for small businesses, Gamble currently holds a position as an Audio Production instructor at Oregon State University and is the Artistic Director of Portland’s longstanding experimental music organization, The Creative Music Guild.

 “He has a brain that seems to work faster than other human brains - maybe more like a hummingbird or a spider. Music comes flying out. You just sit and listen to what he thinks of next” - Todd Sickafoose

 “Mike Gamble is dangerous in the best way” - Nels Cline

“Mr. Gamble knows his way around a drone, but he also puts a lot of shifting harmony and texture in his one-man sketches, some of which —  like “I’m on Your Side,” with its abstracted trip-hop beat —  come across as thoughtfully developed compositions” Nate Chinen NY TIMES