Michael Bland facts for kids

Michael Bland (born March 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is best known as a drummer. Michael played drums for the famous artist Prince. He joined Prince's band, The New Power Generation, in 1989. Michael played with Prince for seven years. He performed live and recorded on many albums.

After working with Prince, Michael Bland played with other artists. From 1995 to 1997, he worked with French pop star France Gall. He also joined Nick Jonas & the Administration in 2010. This band was a side project of Nick Jonas from the Jonas Brothers. Michael played with other former members of The New Power Generation in this group. He also worked with the band Vulfpeck in 2017.

Early Life and Music Career

Michael Bland was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up there and finished Minneapolis South High School in 1987. He still lives in Minneapolis today. However, he often travels to Los Angeles. There, he works as a session drummer. This means he plays drums for many different artists in recording studios.

Playing with Famous Artists

Michael Bland has played with many well-known musicians. He was with Prince from 1989 to 1996. He also played with Paul Westerberg in 1996. Other artists include Chaka Khan in 1997 and Maxwell from 1998 to 2000. Michael even auditioned for the band Guns N' Roses in 1997.

In 2005, Michael was the drummer for Paul Westerberg's tour. He also performed on a TV show to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina. He played with the Dixie Chicks during this event.

Working as a Producer

Besides playing music, Michael Bland also works as a producer. A producer helps artists create their music. He helps them record songs and make them sound great. He has worked with bands like Catchpenny from Minneapolis.

Soul Asylum and Other Projects

Michael Bland is the drummer for the band Soul Asylum. He played on their album The Silver Lining. He also tours with the band. They toured in 2020 to support their album "Hurry Up And Wait." However, the tour was cut short because of COVID-19.

Michael Bland has teamed up with Prince again for special projects. He played drums on the title song of Prince's 3121 album in 2006. He also played on some songs for Prince's 2007 CD Planet Earth. In 2009, he recorded with Prince again for the album Lotusflow3r.

He also played drums on Indigenous's 2006 album, Chasing the Sun.

Working with Mayda

In 2007, Michael Bland worked with a new artist named Mayda. He helped her with her music. He performed with her in Minneapolis. He also recorded a studio album with her. Her first release was the Stereotype EP in 2007. Michael continued to work with Mayda. He played on and produced her full album in 2009, called The Interrogation.

Nick Jonas and The Administration

In 2009, Michael Bland joined Nick Jonas's band, Nick Jonas and The Administration. He played with his old bandmates from Prince's band, Sonny T. and Tommy Barbarella. This led to many TV performances. They also released an album and went on tour in early 2010.

Michael's Unique Drumming Style

Michael Bland is known for a special drumming technique. According to musician Cory Wong, Michael often tunes his snare drum. He tunes it to the main note of the song. This is called the tonic pitch. This helps his drumming fit perfectly with the music.

Albums Michael Bland Played On

Michael Bland has played drums on many albums. Here are some of them:

• I Am – Elisa Fiorillo (1990)
• Smile Blue – Ricky Peterson (1991)
• Diamonds and Pearls – Prince and the New Power Generation (1991)
• Whatever Happened to the Blues – Phil Upchurch (1992)
• I'm Ready – Tevin Campbell (1993)
• The Voice – Mavis Staples (1993)
• 1-800-NEW-FUNK – Various Artists (1994)
• Come – Prince and the New Power Generation (1994)
• 3 Chains o' Gold – Prince and the New Power Generation (1994)
• The Gold Experience – Prince and the New Power Generation (1995)
• A Tear Can Tell – Ricky Peterson (1995)
• Love Is Strange – Phil Upchurch (1995)
• Closer than Close – Rosie Gaines (1995)
• Chaos and Disorder – Prince (1996)
• Emancipation – Prince (1996)
• France – France Gall (1996)
• Live at the Olympia – France Gall (1996)
• Salinas – Luis Salinas (1996)
• Eventually – Paul Westerberg (1996)
• Concert Privé – France Gall (1997)
• That's Right – George Benson (1997)
• Crystal Ball – Prince (1998)
• CPR – David Crosby (1998)
• Minneapolis – Michel Portal (2000)
• Now – Maxwell (2001)
• News From The Jungle – Jef Lee Johnson (2001)
• The Handler – Har Mar Superstar (2004)
• Coverage – Mandy Moore (2004)
• Open Season Motion Picture Soundtrack - (Paul Westerberg) (2005)
• 3121 – Prince (2006)
• Turn Around – Jonny Lang (2006)
• The Silver Lining – Soul Asylum (2006)
• Birdwatcher – Michel Portal (2007)
• Planet Earth – Prince (2007)
• Bringing Back the Funk – Brian Culbertson (2008)
• Breakout – Miley Cyrus (2008)
• Lotusflow3r – Prince (2009)
• Who I Am – Nick Jonas & the Administration (2010)
• Crescendo in Duke - Benoît Delbecq (2012)
• Delayed Reaction - Soul Asylum (2012)
• Change Of Fortune - Soul Asylum (2016)
• Mr. Finish Line – Vulfpeck (2017)
• Hurry Up And Wait - Soul Asylum (2020)
• The Striped Album - Cory Wong (2020)
• Passion at a Distance - Leo Courbot (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Michael Bland para niños

• List of drummers