Mika Miko - Biography
By Marcus Kagler
Mika Miko’s invigorating blend of riot girl thrash, infectious party songs, and DIY knowhow has catapulted the quintet to the top of the Los Angeles underground scene in a relatively short period of time. In a Southern California rock landscape dominated by Americana indie rock and generic power punk outfits, the girls of Mika Miko took a different tack by drawing inspiration from classic hardcore acts like Black Flag and Reagan Youth. Preferring to play local parties on the floor with the rest of the crowd rather than on a stage at traditional concert venues, Mika Miko’s traditional DIY punk aesthetic has garnered the group considerable street credibility. When they do play on stage it’s usually at L.A.’s premiere underground venue The Smell, where various members also volunteer.
Taking their name from the Japanese phrase for “storytellers”, vocalist Jennifer Clavin (aka Victor Fandgore), vocalist/sax player Jenna Thornhill (aka Jet Blanca), guitarist Michelle Suarez, bassist Jessica Clavin, and original drummer Jon Erik Edrosa formed Mika Miko in 2003 after ditching their former band Dead Banana Ladies (some members also spent time in Ride, Silver Daggers, and Slitwrists). Mika Miko’s ferocious live shows, often featuring Jennifer Clavin screaming into a telephone receiver wired to a microphone, garnered the band a local underground following almost immediately. By the end of 2003, the band released a CD-R of demos with their debut self titled 7”, Mika Miko, following in 2004 from the local DIY label PPS. After replacing Edrosa with drummer Kate Hall the band issued their debut full length, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F (2006) as a joint release from PPS and the notorious North West riot grrrl label Kill Rock Stars. The band claims the meaning behind the acronym, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. is only known by one member of the group. Mika Miko returned the following year with the 666 EP (2007 PPS), which was recorded in just one day with most tracks clocking in around the 1 minute mark.