collaborazione || Frusciante & Mikah Sykes
This is not a story about a Eugene kid moving to a major city and making it big. But now that Mikah Sykes is working with a famous guitar player down in Los Angeles, people pay more attention to his mu- sic. Sykes lived in Eugene and Springfield up until about a year and a half ago. He moved to Portland first, then to Southern California, where he decided the only way to afford to pursue music was to be homeless.
For the past six months, he’s been staying with friends and sleeping in his tent. During that time he has worked on an album with John Frusciante, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The CD was supposed to be done before he left for this tour, but it’s not.
“I’m pretty much disorganized and all over the map,” he says. “I can’t keep up with what it takes to be a musician.”
Sykes did manage to book a 20-date tour to spread the word on his songs. So far, Sykes says people are most impressed he’s working with Frusciante. He played three shows in Eugene last weekend, and he returns to Sam Bond’s on Thursday for his final local gig. The music appeals to musicians and girls, he says, but it’s also apt background music.
“I want to become a wall,” he says. His lack of ego or ability to tell people his music is great may be getting in the way of his success as a musician. “I like blending in with the ambience in the room.”
Frusciante first heard Sykes play at Sam Bond’s when the Chili Pepper was in town with his girlfriend, Emily Kokal. Like Sykes, Kokal is a South Eugene High School grad. Kokal sings “I Would Not” with Sykes on the album. He plans to have some form of the self-titled release available at the show. The work in progress has many Eugene connections. South grads played violin and pedal steel guitar, and another recorded a track before Sykes started working with Frusciante. Sykes has self-released several homemade recordings. He says that in the eighth grade, he even recorded a tape with schoolmate Mat Kearney trying to sing the blues. Like Kearney, Sykes is the son of a Christian preacher.
Their takes on religion are different, something that created a rift in their friendship near the end of high school, Sykes says. Kearney sings about his faith and the good it’s done him. Sykes, through his song “2,000 Chews,” expresses only a desire to be more confident in his beliefs. Frusciante gave Sykes access to his home recording studio and plans to overdub some of his guitar work onto the album, which will be available through www.mikahsykes.com.
Also unlike Kearney, who has major label backing and a mainstream, accessible sound, Sykes’ music is more arty than catchy. He doesn’t write songs with verses and choruses, at least not on purpose. Sykes believes that if the music is good, people will find it. You can hear what he means on tracks now posted on www.myspace.com.
Sykes says he is blown away by the effectiveness of Myspace in disseminating his music far and wide. A guy in Europe has one of his tracks as his profile song - the height of a Myspace musical compliment.
“There’s really no point to it whatsoever,” he says of his music. “It’s just what I do. I’m not looking for some big out
Article taken from www.registerguard.com
written by Serena Markstrom.
fonte frusciante.net
For the past six months, he’s been staying with friends and sleeping in his tent. During that time he has worked on an album with John Frusciante, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The CD was supposed to be done before he left for this tour, but it’s not.
“I’m pretty much disorganized and all over the map,” he says. “I can’t keep up with what it takes to be a musician.”
Sykes did manage to book a 20-date tour to spread the word on his songs. So far, Sykes says people are most impressed he’s working with Frusciante. He played three shows in Eugene last weekend, and he returns to Sam Bond’s on Thursday for his final local gig. The music appeals to musicians and girls, he says, but it’s also apt background music.
“I want to become a wall,” he says. His lack of ego or ability to tell people his music is great may be getting in the way of his success as a musician. “I like blending in with the ambience in the room.”
Frusciante first heard Sykes play at Sam Bond’s when the Chili Pepper was in town with his girlfriend, Emily Kokal. Like Sykes, Kokal is a South Eugene High School grad. Kokal sings “I Would Not” with Sykes on the album. He plans to have some form of the self-titled release available at the show. The work in progress has many Eugene connections. South grads played violin and pedal steel guitar, and another recorded a track before Sykes started working with Frusciante. Sykes has self-released several homemade recordings. He says that in the eighth grade, he even recorded a tape with schoolmate Mat Kearney trying to sing the blues. Like Kearney, Sykes is the son of a Christian preacher.
Their takes on religion are different, something that created a rift in their friendship near the end of high school, Sykes says. Kearney sings about his faith and the good it’s done him. Sykes, through his song “2,000 Chews,” expresses only a desire to be more confident in his beliefs. Frusciante gave Sykes access to his home recording studio and plans to overdub some of his guitar work onto the album, which will be available through www.mikahsykes.com.
Also unlike Kearney, who has major label backing and a mainstream, accessible sound, Sykes’ music is more arty than catchy. He doesn’t write songs with verses and choruses, at least not on purpose. Sykes believes that if the music is good, people will find it. You can hear what he means on tracks now posted on www.myspace.com.
Sykes says he is blown away by the effectiveness of Myspace in disseminating his music far and wide. A guy in Europe has one of his tracks as his profile song - the height of a Myspace musical compliment.
“There’s really no point to it whatsoever,” he says of his music. “It’s just what I do. I’m not looking for some big out
Article taken from www.registerguard.com
written by Serena Markstrom.
fonte frusciante.net
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Friday, April 28, 2006
Recording Today
Recording Today
started the recording last night. pretty cool. until about 10 minutes ago when the leaf blower guy showed up in the middle of recording. i am kicking off my west coast tour next friday, beginning at spaceland (see profile picture). spaceland has always been a little hit and miss for me as far as performing goes...but they got nice sound. then up to the make out room in s.f., then oregon...wow...if i dont move back to l.a. in june then i am moving to new york city in august. acutally i have already agreed to move into an apartment in williamsburg, brooklyn. i have never been there. to the apartment or to brooklyn. i love l.a., but...i never been to ny. so why not, eh? i miss the northwest so much but i know if i move there i will be bored out of my mind. i love l.a. but i want to see ny. all in all really all i care about is ellies dog, i will miss him the most. thats the only thing making me hesitate on the east coast thing. in the mean time me and anthony (the engineer) are waiting for the gardeners to leave, they are being way to loud to record. and the take they inturrupted was golden...john (Frusciante, ndr) and emily (Kokal, ndr) s cat was making all this noise in the background. we are mic-ing the guitar with a vinatge nueman ksm124 small condenser, we are using neve pre-amps, and an old 48 channel api mixer. also we are using a big plate reverb unit, its about 8 feet long by 4 feet tall. its in emilys bedroom. pretty cool. i have to give an official shout out to emily kokal and john frusciante for providing me with one of the most amazing opportunities in my life. em i know you will probably read this (better watch what i say...) so i will thank you again. i will thank john later.
tratto dal blog di Mikah Sykes
E' inoltre possibili ascoltare e scaricare gratuitamente il brano "I Would Not" (la vce femminile è quella di Emily Kokal) ed altrie due canzoni dal MyspaceMUSIC di Sykes all'indirizzo:
posted by goinginside.tk at 9:21 AM
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