 While on the road with Copeland, he backed up Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson which led to Mike working with him off
and on for the next several years.It was also around this time that Mike started gigging around the New York scene where he regularly played with future members of The Max Weinberg 7.In 1993, guitarist Jimmy Vivino called Mike about a group being put together by Max Weinberg to audition for the house band on what would become "Late Night with Conan O'Brien".