Sonoma’s Mikey Cannon aims for the stars

There are many choices parents can make when it comes to selecting after-school activities for their children. One of the more important and lasting exposures to this big world a child can experience is one to music – and the Cannon School of Music has numerous classes that will do just that.

Mikey Lee Cannon founded his music school in 2013 in a studio just off Calle Doce in Agua Caliente. In March of 2016, it relocated to the old Peterson Mechanical property on First Street East. The facility has many rooms for one-on-one instruction, and a large performance space with a generous-sized stage. There is an experienced staff onboard, teaching drumming, vocals, ukulele, guitar – any number of musical means of expression.

Cannon himself is a youthful but veteran drummer. He is the scraggly bearded, pork-pie-hatted smiling guy you have seen playing in many local combos. Cannon currently is part of four different bands, a role he loves to play when he can find the time.

He was raised in “East County,” the locals’ term for Santee and Lakeside, east of San Diego.

“My dad would invite musicians over, bass players and stuff, and they would just play,” he said.

A breakthrough came when he was 9.

“My dad traded a car for this huge Pearl chrome (drum) set,” said Cannon. “A 10-piece kit, double kick drums and all these times and cymbals and stuff and it’s like, wow, this is cool.” Cannon never changed his target after that.

He told of being a new, shy freshman at Santana High School. Rather than trying to find a way to fit in with all the established cliques, he shrewdly signed up for the talent show. His dad helped him haul that big set of Pearls, and he blew all the kids way with a lengthy and impressive drum solo. “All of a sudden, I was the cool kid!”

Cannon was a point guard on the school’s basketball team, but that only served to take time away from his daily routine of pounding on the skins. He graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in music and a relationship with a woman named Roxanne, one that was rekindled in 2016. Cannon parlayed both experiences nicely.

Roxanne Robledo now teaches dance and assists Cannon with the running of the school. Much more importantly, she is the mother to the couple’s 15-month-old son Diego. Diego is already playing the piano and banging on the drums he finds sitting around the family home.

And there is no shortage of drums.

“You know, I kind of have an addiction to drum sets,” said Cannon. “I probably have like 20 kits right now.” He spoke in expert terms of the vintage drums he owns, the newer drums, and their differences. And of his love of the instrument. “I have this Rogers kit, a white marine pearl color and a great vibe thing. It just looks cool.”

When he finds the time, Cannon likes to keep time with the bands Gator Nation, Three on a Match, Dan Martin and Noma Rocksteady, and the Sean Carscadden Trio. He spoke of his feelings about playing in that trio with Carscadden and bassist Cliff Hugo: “Those guys are just the most wonderful, beautiful musical spirits that I’ve ever played with. I’m just in love with those guys. Every time we play it’s just, man, it’s magic.”

The Cannon School of Music is currently enrolling students for the fall. While a student there, a child may spend time with local musicians Dan Martin, Jackie Holzhauer, Deirdre Egan, Lauren Bjelde and Jesse Adams (both of Royal Jelly Jive), or JB Duff, to name but a few.

In addition to being a “go-to” drummer for any style of music, and a drum expert, Cannon is excited about his role as proprietor of the Cannon School of Music. The guy can be part of every discussion in the Valley about music and song.

No wonder he’s smiling.

cannonmusicschool.com