On John’s newest collaboration with Mikah Sykes
Article taken from registerguard.com, written by Serena Markstrom.
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 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 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 outcome.”
