Artist description Acoustic Singer/Songwriter that writes and performs with a passion, sometimes defying categorization, but always finding a resonance within.

Music Style Alternative Folk/Blues

Musical Influences Luka Bloom, Michael Hedges, U2, The Eagles, Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, Bruce Cockburn, The Church, Pink Floyd,Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, (to name a few) and Classical and World Music.

Similar Artists Luka Bloom, Bruce Cockburn, Bob Mould, Suzanne Vega and acoustic versions of: XTC, Echo and the Bunnymen

Artist History Michael Plishka has long believed that music is a reflection of the soul, but in his case it’s a reflection of biology as music seems to be in his genes. A first generation American born to Ukrainian parents who fled to the United States after witnessing the horrors of World War II, Plishka was born in Chicago, Illinois, where his entire family has been involved in the arts. His father directed choirs and played violin, mandolin, piano and guitar; his mother sings, paints and draws; his older brother has a beautiful voice; and his younger brother plays piano and drums. After initial lessons on the piano, Plishka discovered the guitar as his instrument of choice, strumming along to favorite recordings by the Eagles and Paul Simon. In high school, he began singing in Ukrainian Church and folk choirs and eventually inherited the job of directing small liturgical choirs and leading those singers first directed by his father. He was involved in dance and musicals throughout his high school years. Then he took up songwriting in earnest with a small group of friends, also bilingual, and formed a group called Half-Na-Piv, or Half-and-Half, a description of an act performed both in Ukrainian and English. As the young musicians matured, the group cemented and lasted for 13 years, playing gigs from Omaha to Cleveland. Plishka’s percussive, aerobic style began to take shape, and the band changed a few members and its name – to The Cause. In the mid-90s, Plishka played in other bands with other musicians and began performing original music as well. He played in Champaign, Illinois, with the band Hot, Sticky and Confused, and in Chicago with Mystic Lemming. Despite an intensive musical resume, Plishka has also nurtured his interests in ice hockey, fencing, luge, fishing and golf.Mike is affiliated with BMI.

Instruments Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

Albums Spit, Sputter, Blow...

Press Reviews Artist: Michael PlishkaCD: Spit, Sputter, Blow...By Jennifer LaytonIndie-Music.com There might be such a thing as reincarnation after all. I think that centuries ago, Michael Plishka was a wandering troubadour. He’s still playing his guitar and singing his poetry, but these days he lives in Chicago. I hope he turns up again centuries from now, because his beautiful music will always find an audience.“Spit, Sputter, Blow” is Plishka’s first solo recording. Most of these folk songs consist of just him strumming his acoustic guitar and singing earnestly and passionately of unrequited love, soaring through time, being carried along on the wind, and seeing angels dance in the sky. His lyrics paint mythology and romance. From “Seven Sisters”: “Sunlit Sliver in an aqua sky, Greek God planet shines into my eye, high above immersed in char-blue sea, seven sisters looking down on me.”Plishka throws himself completely into his stories. In “I Woke Up This Morning,” the story of frustration comes out in his rapid acoustic strumming and repetition of the line, “You don’t understand you don’t understand you don’t understand...” The frenzied strumming makes a more joyful sound on “When You Love Me,” one of the few happy love songs on the CD. Other songs, like “And the River Flows” and “Einstein’s Time,” are slow, contemplative and mystic.One song surprised me with a concept completely different from the others. The listener takes part in the performance. On the CD, “Bernard’s Waltz” is only a minute-long, scratchy, old-fashioned recording of someone playing the harmonica. But in the liner notes, “Bernard’s Waltz” is the story of an elderly man Plishka met on a train. The listener reads the story of Bernard’s life while listening to the old recording. The experience has a bit of magic to it. It’s my favorite part of the CD.These songs are beautiful, and I know Plishka’s audience centuries from now will agree.

Location Northbrook, IL - USA

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