Mishka Interview: SXSW 2010

Bermudan roots reggae artist Mishka has been making sweet, sweet music for almost two decades. iTunes must not have received the memo, though, because it named him the Best New Artist of 2009. The album that won him praise from iTunes, 2009's 'Above the Bones," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard reggae chart and marked the first release from actor Matthew McConaughey's j.k. livin, a label created exclusively to distribute Mishka's message of universal love and social consciousness to the masses. Mishka recently took a break from jammin' to connect with Spinner and shed a little light on his low-key vibe (which will be on display at this year's SXSW).

Describe your sound in your own words.

That's a tough one. I guess I would say it's a few different genres: rock, folk, soul and reggae but played predominantly with a roots-reggae sound.

How did your band form?

My band's made up of a combination of people that I have met along the way -- either from home, on the road or session players who came to record and decided they liked the vibes.

What are your musical influences?

Everything musical in the right time and place has had an effect.

How did you come up with your band name? Is there a meaning or translation of the name "Mishka"?

It's my birth name. It's a Slavic name, short for Michael.

What's your biggest vice?

Using fossil fuels.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Love.

Who was your first celeb crush?

I haven't had one yet.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

I've got no guilt about loving any of the music that I love.

Beatles or Stones?

Stoned beetles.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Snow in Québec. The quantity of it, I mean.


Megan Koester is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.