The Finisher

   The son of a master builder, a carpenter himself of high-end construction in the Napa Valley for 15 years and a studio musician in Berkeley playing anything from old jazz to hip-hop, Mike brings a variety of skills to his task as the Chief Finisher at marimba one.
     It’s a job that requires patience and precision, with 20 steps to sanding--almost all of them by hand.
   “I am intimate with every wood part of the marimba,” says the lanky northern Californian, who first came to Arcata to visit his girlfriend.
   He uses a clear finish and does not artificially color the wood.  Careful to match density and color, his aim is to make the grain match so that the entire instrument seems to have come from the same piece of wood.
   “I like to think I’m having an impact on the world, that being positive and thoughtful about my job will bring a full and warm richness that you can feel in the instrument and hear when it’s played by top musicians,” he says.
    As for marimba one, Mike says there’s a good team with no in-shop drama, allowing him to focus--almost to a state of meditation--on ‘finishing’ his job.