After 23 years of practicing guitar, playing in dozens of bands, recording numerous albums and being featured on countless tracks, Mike Sopko is ready to make his mark in the guitar world.

Sopko picked up the guitar at the age of seven in his hometown of Cleveland, OH, and has been in love with the instrument ever since. In the 7th grade he got his first instructional video by Paul Gilbert. "The technique blew my head apart when I first heard it," he remembers. At the ripe old age of 13, Sopko had his first official gig in NYC with Como Zoo, one of Martin Dosh’s first groups.

Throughout the years he has shown outstanding commitment to his instrument, studying jazz guitar and music theory with Steve Gordon for 11 years, classical guitar with Rozanne Wilson-Marsh at the University of Alaska, jazz guitar with Bob Fraiser at Cleveland State University, and even took lessons with prolific jazz-rock guitarist David “Fuze” Fiuczynski.

Sopko founded the Cleveland-based jazz/improv/rock trio MCR (now called Glimpse Trio) with bassist Ethan Rider and drummer Ethan Horning in 1999, and has recorded six studio albums with them. Currently he plays with Glimpse Trio, bay area rock/funk band Stereo Freakout, and acoustic folk/rock band The Handsome Rovers. His top priority lies with Glimpse Trio, where he is the primary songwriter and arranger. The trio is surprising, mysterious, complex, and yet simple at times, and all captured in a single night's set. The variety of material truly captivates the listener. Glimpse Trio has been dubbed "Oakland's dark kings of avant-metal colossalness" by L.A. Weekly.

The word “variety” doesn’t quite do Glimpse Trio justice. Tracks like “Joey” are hard-hitting slap guitar and in-your-face funk, while “Mental Showcase” trades bass, guitar, and drum solos in high energy, odd time signature rock rhythms. A complete 180 is Sopko singing “2060” to a folky chord-progression, or “Squirrely” where the genre changes every few measures and unleashes the raw, inner improv-beast of all three musicians.

Sopko began teaching private lessons in 1999 and currently teaches at the Lamorinda Academy of Arts in Lafayette, CA. Since 2003 he has taught over 100 students, usually giving private lessons to about 15 students per semester.

In 2007, Sopko took the time to learn the Nutcracker Suite transcribed for guitar and most of the record "Neshama" by Minnesota player Tim Sparks- an undertaking that took over a year to finish. In 2008, Sopko embarked on a west coast tour opening for bass legend Mike Watt with an alternate lineup of MCR, featuring G. Calvin Weston on drums. In 2009, Glimpse Trio recorded one studio and three live albums at Ex'pressions College for New Media, all of which are due for release on CD and DVD in 2010. Sopko's guitar prowess is heavily featured on Stereo Freakout's 2009 release “If Wishes Were Fishes…”, particularly on the hard-rock single "Break Me." Sopko is also featured on alternative/indie/improv great Dosh's new single "Subtractions," released on anticon records in 2010. In 2009, Sopko was hired by GuitarFixation.com as the head reviewer of guitars and amps, and many of his video reviews can be found online.

Sopko's influences include Eddie Van Halen, Trey Anastasio, Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell, and Vernon Reid, and currently, his favorite musicians and bands include Pavement, Van Halen, Phish, Naked City, Blackstar, Bonnie Prince Billy, Tom Waits, David S. Ware Quartet, and Matthew Shipp.

Currently, Sopko’s main setup is a Tom Anderson Hollow Cobra played through an Orange Rockerverb 50.

Sopko's range and versitility is mind-boggling, with styles ranging from crazy out-there improv jazz, straight-ahead standards, funk, classical guitar, to singer/songwriter alternative country. With such an expansive repertoire, Mike is an asset to any musician looking to put some phenomenal icing on their cake. With his bag of riffs and intense stage presence, Sopko thrives in any setting, and is great to watch live. And with so many years of commitment and such dedication, Mike Sopko is truly ready, willing and able to make a helluva mark on the guitar world!