Growing up in Los Angeles, his earliest memories included listening to his parents' eclectic record collection filled mostly with folk, country, and singer/songwriter albums. Given that premise, there was also an inexplicable inclusion, Aerosmith's Get Your Wings, which promptly stood out to the young Mike Randle, introducing him to the depraved realms of rock & roll. He began absorbing music like a sponge, eventually gravitating to the Beatles and the Beach Boys. By his early teens, Randle had begun playing in rock bands and soon thereafter began initial songwriting efforts. In 1984, he formed the new wave/synth-pop band Camera's in Paris, which lasted through 1985. Randle then went on to form the neo-mod band Bad Press with Garfield Wolfe, Charlie Glover, and Keith Chaney. It was a significant evolution both in terms of the music and because it brought him into contact with the cohort who would become his most significant musical partner. Chris Johnson eventually replaced Chaney on bass (and was in turn replaced by Colin Wolfe) and Rusty Squeezebox took over drum duties from Glover, forming the definitive lineup. The band lasted into the latter part of the decade, but more importantly, Randle and Squeezebox developed a close-knit friendship and longstanding musical relationship.