Mike Manicki – Drums

Mike Manicki began playing drums in the school band back in 1975 and got his first drum set in the summer of 1978. It was then that he formed his first band, The Force, with his lifelong friend Michael Restivo. The Force started out like most garage bands playing local parties, but in September 1980 they got their first taste of the Chicago clubs and bars scene. From that point on through 1986, Manicki and Restivo played in multiple bands rocking well over 100 shows together, recorded original material and were featured on local Chicago radio. Upon graduating from college in 1986 Manicki left the Chicago area for Wisconsin to pursue a career in the electrical industry.

After retiring to Florida with his wife Billie early in 2022 he was presented with the opportunity to be reunited with Restivo and his bandmates in Mistaken Identity, to open for the group Chicago. With only two months before the shows, Manicki had to buy a new drum set, learn the music and fly to Chicago to rehearse. Nothing was going to keep him from living out a dream that began with his friends forty years ago that together they would make it to the big stage. Decades may have passed between gigs but returning to the stage with the confidence and support from his wife and friends made it as though he never missed a beat.