by Michele Zipkin
Guitarist Mike Mizwinski, AKA Miz, has been making music that is propelling him in a positive direction. With a lifetime of practicing and listening to legendary folk and rock artists, he is quite an accomplished guitar player, creating beautiful soulful Americana songs tinged with the vibes of the coal mines of his native Northeast PA. This May, Miz and his band will be playing the first annual Old Farmer’s Ball Festival in Scranton, PA, created by folk/bluegrass group Cabinet.
Miz has been playing and listening to music since a very young age, and comes from a long line of musicians. Both of his grandfathers were artists and both of his parents went to school for music. “I grew up in an extremely musical family,” recounts Miz “My dad was probably one of the best guitar players I know. When I was growing up, every family holiday would always turn into a jam session. I had a miniature guitar when I was two years old, wrote my first song when I was seven and have been playing ever since.”
This young artist has also had the privilege of seeing a wealth of big-name bands at a fairly young age, many of whom shaped the kind of rustic, rootsy, guitar-forward music he writes and performs. His father took him to see artists like the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead, Neil Young and Bob Dylan before the age of ten, making him quite a lucky kid. “One of the first bands that did it for me was definitely the Allman Brothers. Bob Dylan also really struck a chord for me at an early age. I saw Jerry Garcia twice before he died, which was pretty cool. Those three artists were the start of my musical tastes.”
Part of what makes Miz’s songs so charming are the stories and emotions behind them. When he first started writing, he wrote from a very personal standpoint, drawing on his experiences and using song as a means through which he could communicate what he took away from those experiences. But as he matured as an artist, he started writing tunes about stories that he created outside of himself.
“A lot of my earlier stuff was made up of stories that I needed to tell, or something that I needed to get out. It was like therapy for me. But lately I morphed into more of a storyteller. There’s a never-ending ocean of things to write about. I think that’s part of me growing as a songwriter.”
Take the song “Maybe Moonlight”, for instance. Its narration succeeds in reeling in the listener with its simple but eloquent wording, as in the lines, “The streets were empty and the world was sleeping, he was facing by the stairs, he was waiting for her there. He could only see her past the parking meters where their paths would finally meet, at the top of Union Street.” This is one snapshot of the makings of a strong lyrical song.
(credit Cory Schwartz)
One important performance opportunity that Miz and the band have on their roster this year is the first Old Farmer’s Ball Festival, organized by their recent tour mates and kindred spirits, Cabinet. The fest will take place on May 11th at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton PA. It promises to be full of great country, folk and roots music including Cabinet, Yarn, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, bluegrass band Coal Town Rounders, and of course, Miz. All of the acts have shared the stage with Cabinet in the past, uniting the groups under the umbrella of similar styles. Miz has been touring the east coast frequently with Cabinet and Coal Town Rounders and has put a lot of work into that series of tours. “I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” he shares.
But Miz has already garnered some career-forming experiences because he has had the honor of collaborating with some very highly-regarded artists, some of whom are significant inspirations to him. One such musical union was with Garth Hudson of The Band, who played a CD release party with Miz. “I’m flattered that someone like Garth Hudson likes the songs that I write. That really made me realize that I’m on the right track,” he admits. Another artist he has shared the stage with is Bill Payne from Little Feat. “It’s so nice to hear a member of another band I spent my whole life listening to say that he likes what I’m doing.”
The band is in the studio recording a new album, which is still in its early stages, so its release date has yet to be disclosed. However, Miz will be sure to let listeners know when the record comes out because he updates his Facebook page almost daily, telling fans what the band is doing and where they’re touring. “I’m writing some of my best stuff ever and we’re really excited to see what that’s going to bring.”
