Michael "M@K" Kirkendall Cover Designer, Photographer, Writer maxgraphix@mindspring.com On the cutting edge of Graphic Design from the cut and paste days  to the digital explosion, M@K contributed to The Amplifier before its conception.  In preproduction phases, being the only member of the think tank with experience, Michael's round the clock imput was weighted significantly in every phase of the new business.  Besides being consultant, M@K designed and produced the first centerfold calendar in the basic format that largely is followed today.  Michael also sold and designed many of the ads during 1995.  The first two issue are full of pictures, stories and artwork compose by M@K.
Michael relocated for several months and set The Amplifier aside for a period.  In March 1996 her returned to give the paper a face lift, designing the Michael Gough cover of that month, feature a statue at WKU.  The insert of Michael marked the first person's picture on the cover.  The following month Curtis Birch became the first person to fill the cover.  Under the guidance of Chris Heric a new logo and masthead were designed and todays' cover was born.  Confident that the publisher's was ready to graduate her apprenticeship, M@K went on to pursue his other projects, though remains an important consultant in all aspects of the project from graphic design to marketing.
Michael has several music projects the most enduring being traditional rock group  Rocks and Gravel with his long time partner David "Doc" Jones.  Jones also has been closely involved as a brother and partner in many of Michael projects, from screen printing days to more recent publications as editors for The Traditional Music Society Newsletter and Singing Hills (the newsletter for Summer Shade Music Park).  By day Michael spent a long stint as a Graphic Designer at Rainbow Sports and Printing before moving to a larger more diversified graphic design company in Nashville.