MIKE FLAHERTY, drums and percussion. Mike holds a Masters degree in Special Education from the George Washington University. He studied music at the University of Central Florida, as well as George Mason University and Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. Mike enjoyed a long military career, including over twenty years as a drummer with the famed Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, before retiring from the Army in 2003.

In 1993, Mike founded Dixieland Direct, a combo that performs at jazz clubs in the Washington, DC and northern VA area. They are currently appearing every Sunday evening at the Zoo Bar in NW, DC. Dixieland Direct won the 2010 French Quarter Jazz Festival Battle of the Bands in New Orleans, LA.

Mike has performed with many New Orleans musicians, including Ryan Burrage, Louis Ford, Tom Fischer, Jacques Gauthe, Tim Laughlin, David Boeddinghaus, Eric Glaser, and Harry Watters. Along with being a freelance musician in the National Capital Region, Mike is a member of the Kaleidoscope Orchestra and Swing Shift Big Band. Mike currently works for the U.S. Marine Corps as the Exceptional Family Member Program Manager. Mike joined Peabody Ragtime Ensemble in 2005.