Micah Barnes
Vocalist :: Composer :: Recording Artist
Micah Barnes began performing in the cafes and coffeehouses of Toronto
while still a teenager in high school. Acting and writing for theatre helped
inform his work, as did a musical family including his father Milton Barnes, a
classical composer and mother Lilly Barnes, who wrote for the popular
children's TV show Mr. Dressup.
This family talent also extends to his brother drummer/composer Daniel
Barnes, with whom Micah developed the cabaret act, The Micah Barnes
Trio that solidified them as a top draw on the music circuit. Establishing
themselves on the Queen Street scene, with their own brand of soulful
alternative pop, the Barnes brothers found themselves sharing stages with
The Parachute Club, Molly Johnson and Jane Siberry and creating a
national buzz for their standing room only shows.
Joining the a cappella group The Nylons in 1989, Micah recorded and toured
with the act for four years, appearing on international television and in
concert. He wrote and arranged material for the recordings Four On The Floor
and Live For Love, which led to their JUNO nominated hit single "Don't Look
Any Further" and radio play throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Leaving the group for Los Angeles to begin recording as a solo act, Micah
worked with producer Brad Daymond ('N Sync). That partnership resulted in
the hard-hitting grooves of Loud Boy Radio, an album that won him critical
acclaim and the attention of Rolling Stone Magazine as "An Indie Artist to
Watch". Touring his own mix of brash spoken word and intense beats
throughout the U.S. led to the hugely successful club single "Welcome To My
Head". With superstar remix/producers Thunderpuss on board, the single
gave Barnes a #1 Billboard hit in 2003.
After years of performing in rock n' roll and dance venue, Micah's musical
focus returned to the piano and voice cabaret style of his early career. His
next recording, simply titled Micah Barnes, mapped a more mature
songwriter's journey and brought the artist home from Venice Beach to settle
back in Canada. Performing the songs as Molly Johnson's opening act on her
2008 national tour, reintroduced his music and dynamic performances to
audiences across the country and sowed the seeds of his latest album
Domesticated.
Produced by Gavin Bradley (Serena Ryder) and engineered by John Nazario (Nelly Furtado) this album is a return to the piano driven style that established
Barnes on Queen Street long before The Nylons came to call. Reuniting with
his brother Daniel in the writing and arranging of the new album, the Barnes
brothers found themselves leaning on their common musical language to
create the new batch of "personal but universal" songs that make up Micah's
new release Domesticated.
Media Info:
Sue McCallum
sue@thenextlevelpr.ca
289-314 4380
www.thenextlevelpr.ca
