Mike Avenaim, 24, hails from Sydney, Australia where he began playing music at a very young age. Growing up he was surrounded by a wealth of musicianship and left-wing instrumentation, which ended up playing a key role in his development as a drummer.



Mike Avenaim began his education with his uncle, Robbie Avenaim (Mr. Bungle, Dave Grohl, Mike Patton), who is an acclaimed noise artist and percussionist. Alongside a variety of free jazz/experimental musicians from around the world, at age 8, he performed at the famous experimental music festival What Is Music?.



At age 11 Mike Avenaim studied with Claire Edwardes, an internationally renowned Australian classical percussionist. During this time he participated and ranked in several national classical percussion competitions. After attending one of Sydney's most prestigious performing arts schools, Mike was granted a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Music. He graduated with high distinctions having majored in Contemporary Performance and Jazz.



Since the age of 15, Mike Avenaim has been playing professionally as a multi-instrumentalist for a variety of artists spanning different genres including; Casey Donovan (Australian Idol winner), Amy Pearson (Sony/BMG), Renee Cassar (Island/Universal), Alamode (Jazz/Funk), Jordan Millar (Blues/Pop), Amali Ward (R&B), KisTone (Rock), and award winning singer-songwriter Simon Shapiro amongst others.



While traveling between Sydney and Los Angeles, Mike Avenaim has been working on projects with producers such as: Rudy Haeusermann (Snoop Dogg, Matchbox 20, Tina Turner, Rob Zombie), Paul David Hager (All-American Rejects, Lifehouse), and most recently John Fields (Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot).



In addition to session work for artists from Nashville to London, Mike recently composed, recorded and produced songs for the feature films Yesterday Was a Lie and Center Stage 2 -Turn It Up, as well as a theme for Fox Sports and most recently the 2011 Outback Steakhouse online Christmas campaign.



In 2008 Mike Avenaim began studying in Los Angeles with drummer Dave Elitch (The Mars Volta) to broaden his style. Alongside other L.A. based drummers, he expanded his playing via new techniques.



2009 saw Mike Avenaim's signing with the band Porcelain (Universal Music) and in 2010 he won the Billy Hyde Drummers Playoff in Sydney, Australia. Shortly after, Mike moved to Los Angeles, California where he now resides.



With upcoming tours, 2012 will see Mike Avenaim showcasing his musical prowess internationally.