Artist description Spearheaded by keyboardist and vocalist Ben Mish, these young Seattle groove-rockers distinguish themselves through formidable musicianship and a controlled looseness that allows them to explore their jam-band tendencies without sacrificing cohesiveness or direction. LHS show more maturity and poise than most up-and-coming bands, and they find a nice balance between structure, discipline, and playfulness. Mish has a soulful voice and a knack for a strong melody, and the band has certainly learned its classic-rock lessons well, borrowing bits and pieces from the Allmans, Van Morrison, and Little Feat. For fans of rootsy boogie-and-blues rock, LHS are a band to keep an eye on.

Music Style Funky, Rootsy, Rock n Roll

Musical Influences Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Dylan and the Band, Otis Redding, James Brown, the Meters, and Little Feat

Similar Artists Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, Black Crowes, Otis Redding, Little Feat

Artist History In late 1997 University of Washington students Ben Mish and Ronan O'Mahony began writing songs and performing at campus parties. Lifelong friends who played music together since grade school, Ben and Ronan found that their new material received an enthusiastic response. They added a bass player and a drummer and ventured into the local club scene. The group accepted an offer to play one night every week at the Owl n' Thistle, a popular club in downtown Seattle. After playing under several names, the group decided to call itself Left Hand Smoke. Will Mish, Ben's older brother, was living in Bellingham, Washington and attending Western Washington University. Will was jamming with local musicians and studying jazz guitar. On occasional visits to Seattle, Will would jam with Left Hand Smoke. It was soon apparent that his jazz-influenced style was a natural fit with the band's music, which was becoming increasingly funky and soulful. In June of 1998 Will moved to Seattle and joined Left Hand Smoke. In October of 1998, Left Hand Smoke toured the Northwest extensively promoting the CD in club and concert dates in British Columbia, Canada; Bellingham, Washington; Pullman, Washington; Bend, Oregon; and Eugene, Oregon. The band performed in top Seattle clubs between road trips. As a result of touring and radio airplay, Left Hand Smoke's music began to reach an audience beyond the Northwest. The song 'Blue Eyes Shinin'' was featured in the top-rated NBC-TV show ER in May of 1999. Two other songs from the CD, 'Step Outside' and 'Noise Like Tambourines', were selected for another network television project. In July of 1999 KMTT-FM 'The Mountain' in Seattle began playing 'Step Outside'. Based on overwhelming listener response, the song went into regular rotation and quickly became a top-seller in Seattle-area stores. Left Hand Smoke is currently recording songs for a new CD and scheduling a tour of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Group Members Ben Mish, Will Mish, Ronan O'Mahony, Andrew Scaglioni

Instruments Keyboards, Organ, Harmonica, Guitars (Rhythm, Lead), Bass, Drums, Per

Albums Left Hand Smoke

Press Reviews MTV OnlineLEFT HAND SMOKE Fans Fill the Tractor[Dec 21, 1999] Catch LEFT HAND SMOKE in Seattle while you still can. If these guys catch on in the rest of the country like they have in our fair city, they won't be playing venues like Ballard's Tractor Tavern for long. Their self-title debut album is a popular holiday seller on amazon.com and in local record stores.The night's main attraction LEFT HAND SMOKE pleased the crowd with an incredible long set. They played a few covers, but mostly the original music they are known for. The band's sound is slightly bluesy with some classic rock influence. Think DAVE MATTHEWS meets VAN MORRISON with the occasional harmonica thrown in. "Step Outside," a song that is in rotation on 103.7 the Mountain, received a great response.LEFT HAND SMOKE has polish that is rare in local bands. They even have a groupie who brings his own tambourine to shows and dances around the audience. LEFT HAND SMOKE will be releasing a second album in the near future. Until then, fans will have to be content with their frequent live performances and their first album. Ballard News-Tribune Smokin' Hot: Left Hand Smoke returns to Tractor Tavern as one of the hottest Seattle bands without a record contract by Steve Stav[December 8, 1999] It's been an enviable year for Ben Mish and his band, Seattle's Left Hand Smoke.This year marks the group's explosion upon the Northwest scene, quickly becoming one of the most popular bands around.Their eponymously-titled debut CD, initially slow to catch on, gathered momentum, hitting the local charts like a freight train.Left Hand smoke, with the assistance of regular rotation airplay on KMTT -- The Mountain -- is a top seller at Amazon.com and a song from that album was used on the television show "ER."These are impressive feats for any band. However, what's even more eye-opening is that it's all been accomplished without the benefit of a record deal with any label, major or minor.Although the band's management has been fielding numerous inquiries, Mish is non-committal when it comes to the band "going national.""We're trying not to be over-anxious to sign a deal because we don't want to break our momentum," the singer/keyboardist explained. Upon hearing their CD, one could easily assume that Left Hand Smoke is comprised of rock veterans who are paying homage to their '70s roots. The album's original material, with Mish's pack-a-day singing voice in the foreground, is an intelligent, engaging mix of rock, soul and the blues and is an example of first-rate musicianship."Left Hand Smoke," recorded and mixed in less than a week (and co-produced by ex-Allies bassist Garey Shelton) has drawn favorable comparisons to the likes of Little Feat, the Dave Matthews Band and Van Morrison.It's hard to believe that the group was formed by a pair of University of Washington students -- Mish and guitarist Ronan O'Mahony -- a scant two years ago.The two friends, together with a drummer and a bassist soon began playing regularly around Seattle. There were personnel changes: Mish's older brother Will (an outstanding jazz-inspired guitarist) joined the group, pairing up with O'Mahony; Drum Garage owner Steve Rinkov and one of his former bandmates, bassist John Meadows, eventually replaced the original rhythm section.The band recorded their debut CD in '98, but it wasn't until last summer that KMTT began playing "Step Outside," a track from the album. Mish and Co. were soon deluged with requests for the CD, and decided to take an adventurous step."People were e-mailing us, seeing if they could buy our CD online," Mish recalls, "so we went to Amazon.com, then the Mountain told people where they could get it."Mish added, "A huge part of our success so far is being played on the Mountain."Earlier this year, the CD was sent to various labels around the country, and a copy found it's way to the right person at Warner Brothers."At first, they called us up and told us they wanted to use two of our songs for a show called "Trinity," but that got cancelled," Mish said. "Then, about a month later, they wanted to use another song, "Blue Eyes Shinin," for "ER.""We actually missed watching the episode," the frontman remembers, chuckling, "They forgot to notify us as to when it was going to be on…we caught a re-run."As the millennium approached, the band is recording a much anticipated follow-up disc, discussing the filming of a video ("We'll probably be doing that soon," Mish intimated) and planning their first major tour, set to kick off in January.Although the events of the past year would send many aspiring stars straight into orbit, Mish remains humbly unassuming, and exhibits a maturity that, like his music, is well beyond his years."I felt like I learned a lot [this year], but I knew that there would be challenges, so I wasn't surprised by them," the singer explained. "I'm always looking forward, seeing what we can do next."The band's shows are consistently sold out, and their Friday, Dec. 1 gig at the Tractor Tavern isn't likely to buck the trend."It's going to be exciting getting back to the Tractor," Mish enthused. "We haven't been there in awhile." From the influential trade publication R&R (Radio and Record)"Smokin' Up the Charts" by Steve Wonsiewicz [August 6, 1999] Seattle-based rock act Left Hand Smoke, a bluesy quintet reminiscent of the Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers and Little Feat, is set to break out of the Pacific Northwest thanks to airplay at hometown Adult Alternative KMTT (The Mountain) on the track "Step Outside." MD Dean Carlson observes, "Every six months or so we'll try to find a local band to champion, and we found one in these guys. The song has only been on the air for three weeks, but it's really kicking in. We're getting a lot of requests, and not just from the band's friends. It's one we really believe in."Left Hand Smoke released their self-titled debut album toward the end of 1998, says manager [John] Shoemaker. "But they really didn't push it. They used it more for friends and to get local gigs. But now, with The Mountain playing it,we're really starting to hit it."Shoemaker says the band is currently touring the Seattle area and plans to expand that to include Oregon and Northern California. Left Hand Smoke also has enough material for a new album and could begin recording that disc in the near future.

Location Seattle, WA - USA

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