Michelle Footz is a performer, educator, multi-instrumentalist, and singer/songwriter based on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, on the traditional territory of the SENĆOŦEN and Hul'q'umi'num-speaking peoples. She holds a Music Education degree from the University of Victoria, where she studied trumpet with Louis Ranger.

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Michelle teaches songwriting and composition, guitar, band, jazz band, choir, and performing arts at Gulf Islands Secondary School. She also directs the Swing Shift Big Band. A seasoned freelance trumpet player, Michelle performs in various bands across the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island, and the Lower Mainland, and has toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

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As a songwriter and storyteller, Michelle performs under the stage name Shelder the Electric Clamfish, drawing inspiration from legends, historical folktales, and her own life experiences. After living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for three years, Michelle blends traditional East Coast music into her original compositions, creating a unique fusion of folk-punk and deep-sea energy.