Mike Bauer (born May 9 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and independent recording artist. Born in Landstuhl Germany on an American military base he began singing at an early age and grew up in a musically influenced household and is a multi-instrumentalist (trumpet piano guitar bass). His grandfather was a singer and tap-dancer on the Lawrence Welk Show in the 1950s his father was a big-band singer and his sister is a professional cellist who appears on the song While We Are Here. In 2012 Bauer began recording his debut Ep and released Financial Aid Vol. 1. The release landed him a gig at the American music festival South by Southwest SXSW in Austin TX where he played at the House of Creatives. All of this transpiring while he completed his final year of law school. He has said in interviews at SXSW that he plans to release three Eps each consisting of four songs in the coming year (one for every year of law school) in order to help pay back the massive student loans incurred for his education. Financial Aid Vol. 2 is expected to be released in August of 2012.