Michael Kidd

Name: Michael Kidd "Vicious."

Age: 30.

Instrument: I play the drums, though I started as a bass player. But I was definitely born to play the drums!.

Band/Former Bands: When I started as a bass player I was in a band called Bury The Willing. Then as a drummer I joined a band called Heaven's Gate Gospel Revival, which went on to become Kingslayer. After Kingslayer broke up in early 2018 I went about a year and a half without playing live at all. In August of 2019 I joined Wyld Ryde, who I am still with to this day and having a blast playing with them.

How long on instrument: I have been playing drums for about right years. I started playing drums when I joined Heaven's Gate, which I'm pretty sure was 2013.

Equipment: The drums I use are a beautiful dark red, fade Pearl Decade maple kit. The kit consists of a 24x14 bass drum, 13x9 rack tom, and a 16x16 floor tom. My snare is a 14x5.5 Tama Metalworks snare. I use Paiste cymbals and a mix of PDP and Pearl hardware. Also, I am endorsed by Diemond Star drumsticks.

Influences: I have a plethora of people who have influenced me in one way or another. But the main people who have been the biggest influences on me are Tommy Lee, Shannon Larkin, and Vinnie Paul. Im a HUGE fan of drummers with a great groove and in my opinion, those 3 drummers are some of the best groove drummers.

My first gig: I was 14 or 15 years old enrolled in the Mom's Music Rock School program. At that point I was still a bass player. I got to play 4th Street Live in front of a fairly big crowd. I was scared to death but got the show done and had a blast. We only played two songs, which were "Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" by Motley Crue and "Dream On" by Aerosmith. Looking back we probably sounded like shit but like I said, we had a blast. I will definitely never forget my first gig.

Hobbies: I am a big video gamer. I love playing my Xbox. I like mainly shooter games. DayZ, Far Cry, and Call Of Duty are currently some of my favorites games. Though I have been known to venture off and play games like Assassins Creed, Skyrim, and even the remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2.

Favorite movies: I absolutely LOVE "Terminator 2." That movie was my first favorite movie ever. Everything about it, to me, was perfect. "Dumb and Dumber" is also another big favorite of mine. The duo of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels is one of my favorite comedy duos. I really wish they had made more movies together the same way David Spade and Chris Farley did.

Favorite food: I am a carnivore, through and through. Give me a fat juicy medium rare steak and I am a happy camper. Also, within the last few years I have grown fond of certain Japanese foods as well.

Favorite place: Hands down my favorite place I have ever been is Japan. My wife and I went there on our honeymoon back in 2019. Japan is absolutely beautiful and I look forward to going back one day.

Favorite sports or team: I have never been a big sports fan at all. But back in 1989, I got heavily into watching wrestling. WWF's attitude era is the best thing that has ever happened in wrestling and it hasn't been the same since.

What I'm listening to nowadays: I always go back to the music that made me a rock and roll fan. Bands like Motley Crue and KISS are a given. But lately I have been into Slipknot and Stone Sour. I believe that Corey Taylor is an excellent musician and songwriter. There isn't a lot that he has done that I don't like.

Coolest thing I've done: The coolest thing I have down is something I still do to this day and plan on doing for the rest of my life. That thing is playing music in a kick ass rock band. It is all a part of me living my life on my own terms. Nothing will stand in the way of me doing what I love and I have a hell of a support system from my friends and family. And for that I love them all more than they could ever know.

Most embarrassing moment: When I was in middle school, some girl pulled my pants down in front of the entire school. Looking back it was fucking hilarious, but at the time, I’m pretty sure I had a different mindset about it.

Bad Habits: Smoking/vaping. I smoked cigarettes for twelve years or so and switched to vaping. Both of which are things that I wish I had never started in the first place. Definitely something I would change if I could go back in time.

What was your first concert ever: I do not remember my first concert hardly at all. I was three or four and my dad took me to see Hank Williams Jr. According to my dad, he had me on his shoulders so I could see the show better. We ended up getting kicked out because security told him that he had to put me down. My dad refused so they told us to leave.

If you could meet a Rockstar (past or present), who would it be, and why: Alice Cooper! He is by far the best in the business. A true legend! No one even comes close to putting on a show like him. Not to mention he always has a killer band behind him.