Mika Miko
Just so everyone’s got something to show their mums, we’ll first let you know who exactly Mika Miko are. Jennifer Clavin sings, plays guitar and keyboards, and goes by the stage name of ‘Victor Fandgore’. She’s joined by Jenna Thornhill (stage moniker ‘Jet Blanca’) also on vocals and keyboards, with the odd blast of saxophone for good measure. The line up is further complimented by Michelle Diane Suarez on guitar and keys, Jessica Clavin on bass, and a good fellow named Seth Densham on the drums (at least their third drummer to date). Four out of five of them still live with their parents.
They formed as Mika Miko out of the ashes of the brilliantly named Dead Banana Ladies in 2003 in Los Angeles, California, where they recorded a host of demo CDRs and 7”s, sold on tour throughout America’s West Coast, and presumably always kept in stock at L.A. club The Smell, Mika Miko’s second home famous for a thriving underage scene often frequented by bands like No Age. The band still helps out as volunteers at their much beloved venue to this day.
The five of ‘em embarked on their first national tour in 2005, the same year in which they started to feature on compilations released by local record labels, self released two cassette albums, and featured on the EP Community by local L.A. mentalist Hawnay Troof. A year later, their first full length proper was released jointly by Post Present Medium and Kill Rock Stars records.
Their second album, released this week, is called We Be Xuxa. It’s still full of the ramshackle punk rock charm that seeps in to their every action, but the song writing has been expanded, melodic prowess developed, tunes more conclusively nailed. Production duties (and we use the term loosely) were handled by a man named Mike McHugh, who’s worked with the like sof Black Lips and Lightning Bolt before. It doesn’t sound much like those bands though. It sounds like a bunch of kids smacking stuff. And they have no idea how good they are.
**COMING SOON** - Rockfeedback TV met up with Mika Miko whilst out at the SXSW music conference earlier this year. The setting was perfect – an independent record store that seemed to also be a pizza parlour, they played a set in the corner of the room, with no P.A. system, no soundcheck, nothing. Other than punk rock. Rockfeedback’s imminent redesign will feature, amongst a whole host of other really actually honestly very amazing video content, a film of their set, and a chat outside where the virtues of punk rock are dissected with an intelligence not usually common to ones of such a tender age.
MYSPACE.COM/MIKAMIKO: A list of tour dates that reveal Mika Miko to be playing EVERY VENUE IN THE KNOWN WORLD over the coming months, along with the obligatory selection of five ‘greatest hits’ or so to stream, a scary picture of a skull to remind you of your own mortality, and photos n’ junk.
MIKAMIKO.BLOGSPOT.COM: The very idea of blogging is perfect for Mika Miko – here they post funny videos of messing about in tour busses, funny photos of them messing about on tour busses, and funny stories of them messing about on tour busses. Way more exciting than that sounds.
MIKA MIKO @ POST PRESENT MEDIUM: Here’s what Mika Miko’s label think of Mika Miko – unsurprisingly, the consensus seems to be that they’re KILLER. Check out a roster that also includes Liars, Abe Vigoda and Wavves, and think to oneself, ‘cool’.
SOUNDS ON THE GROUND #7 – MIKA MIKO: Dan Monsell’s new band’s column was quick to unearth the charms of L.A.’s finest thrash posters.
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