Born in Texas, raised in southern CA, Mike Penny is the second foreigner ever to have been awarded for his performance in the national Tsugaru shamisen tournament held annually in Kanagi, Japan. He began playing guitar at the age of 10, and studied both rock and classical styles. In the winter of 2004, he began studying Tsugaru shamisen with Kevin Kmetz. In Nov. 2006, Mike won Global Rhythm Magazine's songwriting contest with a bluegrass-tinged shamisen tune titled "Cruzian Grass." In addition to Monsters of Shamisen, Mike tours frequently in America with a balkan gypsy/flamenco/Manouche swing group called Fishtank Ensemble, and performs in L.A. with the Taiko Center of Los Angeles headed by Tom Kurai.