Michael Wittig | |
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Birth name | Michael Richard Wittig |
Also known as | Kalel |
Born | August 21, 1976, Riverside, California, U.S. |
Genres | Christian music, (Christian rock), Alternative rock |
Occupations | Bassist |
Instruments | American Christian musician (rhythm guitar, bass guitar, harmonica) |
Years active | 1993 - present |
Labels | Sony |
Associated acts | Pillar |
Notable instruments | |
Bass guitar |
Michael Richard Wittig (b. August 21, 1976) is an American Christian musician who is best known as "Kalel", the former bass player for the Dove Awards winning and Grammy nominated Christian hard rock band Pillar.[1] After ten years of playing with Pillar, Wittig left the band in September 2008. He is currently a member of pop rock band Stars Go Dim, with Joey Avalos, Lester Estelle Jr. (former drummer for Pillar) and Chris Cleveland.
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In 1992 he formed a Christian band in his garage. The band was originally called Q: The Source (named after the Q document), but they eventually renamed it as Godspeed for the release of their self-titled EP. Wittig's fellow Godspeed members were Mahlon Tobias and Robert Brouhard.
He graduated from Riverside Polytechnic High School in 1994, and soon left to go to college in Hays, Kansas at Fort Hays State University. While living there he played bass for a Christian Metal band, Tetelestai, which at some point broke up. Wittig sold his vehicle to some locals and made mention of wanting to start a band. This information was passed along to Robert Debes who became Wittig's roommate. During this time, Wittig became involved in another band, named Mishap. Wittig was introduced to Rob Beckley, a vocalist and Travis Jenkins, a guitar player. They formed Pillar. After playing with Pillar for ten years, Michael Wittig left the band in September 2008 for multiple reasons.
Michael Wittig has two sons and, as of summer 2010, twin daughters and lives with his wife in Oklahoma.
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