# Mike Fuentes (musician)
**Mike Fuentes** (born 1984 in San Diego, California) is an American musician best known as the drummer and a founding member of the post-hardcore band [Pierce the Veil](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierce-the-veil), which he started in 2006 with his older brother, vocalist and guitarist [Vic Fuentes](https://www.edgepedia.org/vic-fuentes), after the disbandment of their previous band Before Today[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-fuentes-33274.php) • [2](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/31831916868). He played on the band's first four studio albums and left the group in 2017 after sexual misconduct allegations by two women[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, San Diego, California[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-fuentes-33274.php) |
| Role | Co-founder and drummer of Pierce the Veil (2006–2017); drums, percussion, and composer credits on the band's first four albums[2](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/31831916868) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-fuentes-mn0001994219) |
| Earlier band | Before Today (formerly Early Times), which released *A Celebration of an Ending* in September 2004 on Equal Vision Records[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/) |
| Side project | Supergroup Isles & Glaciers, whose EP *The Hearts of Lonely People* was released March 9, 2010[5](https://www.piercetheveiltour.com/biography/) |
| Solo name | MikeyWhiskeyHands[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-fuentes-33274.php) |
| Departure | Left Pierce the Veil in 2017 after sexual misconduct allegations by two women[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/) • [6](https://sunderbeats.com/pierce-the-veil-potencia-y-vitalidad) |
| Afterward | *The Jaws of Life* (2023) was the band's first album without him; Brad Hargreaves of Third Eye Blind played the drum parts[2](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/31831916868) |
## Early life and drumming
Fuentes grew up in San Diego in a Hispanic household with a strong musical background; his father was a house painter and a jazz musician[7](https://punk-rock.fandom.com/wiki/Pierce_The_Veil). He and his brother Vic began playing instruments young, performing their first gig at a friend's middle-school party with Mike on drums and Vic on rhythm guitar[7](https://punk-rock.fandom.com/wiki/Pierce_The_Veil).
He is a self-taught drummer. In a 2016 column for *Modern Drummer* he wrote that at fourteen his father bought him his first drum set at a local swap meet along with a Buddy Rich DVD, after which he and Vic jammed every day after school, writing songs and recording demos in his bedroom[8](https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/05/mike-fuentes-pierce-veil-drummer-self-taught-style/). He described his style as fast and tight with intricate parts, shaped by early interests in jazz and the fast-paced [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) punk rock he grew up hearing[8](https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/05/mike-fuentes-pierce-veil-drummer-self-taught-style/). He has said he never took a lesson and never wrote sheet music, learning instead by studying drummers at shows and practicing fills until they were muscle memory[8](https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/05/mike-fuentes-pierce-veil-drummer-self-taught-style/) • [9](https://garagemusicnews.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/interview-pierce-the-veils-mike-fuentes/).
## Before Today and the founding of Pierce the Veil
The brothers first played together in Before Today, a band formed out of the San Diego punk rock scene in December 1998 while they were high school students; it became a quintet with the addition of guitarist Joe Tancil and bassist Mitchell Ballatore[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/). After signing to Equal Vision Records, the band released *A Celebration of an Ending* in September 2004[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/). When Tancil and Ballatore quit, the brothers rebuilt, and in the fall of 2006 they took the name Pierce the Veil, drawn from a track on the Before Today album, and recruited bassist Jaime Preciado and guitarist Tony Perry[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/).
The brothers wrote and recorded the debut album *A Flair for the Dramatic* on their own, recording it in Seattle with producer Casey Bates; it was released on June 26, 2007 through Equal Vision[5](https://www.piercetheveiltour.com/biography/). Fuentes remained the band's drummer through its rise: *Selfish Machines* (2010) reached No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, *Collide with the Sky* (2012) produced the gold-certified single "King for a Day," and *Misadventures* (2016) debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200[5](https://www.piercetheveiltour.com/biography/) • [10](https://www.undertherockies.com/all-features/09/19/2017/pierce-the-veil). AllMusic credits him with drums and percussion on *Selfish Machines* and *Collide with the Sky*, and as a composer on *Misadventures*[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-fuentes-mn0001994219).
## Other projects
During the *Selfish Machines* period, Vic and Mike Fuentes joined the short-lived supergroup Isles & Glaciers, with vocalists Craig Owens of D.R.U.G.S. and Jonny Craig of Dance Gavin Dance; the group released the EP *The Hearts of Lonely People* on March 9, 2010 before dissolving[5](https://www.piercetheveiltour.com/biography/). Fuentes also pursued a solo rap project under the name MikeyWhiskeyHands[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-fuentes-33274.php).
## Departure from Pierce the Veil
In November 2017, allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Fuentes by two women: one alleged a sexual relationship with him when she was 16, and a second accused him of soliciting nude photos from her at age 15[11](https://www.creepsheet.com/accused/mike-fuentes/). Multiple sexual misconduct allegations resulted in the drummer leaving the band, and the remaining members went on hiatus[3](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/). Spanish-language coverage in Rolling Stone en Español and Sunderbeats likewise reports that he left the group in 2017 after accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct by two women[6](https://sunderbeats.com/pierce-the-veil-potencia-y-vitalidad) • [12](https://es.rollingstone.com/pierce-the-veil-mantiene-viva-su-carrera-sueno-y-pesadilla-emo/).
The band returned without him. *The Jaws of Life*, released in 2023 after a seven-year gap, was the group's first album without its original drummer, and Brad Hargreaves of Third Eye Blind played the drum parts[2](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/31831916868). The album debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200, and its lead single "Emergency Contact" became the band's first No. 1 at Alternative Radio[13](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/pierce-the-veil-announces-i-cant-hear-you-tour-world-tour-2025). Lionel Robinson has served as the band's touring and session drummer since[7](https://punk-rock.fandom.com/wiki/Pierce_The_Veil) • [14](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/15/pierce-the-veil-concludes-i-cant-hear-you-tour-with-sold-out-show-at-petco-park/).
## References
1. [Mike Fuentes Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/mike-fuentes-33274.php)
2. [Pierce the Veil, Universal Music France](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/31831916868)
3. [Pierce the Veil biography, 97X](https://www.97xonline.com/lsp/artist/bio/pierce-the-veil/)
4. [Mike Fuentes, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-fuentes-mn0001994219)
5. [Pierce the Veil biography, Pierce the Veil Tour](https://www.piercetheveiltour.com/biography/)
6. [Pierce The Veil: Potencia y vitalidad, Sunderbeats](https://sunderbeats.com/pierce-the-veil-potencia-y-vitalidad)
7. [Pierce The Veil, Punk Rock Wiki](https://punk-rock.fandom.com/wiki/Pierce_The_Veil)
8. [On the Beat With Mike Fuentes of Pierce the Veil: Self-Taught Style, Modern Drummer](https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/05/mike-fuentes-pierce-veil-drummer-self-taught-style/)
9. [Interview: Pierce the Veil's Mike Fuentes, Garage Music News](https://garagemusicnews.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/interview-pierce-the-veils-mike-fuentes/)
10. [Interview: Pierce The Veil, Under The Rockies](https://www.undertherockies.com/all-features/09/19/2017/pierce-the-veil)
11. [Mike Fuentes, The Creep Sheet](https://www.creepsheet.com/accused/mike-fuentes/)
12. [Pierce the Veil mantiene viva su carrera, Rolling Stone en Español](https://es.rollingstone.com/pierce-the-veil-mantiene-viva-su-carrera-sueno-y-pesadilla-emo/)
13. [Pierce The Veil Announces "I Can't Hear You Tour" World Tour 2025, Live Nation](https://news.livenationentertainment.com/news/pierce-the-veil-announces-i-cant-hear-you-tour-world-tour-2025)
14. [Pierce The Veil Concludes 'I Can't Hear You Tour' With Sold-Out Show At Petco Park, Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/15/pierce-the-veil-concludes-i-cant-hear-you-tour-with-sold-out-show-at-petco-park/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Emo, post-hardcore, and metalcore*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license