Mike Khoury

Last updated 1/24/09
Biography
Mike Khoury was born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan in 1969. As the son of visual artist 
Sari Khoury, he was exposed to various forms of visual arts and creative musical forms. Growing up in a university town also availed Mike to various forms of art and music. Mike is Palestinian.

Mike began studying violin at the age of 10 and eventually came under the guidance of Juliard graduate Nancy Smith. Abandoning the violin for electric bass, Mike played in various rock combos and eventually settled with The Urban Farmers.

The Urban Farmers are a trio which combine ethnic music with elements of jazz and psychedelic rock.
Consisting of Patrick Boyer on guitar, Jason Lewis on percussion and Mike on bass, they have enjoyed some sucess with the release of one CD, and various cuts on several compilations.

Mike went on to explore the possibilities of free and improvised music and resumed his studies of the violin.  He furthered his involvement in the creative improvised realm with Jason Shearer (winds) and Ben Hall (percussion).  Mike also played with Siege Machine, a larger ensemble including Ben Hall, John Olson, Jason Shearer, Mark Sawaski and Joel Peterson. Siege Machine balanced graphical score compositions with improvisation. The development of the improvisational duet has also consumed much of Khoury's time and is a preferred format.  Often times, Khoury joins Ben Hall, Hans Buetow, Piotr Michalowski or Leyya Tawil in duo performances.  Current playing partners include Will Soderberg, Hans Buetow, Ben Hall , Chris Riggs and Piotr Michalowski.

Mike studies violin at the
Art Center Music School with composer/violinist David Litven. Mike continues to work on compositions and improvisations as well as operate Entropy Stereo Recordings, a free improvisation music label.

Mike has had the good fortune to record and/or perform with  Rob Cambre, Greg Wildes, Allison Stanley, Mark Southerland and Bill McKemy, Arny Young, Eric Roth, John Sinclair, Maury Coles, Tim Hundevad, Jason Hammer, Le Quan Ninh, 
the SILVER measure, Hans Fjellestad, Damon Holzborn, Sam Rabourn, Carl Smith, Blaise Siwula, Jack Wright, Chris Peck, James Ilgenfritz, Mike Hansen, Tomasz Krakowiak, David Prentice, Dennis, Aaron, and Stefan Gonzalez, The Northwoods Improvisers, Faruq Z. Bey, Mike Carey, Len Bukowski, Piotr Michalowski, Luc Houtkamp, John Voigt, John Butcher, Jerome Breyerton, Brian Mackie, Michael Welch, Gunda Gottschalk, Nathan Hubbard, Gino Robair, Fred Bergman, Hans Buteow, John Shiurba, Curtis Glatter, Damon Smith, Scott Looney, Marcos Fernandes, Leyya Tawil, Nate Wooley, Michael Caleb, Mary Redhouse,  Ryan Jewell, Glen Hall, Chris Riggs, Wolfgang Fuchs, Steve Cohn, Andres Arregui, Matt Endahl and Joe Morris.

The majority of release below may be obtained by emailing
Mike directly.  Recent highlights include Solo Renegades (Lost Treasures of the Underworld)  and Endahl/Khoury/Riggs  (Holy Cheever Church Records).

Discography/Tapeography

1992 Urban Farmers
- Modal/Spank Me Sister cassette single split between Arterial Enterprises and Uprising Records
1993 Urban Farmers
- Draggin' Cassette split between Arterial Enterprises and Uprising Records
1993 The Tinkerbomb
- Millenium Falcon Cassette self-released
1994 Urban Farmers - "Duke" c
ut on RESOLVE 7" compilation on Uprising Records
1995 Urban Farmers
- Music for Peasants CD on Uprising Records
1996 Urban Farmers
- Modal released on Discover A World of Sounds 7" compilation and cassette on Amendment Records
1997 Urban Farmers
- Schwerg released on Escargot magazine compilation CD
1998 Mike Khoury - self released cassette of home made recordings and improvisations
1999 Commune Ills - cassette with large ensemble on
American Tapes
1999 Mike Khoury and Mais
ie - Vanessa Del Rio cut on compilation CD on Snowdonia Records.
2000 Hall/Khoury/Shear
er - Pakistani Space Mission cut on compilation CD on Snowdonia Records.
2001 Rattling Wall Collective in Dutch
- The Northwest Territories (Hall/Khoury/Shearer on one track) self released.
2001 Khoury/Shearer/Ha
ll-  Insignia on Public Eyesore Records.
2001 MAS
IE -  Honeymoon in Rome (Khoury on one track: "Marfan") on Snowdonia Records
2001 Siege Machi
ne - Live 6/28/00 on American Tapes
2001 Silver Measu
re - Live at Entropy Studios 1-13-2001 Self released by the Silver Measure.
2002 Mike Khoury & Jason Shear
er Bells Falling: Duets 2001.  Released on the Detroit Improvisation label.
2002 Bad Girls
- Unauthorized Recordings Released on the Public Eyesore Label.
2003 Mike Khoury & Jason Shearer
The Ghost of Jos. Campau.  Released on the Foreign Lands Label.  Casette only.
2003 Faruq Z. Bey w/Northwoods Improvisers
Ashirai Pattern Released on the Entropy Stereo label.
2003 Mike Khoury
Duets 2001 w/Jack Wright, Chris Peck, Jason Shearer & Hans Fjellestad.  Released on the Detroit Improvisation Label.  Edition of 50.
2003 Close Embrace of the Earth (w/Len Bukowski & Piotr Michalowski).  Released on the
ABZU label.
2004 Mike Khoury/Carl Smith
Elton Park (duets and trios w/Jason Shearer and Kevin Calloway).  Released in the Detroit Improvisation label.
2004
The Twists and turns of the loved and hated K Collaboration on the zh27.org label
2004 Khoury/Shearer/Hall
Braille.  Released in the Public Eyesore label.
20
04 Barbardah (Khoury/Ilgenfritz/Michalowski/Weaver).  Released on the Abzu label.
2004
Outsiders Looking Inward (one cut on this compilation) Released on the White Rose Label.
2004
Silo (one cut on this compilation with Ben Hall and Hans Buetow) Released by Bennington College
2005
Best of Polish Jazz 2005 (one cut on this compilation with Piotr Michalowski and Len Bukowski previously released on ABZU001) Released by Polish Jazz.
2005 Mike Khoury and Blaise Siw
ula Eight Duets Released on the Detroit Improvistaion Label.
2005 Graveya
rds Cemetary Open (2 CD set w/Khoury on guitar on one disc.  Recorded in 1999) Released on the American Tapes Label.
2006 Mike Khoury and Jason Shea
rer Your Tenant Is Dead Recorded in 2002 and released on the Detroit Improvisation label.
2006 Hall/Khoury/Voig
t - Horizon Recorded in 2002 and released on the Editions Brokenresearch label.
2006 Mike Khour
y Strings (w/Gunda Gottschalk, Rich Gross, Robyn Siwula, and Mike Hansen) Released on the Raivo label.
2006 Mike Khoury & Piotr Michalowski "For Charlotte Moorman" Released on the
Atlatl Label  Available online or limited edition floppy disc.
2006 Hall/Khoury/Olson/Sandy + Mike Khoury - "Unmarked Grave" and "3 Improvisations for solo violin" Released on the
Stentorian Tapes Label
2006 
Shards Mike Khoury and Piotr Michalowski released on the Friends and Relatives label.  Edition of 100 (Recently reissued)
2006
Live at The Stardust Cafe with Brian Mackie and Michael Welch on the Detroit Improvisation Label.
2006 Faruq Z. Bey -
Hymnbook of the Anciency (Entropy/Codex)
2006 Will Soderberg
Out Duos for Modern Muses   Khoury on one track.  (White Rose Network 126)
2007 Will Soderberg
Barebones Cassette - Khoury on one track.  White Rose Network
2007 Mike Khoury and Will Soderberg For Teiji Ito (Detroit Improvisation)
2007 Hell & Bunny + Mike Khoury
Restitution (Cassette on Night People)
2007 Gilmore/Johnston/Khoury/Lucas 
The Hidden on Triple Bath
2007 Mike Khoury and Ernesto Diaz-Infante Hymns for New Fathers on Detroit Improvisation
2007 Mike Khoury
Etudes in Simultaneity on Detroit Improvisation
2007 MIke Khoury and Mike Carey "Untitled Improvisation" on
Freejazz.org on-line release
2007 Mike Khoury and Will Soderberg
Demons of Noon on White Rose Network
2008 Mike Khoury and Will Soderberg Violinsploitation (A Conspiracy of Mountains yama008)
2008 Mike Khoury and Andrew Coltrane   "Sound Vibration Alchemy" (Hermitage Tapes)
2008 Mike Khoury and Ryan Jewell split CD wtih Ben Bennet and Alban Bailly (
Milmin Punts)
2008 Graveyards LP on
Qbico Records
2008 Mike Khoury/Christopher Riggs mini CDR on
Holy Cheever Church Records
2008 Andrew Coltrane and Mike Khoury 1000 Basements (Detroit Improvisation CDR)
2008 Mike Khoury & Will Soderberg Volumen Drei (Tiger Asylum CDR)
2008 Mike Khoury & Leyya Tawil Four Locations (Detroit Improvisation DVD)
2008 Mike Khoury & Hans Buetow (
Shorty Tapes Cassette)
2008 Mike Khoury & Will Soderberg/Brown Bird Split Cassette (
Middle James Company)
2008 Mike Khoury w/Hans Buetow and Mike Khoury w/Curtis Glatter Two Sides of Khoury (EXBX Tapes)
2008 Emily O'Leary Ritual Abuse Cassette (
Holy Cheever Church Records)
2008 Caress of My Fist
Etudes in Violence (Cohort Records)
2008 Caress of My Fist
Live at Detroit Art Space (Spread the Disease)
2008 Mike Khoury & Curtis Glatter
Average Speed of Answer (Spread the Disease)
2008 Jack Wright Nonet
Live at Detroit Art Space (Friends and Relatives Records)
2008 Mike Khoury & Piotr Michalowski
Sound Reason Reason Sound (ABZU Records)
2008 Will Soderberg
Dewbreaker (White Rose Network)
2008 Ben Hall and Mike Khoury Battlefield Medicine CDR (Bug Incision Records)
2008 Mike Khoury & Terrortank
Remuneration on Detroit Improvisation
2008 Northwoods Impovisers
Constellations LP  (Qbico Records)
2008 Will Soderberg Seashell Grinders CDR (
White Rose Network)
2008 Mike Khoury/Derek Rogers b/w Fossils split Cassette  (
Terror Tapes)
2008 Mike Khoury and Chris Riggs b/w Fossils split cassette (Terror Tapes)
2009 Solo Renegades mini-CDR (
Lost Treasures of the Underworld)
2009 Endahl/Khoury/Riggs
Watch out for that F*cker! (Holy Cheever Church Records)
2009 Johnston/Khoury/Gilmore/Lucas Impermanence (Triple Bath)
2010 Mike Khoury & Ryan Jewell Bow Line Squall Echo (Triple Bath)

Education
Mt. Pleasant Public Schools -  Mt. Pleasant, MI 1978-1982 with Nancy Smith
Luc Houtkamp Workshop - Hamtramck, MI Summer of 2000
John Lindberg Improvisation Workshop - Pontiac, MI Spring 2001
Gerald Cleaver Workshop - Hamtramck, MI Summer 2001
Andrew Lamb/Warren Smith Workshop - Hamtramck, MI February 2002
Introduction to Music Theory - University of Fred  Summer 2002
Frank Gratkowski Workshop - Detroit, MI Fall 2002
John Cage Opera Master Class - Marygrove College, Detroit, MI February 2003
Simone Shaheen Master Class & Workshop - ACCESS Dearborn, MI
December 2003
Art Center Music School - Detroit, MI 1999-present with Dav
id Litven

Audio

Khoury/Mackie/Welch in Orlando 2003
Cl
ose Embrace of the Earth
Babardah
Khoury*S
hearer*Hall - Braille
Bad Girls - Un
authorized Recordings
Mike Khoury and Benjamin H
all Duet 2002
Mike Khoury & Mike Hansen Duet
s

Video

Mike Khoury and Leyya Tawi
l

Current Project
s
Ben Hall/Mike Khoury Duo
Buetow/Hall/Khoury Trio
Khoury/Michalowski Duo
Buetow/Khoury Dug

Soderberg/Khoury

Mike Khoury/Leyya Tawil Duo
Khoury/Riggs
Khoury/Je
well

Festival Performance
s
1999 Audio Obstacle Course (Livonia, MI)
2000 Ford Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival (Detroit, MI)
2000 Spirits Rejoice Festival of Improvised Music (Dearborn, MI)
2003 Big Sur Experimental Music Festival (Big Sur, CA)
2004 Spirits Rejoice Festival of Improvised Music (Dearborn, MI)
2006 EdgeFest (Ann Arbor, MI)
2007 Edgefest (Ann Arbor, MI)
2008 Edgefest (Ann Arbor, MI)

Favorites of the Moment: Christopher Riggs "Draco" Cassette (Holy Cheever Church Records
)

Upcoming Performances:



August 2009 - Foolery Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, MI w/the Confessions

For more information, you can write to:
Mike Khoury
PO Box 530511
Livonia, MI 48153-0511
USA
Patrick Boyer(l) and Mike Khoury(r) of The Urban Farmers live at the Bird in Mt. Pleasant, MI 1994.Ê Photo by Jason Wombscams.

Mike Khoury live at the Firefly Club in Ann Arbor, Fall 2002.  Photo by Ted Khoury.

Mike Khoury and Le Quan Ninh practicing in Mike's Brighton, MI basement, November 2000.  Photo by Le Quan NInh.
Links
  CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE ENTROPY STUDIOS PERFORMANCE SPACE AND CREATIVE MUSIC IN DETROIT.