Musicians and collaborators, past and present:
Henri Vaxby (Guitar, Banjo), Anssi Vaxby (Double Bass), Becky Dixon (Cello), Sam Taylor (Cello, Guitar), Cath Kontz (Cello, Keyboards), Amelia Grenfell (Violin), Kirsten Halliday (Recorders).
'In The Sky' - Mika Sellens Live at The Otley Courthouse, West Yorkshire, UK. 23 March 2007. With Henri Vaxby on slide guitar.
Photos by Ani McNeice
Influences
Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, James Taylor, Shawn Colvin, Tracy Chapman, Mindy Smith, Karine Polwart, Laura Viers, Sade, Everything But The Girl, Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch, June Tabor, Sandy Denny, Christy Moore, Richard Thompson, Marvin Gaye, Dusty Springfield, Roberta Flack, Randy Crawford, Steevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Ani Di Franco, Carole King, REM, Massive Attack, Beth Orton, Jeff Buckley, Terry Callier, Leonard Cohen, and many many more...
Lyrical. Languid. Lulling. Three words for the music of East London based singer songwriter Mika Sellens. This twentysomething troubadour creates music as soft as cotton wool, velvet-voiced and dreamlike. She sings, she muses, she meanders through words about love, loss and longing with only guitar, cello and double bass for company. Listen to the four tracks on her new Back Home EP and you will hear wistful
melodies of a rare quietitude. This wonderfully stark debut solo EP from Mika Sellens, previous collaborator with Pepe Deluxe (Lying Peacefully - Catskills 2004), provides a beautiful collection of nu-folk acoustic songs and is the debut release from East London label, Little Doll Records.
"...an ep that showcases an artist that obviously knows her lyrical craft. Mika's not just a sing your diary style of songwriter. As well as writing fine words, she's also a pretty good tunesmith.The songs are well performed and have a sense of ease about them....Mika Sellens is a talent and deserves to be heard..." FATEA
"Four songs of ever-popular sensitivity and introspection from the former Norwich singer and songwriter featured at the weekend at the city's arts centre. Simple but effective accompaniments (flute, glockenspiel, cello, double bass and violin) heighten the clarity and resonance of Mika's own vocals and acoustic guitar. There are musical and lyrical shades at times of Seventies singer Bridget St John - much missed by many of my aging hippie generation." Brian Gaudet, EDP ***
"The first act to truly capture the night's attention is Mika Sellens, who has backing tonight from an understated bloke who plays some particularly lovely and unobtrusive accompaniment. Sellens has a top voice which calmly floats over simple melodies. And when the cello comes out - which we're all secretly or not so secretly a complete sucker for - it really is quite an ear-grabbingly delicate dynamic." Paul Case (backstagepass.seatwaveblogs.com)
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Mackenzie and Ricky are getting married in May. How have you been doing? We are going Saturday and start looking at dresses. They didn't give me much notice but thats Mackenzie, right? LOL Oh hey! I already took the pics to be printed lol! Some of them were soo freakin hilarious! And i loved the picture of us ... it was sooo cute..so yah, guess what? 'member those surveys i was doing online? well, i got 2 checks so far! told ya it was real!! it aint like a ton of money, just like 175 so far, but its good coin to start with, right? you should really do it, now that i've gotten paid ..i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is:
you have to watch the entire series!! SO FUNNY!!! I swear, my whole Saturday went by before I knew it, just watching one show after the other. I'm such a loser, I know, lol. Anyways, got any plans for next weekend? ... cuz i doooooooo! oooh, I think the pizza's here, I'm so freakin hungry right now, but it's all good. and that survey thing i was doing - THAT YOU WAS MAKING FUN OF ME FOR DOING!! - i just got paid! $76 for my first check, and since i got paid, I'm gonna do more of em, but I'm already at $184, so I'm loving it. They're so seriously stupid tho - the one I got last night was about my hair and stuff - like what kind of shampoo do I use, do I normally use conditioner ... for real, so easy. you should do it, i'm tellin yah. i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is:
exactly. im going to see how much money i get for my b-day... which probably won't be much lol. and then i'll see where to go from there. hehhehe im excite! ethan's excited cuz we'll have the same phone. we're such dorks, i know; anyways, yeah i know exactly what u mean i need one too but yeah its the only way to move forward and hey if its true love let it go and if it comes back then ull know for sure!!! and OH I am so jealous that you got to go to Savannah! maybe i'll get to go soon too! i've been saving up my money that i've been getting from taking those survey things online. i'm up to $243 (heh, weird number, i know) so far, so i figure once i hit like a thousand, i'm goin on a va-ca, baby! do em, too! they're like soooo easy. i guess you'll have to type the link into internet explorer or whatever, but here it is:
Souk Sound and Racubah present: Analog Africa. Sami Ben Redjeb of Analog Africa records makes his UK debut @ Passing Clouds, Empowering Church, East London on 17th April 09. With 10 piece Afro-Funk dynamite, Drymbago and DJ's CousCous, Piwi and Hadj.. Don't miss out, it's gonna shake the paint from the walls.
RSVP to info@racubah.co.uk for exact location details and to secure your place at the event..
Hi Mika Sellens, 'appy new year! Our debut album 'Hope Is Not Enough' has been nominated for the XFM New Music Award 2009. If you like it please click on the banner to vote for us. Thanks! Sam & rtP p.s. Come and see us play tomorrow Friday 16th Jan at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Rd, W12 7LJ. On stage 9:30pm.
Just thought Id let you know that Im going to be playing live on Frome FM. This Sunday between 3 and 4.30(gmt)for the first time ever songs from my forth coming Album "A short Study and the Nature of Love and Drink" will be going out over the air waves. IF you'd like to listen in you can do so on-line here http://fromefm. co. uk or if your busy or it will be available as a mp3 download. All the best Kara
Vote for your favorite song to reach the finals of our 2008 songwriting competition. To listen to and vote for the 3rd heat finalists visit: www. festival4stars. com
Online Now!
www.kenningtonrecordings.com
