Michael Niemann is the guitarist for the local Morgantown band, Room 217.
Q: When did you first discover that you had a passion for music?
A: My grandfather had a grand piano in his living room and he would sit down and play classical music for hours; he was incredibly talented and it inspired me to want to learn how to play the piano. I was even Beethoven for Halloween once. I was too young for any piano teachers to accept me because I couldn’t read yet so I went and found a high school-age girl down the street who had taken piano lessons and asked her to teach me. This went on for a couple weeks until my parents finally convinced a piano teacher to accept me.
Q: What is your favorite part about performing?
A: Performing, whether for a rock concert, a jazz club, a classical recital, or even for my dog Payton, is such an incredible rush; once you get into that performance mentality, your performance is elevated to another level. I can’t explain it but the nuances of my playing seem to come out more and my mistakes seem to be gone as soon as they come. I can’t explain it, maybe it’s all in my head; either way I like it.
Q: How did the band Room 217 form and how long have you been together?
A: Drew and I started playing open mic nights in December of last year, and Paris and Greg joined us in January or February. At that point we were playing mainly acoustic versions of various popular songs. Brad joined us in April and we started playing originals. Drew is an incredibly creative songwriter and fantastic singer; Paris is an awesome singer too and they harmonize so quickly and naturally its unreal. Greg is no doubt the best bassist I’ve ever played with and Brad is a very creative drummer. I’m really excited about Room 217; our diverse musical backgrounds come together really well and we have a lot of fun with it.
Q: What are some of your upcoming performances?
A: Check out the website www.room217studios.com (created and maintained by my roommate last year and webmaster extraordinaire, Nathan Tehrani). We’ll be playing some open mic nights in the next few weeks.
Q: What other activities are you involved in on campus?
A: I started the running club last year and we’ve been training everyday and racing every once in a while (wvurunningclub@gmail.com, if you are interested).
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I’m hoping to go to medical school when I graduate from WVU, but more immediately, though, I’m hoping to go Bolivia next semester.