Michael Todryk is a Christian rock artist, transplanted from So Cal to MN with his wonderful wife and kids. Mike grew up in Yucaipa, CA, living with his Great Grandparents and parents. Throughout his early life he attended church regularly.
Mike first took up the guitar at 10, starting to play it seriously at 13. Music became a huge part of his life. Mike played in several bands during his teenage years, covering styles from straight rock to heavier styles like his idols Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
At the age of 14, Mike slowly descended into a life of drug addiction that would last over a decade and nearly cost him his life. Nothing and no one mattered to him.
During the fall of 1986, during the worst of his drug addition, Mike's father drug him kicking and screaming to church. Mike had stopped attending church as he started his descent into drugs. God began to work on him, but he was still struggling with deep meth addiction.
In June of 1987, though a series of horrific events, Michael hit rock bottom. On June 14th, 1987 Michael Todryk called out to Jesus to save him and to change his life. Jesus graciously heard his prayer and granted his request.
God got ahold of Mike in a big way and from the beginning he knew that music was going to be a big part of his expression of faith. Mike wrote his first Christian song "I Just Pray" later in 1987.
In 1990, Mike and family moved to Wisconsin to be close to his father. He joined a local church and was soon playing guitar and leading worship. In the early 1990's Mike had started a band with a friend called Todson. Michael was writing music constantly at the time and the band was doing gigs at churches and coffeehouses all around WI. Then in the mid '90's, Mike meet Bob Rome and Dan Carlin and they formed the heavy metal trio SonX. Drawing on their love of '70's and '80's metal, SonX crafted a sound that was accessible to many, singing songs of drugs, depravity, and redemption through Jesus Christ. After their first show at Non Toxic in Edgerton, WI. they began to tour all over southern WI, playing several shows a month.
In 1999, Michael moved back to Yucaipa to be close to his now aged Great Grandmother Beanie. After a time of upheaval that included divorce, Mike met and married his wife Connie in 2001. After the loss of one child, Matthias (Ty) Todryk was born in 2004. DevonRose would soon follow in 2006.
In 2004, Mike and Connie served 3 years as the Worship leader and media/sound team for new church New Creation in Banning CA. During that time, Mike formed the Crossroad Blues band. The Crossroad Blues band played several outdoor concerts. After that, Mike formed Fidelis with Edward Mendoza, Tom and Kristine Burns and Aaron Jarba. More music and gigs followed.
In 2015, Mike and his family moved to Eden Prairie, MN to take up a great employment opportunity at IWCO Direct. Mike and family currently attend City Hill church in Eden Prairie, where Mike plays on the worship team. Mike began in 2015 to put together the songs, spanning years, that would become his debut solo album Drown. Drown is completed and will be released in 2017.
