RECORD REVIEW: Mikie Lee Prasad
Jukebox Folktales: Volume Two
By: Keane Li

One of the hardest working musicians in the Bay Area, Mikie Lee Prasad has been performing his rollicking brand of energetic Americana in local pubs and clubs for well over a decade. His recent release, Jukebox Folktales: Volume Two, a sequel to 2009’s Volume One, features a number of the talented local musicians he’s worked with on past projects.
The album opens with the diabolical “Try Evil.” Mikie sings a story not uncommon for a bluesman – a meeting with the Devil in an otherwise common place (this time, a gas station), with the humor and gypsy-esque jive of Tom Waits. “Don’t Wake Up” and “Hammer,” ballads steeped in that classic swirling American sound, conjure images of summer evenings and family friends. The inclusion of Bongo, his dog, and Marie, his wife, on this record show that it is, indeed, a familial affair.

Jukebox Folktales: Volume Two is an exhibition in what experience, maturity, and witty songwriting can get you. From its happy highs to its somber depths, the variation on this well-balanced album creates an experience that can be tirelessly enjoyed. (Self-released)

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