Michael Shawn Turner has been a guitar player since he was 10 years old. He grew up in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Wright State University with a BA in English Literature While on his way to India in 1995, musical opportunity presented itself in the Philippines, where Michael spent the next 8 years as one of the country's top recording artists. He played with Filipino rock legends The Breed and wrote every song on the band's 1997 sophomore release "Amusing Ourselves to Death". This earned 3 nominations: Best Guitarist, Best Producer, and Best Album Packaging - in the Philippines prestigious NU107 Rock Awards. The top release from this CD, "Virtual Reality", garnered three nominations from the equally significant KATHA Awards for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Vocal Performance. In 2000, Michael was looking for new challenges; he released a self titled CD with his new band, BATTERY, on the Taiwan based ROCK Records. Michaels CD had two .1 radio hits as well as two others in the top 5.
The band released two videos for MTV Asia. The video "Come to Me" was nominated in the MTV Philippines 2001 Music Awards for Best Video and Best Director. It also received airplay in the U.S. Both "Come to Me" and the other top MTV video "Comin' Home" were played in eight different countries. Michaels new band, BATTERY, received 6 nominations in the NU107 Rock Awards in 2000. Battery's top nominations were for Best New Artist, Band of the Year, and Album of the Year. Michael won the award that year for NU107s Best Rock Guitarist of the Year. Michael has also written and recorded with superstar Filipino artists Gary Valenciano and multi-platinum selling pop band Side A. Michael's been a featured artist on the cover of PULP - the Philippine's leading music magazine, along with FHM Asia and other national publications. He has performed to empty rooms and stadiums of 40,000+. Feeling he had accomplished everything he could in Manila, Michael relocated to Hollywood California. He recorded and did studio work there as well as performing solo and with a new band called Love and Death.
He is currently living by the Gulf coast in FL and playing the guitar all the time. His future plans include recording a solo project with legendary producer/engineers Brian Carlstrom and Dave Jerden (Jane's Addiction, Alice in Chains, Offspring, Social Distortion).
