ABOUT

FIRST OF ALL, is it MirKo or MirKKo?

"MIRKO is my passport name, since i was 10 I've started adding a second 'K' in my name, but honestly, call me whatever you want, Mirko, Mirkko, Mirco, Miracle (yes, it has happened!)."

Mirko De Maio is an Italian drummer, he was born on 31-7-1984 in Pompei, Italy. 

He started playing drums (inspired by Queen's music) and percussions at the age of 8 and at 9 he took the first drum lessons progressively with: Peppe Merolla, Fredy Malfi, Sergio Di Natale, Ezio Zaccagnini. Also he's been student of Dom Famularo (drums and percussion world ambassador), Dave Elitch (USA) and Claud Hessler. 

He has played with various Italian, european and US artists, exploring in various styles and recorded music around the globe.
 

On December 2008 he moved to the United States, in Hollywood, CA, to attend the prestigious PIT (Percussion Institute Of Technology) at Musicians Institute under the guide of instructors such as David Derge, Chuck Silverman, Fred Dinkins, Rob Carson, Donny Gruendler, Andy Megna , Stewart Jean, Chuck Flores, Glen Sobel, David Salinas and others. 

In July 2010 he attended the Berklee Summer clinics of Umbria Jazz where he took the opportunity to study with teachers such as Ron Savage, Jon Damian to name a few. 

Since September 2010 Mirko began to play with the band MIND KEY (Frontiers Records).

In April and May 2012 he went on tour with the hard rock progressive band STAMINA (Ice Warrior Records), as headliner and then as opening act for the Danish band ROYAL HUNT during the second leg of the tour over all Europe.

With Stamina Mirko also recorded a bunch of songs on their album 'Perseverance’.

He also appeared on Vivaldi Metal Project I & II (2015 and 2022), a project created by Giuseppe Lampieri "Maestro Mistheria" which includes some of the biggest names in the metal and hard rock music world, such as Rick Wakeman, Mike Portnoy, Fabio Lione, Steve Di Giorgio, Mark Boals, Marco Sfogli and many more. 

Between 2015 and 2018 De Maio has has performed with the band HANGARVAIN (Volcano Records), a rock band with whom he toured over Europe.

With HANGARVAIN he also recorded in July 2015 the album 'FREAKS' (released in February 2016) which it has been promoted in early 2016 with three European and Italian tours as headliner (Spain) and as opening act for Gilby Clarke (Guns 'n' Roses) and LA Guns, in Kiev (Ukraine) with the US band Skillets, and again in Italy with The Darkness. In 2018 Hangarvain recorded EP 'Roots & Returns' and started a new tour in Italy, Ukraine and Latvia. 

On August 2018 Mirko De Maio has officially joined the legendary swedish rock progressive band THE FLOWER KINGS of Roine Stolt (Transatlantic,Steve Hackett, The Sea Within, Kaipa DC)

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With The Flower Kings he keeps touring all around the globe. 

On July 8th MIND KEY have released the new album called 'MKIII: Aliens In Wonderland' (Frontiers Records)
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During summer of 2019 Mirko recorded the new THE FLOWER KINGS’s album 'Waiting For Miracles' (InsideOut Music/Sony) at Riksmixningsverket (RMV) of Benny Andersson (ABBA) in Stockholm, Sweden.

'Waiting For Miracles' has been released on the 8th of November 2019. After some successful concerts in Japan (Kawasaki/ Tokyo) on February 2020 The Flower Kings have been nominated as best Hard Rock & Metal band at annual Swedish Grammy gala.
 

In 2020 Mirko has been featured on Modern Drummer, the world’s most prestigious drums magazine.
 

During Covid-19 all concerts have been postponed or cancelled, so The Flower Kings decided to invest that "free time" to make new music (after less than one year from previous album) and record a new album in our home studios. That's how the  album called "Islands" was born. Worth to mention that album’s cover art has been made by the amazing Roger Dean (Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia).  

Between 2020 and 2024 Mirko has recorded with Nad Sylvan (Steve Hackett’s band Genesis Revisited, Agents Of Mercy), Vivaldi Metal Project II, Chalice Of Sin (Frontiers Records), The Grandmaster  I and II (Frontiers Records), Mecca (frontiers Records), Cassidy Paris (Frontiers Records) among others.

In 2022 and again for InsideOut Music/Sony, Mirko records with legendary Spock's Beard keyboard player and mastermind Ryo Okumoto's new solo album 'The Myth Of The Mostrophus', more precisely on the Japan release.

Mirko has also recorded THE FLOWER KINGS “By Royal Decree”, “Look At You Now” and “Live In Europe 2023” albums.

Official international endorsements of Mirko include TAMA drums and hardware, ISTANBUL AGOP cymbals.

He's also a national (Italy) official endorser of REMO drumheads thanks to ARAMINI Srl.

In October 2022 Mirko joins the SE ELECTRONICS microphones company as international artist.