Mike has released his solo album, Invisible Signs, which includes the singles "Not Drowning" and "Freak Of Nature". Listen to them on the MANGINI page on Spotify.

"My relationship with Pearl is dynamic in nature, meaning that both the products and my expression improve and evolve over time. If any type of relationship is to be successful, then it must adapt to its environment and change over time. Pearl does this."

In 2010, Mike Mangini won the drum seat for the Progressive Rock icon Dream Theater in an audition that was captured in the internet documentary "The Spirit Carries On." The online release of this documentary on April 29, 2011, trended as the 2nd most popular tweet behind the Royal Wedding. 

During his long and diverse career, he has won approximately 60 combined performance-based awards, auditions, and drum contests. These individual awards have spanned musical styles from Classical, Jazz, and Rock to Heavy Metal, Solo drumming, and official WFD. World's Fastest Drummer records. Not included are his numerous readers' polls' top-five finishes. Additionally, he was the drummer in bands that won state championships in public school-related orchestral, jazz, and percussion ensembles, all of which placed 1st. Professionally, he has earned four Grammy nominations. Although he is best known for his work in heavier rock music, he has also performed in Latin, Funk, Swing, Pop Ballads, Pop, and Blues. He was one of seven drummers in the International Film Festival award-winning documentary "A Drummer's Dream," and was featured on the Discovery Channel's "Time Warp."

Mike is a product of a solid network of family, friends, and public school sports and music programs with great teachers in Waltham, Massachusetts. Although Wikipedia lists that Mike is from Newton, MA, Mike was only born in a Newton hospital, but is from Waltham, MA. This upbringing inspired him to work with people, to compete, and to understand the value of quality teaching and influence. Mike developed a cognitive, computer science-based learning system called Rhythm Knowledge that also relies on his documented observations as both a student and a teacher. Eventually, his philosophies gained worldwide attention in international drum magazines. Mike headlines international drum festivals and embarks on solo drum clinic tours sponsored by his equipment endorsement companies each year, demonstrating how his systems work.

Mike taught privately before joining the Berklee College of Music faculty for an eleven-year stint. He worked at teaching and was ultimately appointed as the Percussion Department's Student Advisor. He surpassed being just a top-sought-after teacher at Berklee. He finished in the top 1 to 3% of OCE's student response ratings for college professors across the United States each year the rating system was used.

In 2013, he released an award-winning instructional DVD called "The Grid," which turns musical improvisation into a science. This system can also be applied to improvising anything. Mike invented it because neither Berklee nor the world had yet defined and broken down what 'improvisation' actually is and how it works. He showed just how correct the approach is by winning the Dream Theater audition and using it to help less-skilled players improvise decently.

As of June 2026, Mike is currently on tour with Rock heavyweights, Godsmack.

PARTIAL DISCOGRAPHY

• Annihilator - Set the World on Fire
• Extreme - Waiting For The Punchline, Running Gag
• Steve Vai - Fire Garden, The Ultra Zone, Alive In An Ultra World, 
• Nuno Bettencourt - Schizophonic
• Mike Keneally - Sluggo!
• G3 - Live In Concert
• Mullmuzzler - Keep It To Yourself, Mullmuzzler 2
• James LaBrie - Elements Of Passion
• Tribe Of Judah - Exit Elvis
• Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events, Dream Theater, The Astonishing, Distance Over Time, A View from the Top Of The World, Live At Luna Park, Breaking The Fourth Wall, Distant Memories Live In London  

GRAMMY ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022 Best Metal Performance “The Alien” by Dream Theater (winner)
• 2013 Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance “The Enemy Inside” by Dream Theater (nomination)
• 2011 Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance “On The Backs of Angels” by Dream Theater (nomination)
• 1999 Best Rock Instrumental Performance “For the Love of God” by Steve Vai (nomination)
• 1997 Best Rock Instrumental Performance “Windows to the Soul” by Steve Vai (nomination)