Micah Cummins serves as the lead guitarist for Wither — but don’t expect him to call himself a metalhead. He’s quick to admit that while some metal resonates with him, much of the genre feels overcrowded and lacking a personal spirit. What he truly gravitates toward are sounds that carry a vivid emotional identity — music that creates a landscape in the mind. And while most metal doesn’t do that for him, some does — and that’s what matters.
Micah brings this same sensibility into Wither, drawing inspiration from My Dying Bride, Megadeth, and classical adagios. He doesn’t get caught up in technical mechanics or gear worship. In fact, he’ll tell you straight up: “I have no idea what anybody uses, and if I learned, it wouldn’t mean anything to me.” What matters most to him is the feeling. His approach to songwriting is deeply intuitive — rather than writing lyrics or full song structures, he draws from the personalities and emotional landscapes of his bandmates. It’s about channeling their collective spirit and energy into something meaningful, rather than dissecting it with formality.
Micah picked up the guitar in seventh grade alongside his friend Jeff, with Megadeth as their early challenge. That quickly expanded to Pantera and Sepultura — but he never became a gearhead or tech obsessive. His curiosity was always about sound and emotion over structure and specs.
His creative philosophy leans heavily on depth, emotion, and a little Tolkien wisdom:
“You must understand young hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.”
For Micah, playing in Wither is about showing up for his friends. That’s it. And that’s everything. He’s not overly concerned with lyrics, but he’s aware of the wide range of themes that come through the band’s music — Kabbalah, loss, hope, friendship, romance, pirates, war… and, as he jokes, “there’s probably kittens in there somewhere.”
Before a performance, Micah doesn’t overthink it — he gets dressed, puts on a little makeup, and tells Keith to stop freaking out. When he’s not on stage, he works in solar thermal and electrical installation — a career he’s been in most of his life. He grew up in Escondido and still finds joy in things like video games, deep thought, and the production genius of artists like Lady Gaga and Sia.
He jokes that nothing about him is particularly unusual, but his favorite games and books — Fallout 4, Death Stranding, Bioshock Infinite, Ark, Half-Life 3 (if it ever comes), and the works of Dean Koontz — show a mind drawn to rich, immersive storytelling. Ask him for something unexpected, and he’ll say: “The Spanish Inquisition.”
One of Micah’s most unforgettable moments on stage was playing Sin at the Whisky — a night where the energy was so high that everyone in the venue seemed to move as one. “I don’t know if we’ll ever top that energy,” he says.
When asked what makes Wither different from other bands in the scene, Micah leans into the question:
“Great question. I’m glad you asked this, and I’ll start by saying this question is the question that needs to be asked more often so we can get the word out that we ARE different. So thank you so much for the question.”
His favorite venue? The Whisky — not just for its legacy or sound, but for something most people overlook. “I judge venues by the cleanliness of their restrooms. While none are perfect, the Whisky is the least nasty. Their stage is small but works, and their sound is consistently phenomenal. Thank you, Whisky!”
To the fans, Micah simply says:
“You’ve all been great friends. I can’t wait till the next show, ‘cause every time we play it’s a chance to see you all and hang out! It’s a family reunion!”
Micah doesn’t know the lyrics to most of Wither’s songs — but honestly, that’s just part of his charm.