Videos | New Releases | Band Blogs + Music Blogs | Interviews




RSS Feed For Blog Entries

Mishka - signed to Matthew McConaughey’s j. k. livin label - watch video; tour dates

Advertisements:

Mishka

Mishka’s biography has an almost cinematic sweep. He spent most of his early life on a boat in the Caribbean, sailing from island to island with his seafaring parents and older sisters. A child of the islands, it was almost inevitable that he’d be drawn to reggae, Rastafari, and the natural mystic that inhabits his music and his soul.

‘Above The Bones’ is his third album and the debut release for Matthew McConaughey’s j. k. livin label.

Watch video: Matthew McConaughey - Mishka @ The Roxy - Myspace Celebrity:

Mishka on amazon.com

Mishka on amazon.co.uk

“The music I heard growing up from my parents, sisters and the places we visited gave me a lot of musical and cultural flexibility.” “Everything I’ve ever heard blends together in what I do.” “I’m a huge reggae fan but there’s folk, soul, rock and other elements in the music.”

Mishka’s international outlook is a product of his unique upbringing. “My parents met in Bermuda” Mishka explains. “They always had dreams of living at sea and my father built a boat for the family to live on. I moved onto the boat when I was three.”

“We sailed all over the Atlantic and Caribbean” Mishka recalls. “We visited Brazil, all the Caribbean islands, even made a cross-Atlantic trip to Portugal and England.” Mishka and his sisters were home schooled until they went to boarding school for their higher education. “Learning how to read maps and chart a course was my math and geography class, going ashore in different countries and talking to people about their culture was my history class, reading books on board was my literary education, picking up French and Portuguese in the ports we visited was my language school.”

The boat had a small battery run cassette player and Mishka heard the music his parents loved: The Beatles, Jimmy Cliff, Dylan and Jimmy Buffett who was sailing the same waters as his family in those days. “My sisters turned me on to the Police, Cars and Roxy Music, but when I heard Burning Spear, Culture, and Bob Marley, I got addicted to roots reggae.”

Mishka moved to London and his debut, the self-titled ‘Mishka’, became a Top 40 hit in England. “Give You All the Love” cracked the charts in Britain and Japan where it went Top 10. While he was making ‘Mishka’, Swedish producer Martin Terefe (KT Tunstall, James Morrison) was working in the studio next door. Terefe produced Mishka’s second album, 2005’s ‘One Tree’, a blend of electronica, folk and reggae. While on tour, Mishka met Darryl Thompson a long time guitarist for Sly & Robbie. They were working on ‘Above the Bones’ when Matthew McConaughey showed up and signed Mishka to his new label j. k. livin.

Mishka - Above The Bones

Mishka’s varied musical interests are evident on ‘Above the Bones’ but his vocals may be the most captivating element of the album. His striking tenor is mellow and intense with a bluesy quality that gives every word an aching intensity. It’s a timeless voice, the familiar sound of a friend you’ve always known but never met.

“Higher Heights” opens the album with a roots reggae vibe. It’s a song of empowerment and encouragement to people who want to see more love and unity in the world, an invitation to let our better nature shine and heal the troubled world we live in. “3rd Eye Vision” is a rock steady groove. It’s a prayer for the planet that urges us to live in harmony with the earth and find peace of mind amidst a system that often forces us to be hypocritical to ourselves.

“Peace and Love” is a simple three chord celebration of eternal values. Mishka’s vocal is full of sweet soulful fire. The title track for the album is essentially a folk song about honoring our ancestors, their memories, their tribulations and their joys and translating that into a prayer for the living.

Other stand out tracks include “Coastline Journey” with laid back conga lines and surfer style guitar licks this one is essentially a love song for the ocean; “Mountains Meet the Sea” a tender rock ballad and “Train Again” a tune that brings to mind the early Wailers with its funky Clavinet and rock guitar leads also features vocals by dancehall artist Lyrical Don.

The album started as an independent project produced by Mishka and Guitarist Darryl Thompson but was finished with the creative assistance of Matthew McConaughey. It was essentially tracked live with minimal overdubs. “Darryl has played for many years with Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru, but he has a background mainly in rock and blues” Mishka says of Darryl. “He could hear the folk, soul and reggae in the music and really helped bring the songs to life”. “Matthew (McConaughey) has a good ear for picking out the best elements of a song and really brought his positive energy and enthusiasm to the studio.”

With an album that fully realizes his multifaceted musical vision, Mishka and his band will take to the road, sharing his positive vibrations and his global musical vision with fans old and new.

Mishka 2009 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Feb 25 2009 Nectar Lounge Seattle, Washington
Feb 26 2009 The Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
Feb 27 2009 Sugar Nightclub Victoria, British Columbia
Feb 28 2009 Spice Lounge Nanaimo, British Columbia
Mar 1 2009 Garfinkles Whistler, British Columbia
Mar 3 2009 Communitea Cafe Canmore, Alberta
Mar 4 2009 The Brixx Bar & Grill Edmonton, Alberta
Mar 5 2009 The Gateway Bar - SAIT Campus Calgary, Alberta
Mar 6 2009 Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Mar 7 2009 Park Theatre Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mar 9 2009 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 10 2009 Schubas Tavern Chicago, Illinois
Mar 12 2009 Revival Toronto, Ontario
Mar 13 2009 Les Saints Montreal, Quebec
Mar 14 2009 Harper’s Ferry Allston, Massachusetts
Mar 15 2009 Sullivan Hall New York, New York
Mar 16 2009 Jammin Java Vienna, Virginia
Mar 23 2009 three20south Breckenridge, Colorado
Mar 24 2009 Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mar 25 2009 Aggie Theater Fort Collins, Colorado
Mar 26 2009 Marquis Theater Denver, Colorado
Mar 27 2009 Sandbar Sports Grill Vail, Colorado
Mar 28 2009 Star Bar Park City, Utah
Mar 29 2009 Whiskey Dick’s Saloon South Lake Tahoe, California
Mar 31 2009 Blake’s Berkeley, California
Apr 1 2009 Downtown Brewing Company San Luis Obispo, California
Apr 2 2009 Cane’s Bar & Grill San Diego, California
Apr 3 2009 Roxy Theatre West Hollywood, California
Apr 4 2009 Galaxy Theater Santa Ana, California

For the latest show information, go to Mishka’s Shows on his website

Mishka MySpace
Mishka Official Website

j.k. livin Music

Jenny May/Band Weblogs on Twitter!

  1. 2 Comment(s)

  2. By Matt Umg on Mar 27, 2009 | Reply

    He’s a good man. I found this cool interview of him and Matthew McConaughey and how he got his start: Watch video

    Enjoy!

  3. By bandweblogs on Mar 29, 2009 | Reply

    Thanks for the link!

Post a Comment





Search for music: Amazon.com | amazon.co.uk

Listen to music: The Tommos on MySpace


More blog entries:


« Harlem Shakes debut LP ‘Technicolor Health’; FREE Mp3 + tour dates w/ Tokyo Police Club
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac April/May 2009 UK tour dates »
Subscribe to blog entries by Email | RSS Feed
Subscribe to Band Weblogs Podcast Show by Email | RSS Feed



Trackback URL

  • --------

  • 10 things bands can do to become famous
  • 10 reasons why music blogs are great for bands
  • Free online distribution for bands, musicians - music blog entries + band press releases
  • Music publicists, PR companies: READ THIS!
  • Buy Music!
  • Recent Posts

  • Kudos

  • Band Weblogs is a Musical Gem
  • Band Blogs/Music Blogs