Mi Ami

San Francisco trio Mi Ami, often tagged with the “drum punk” label, unites guitarist and vocalist Daniel Martin-McCormick, bassist Jacob Long, and drummer Damon Palermo. Martin-McCormick and Long previously anchored the kinetic, percussive Dischord outfit Black Eyes, which split in 2004; seeking greater freedom, the pair briefly explored free-jazz ideas as the duo White Flight. After Long relocated to California, Martin-McCormick joined him and enrolled in classical guitar studies at San Francisco State University. There they linked up with Palermo, launching Mi Ami in 2007 and shaping a style that drew on dub, free jazz, Afro-beat, and dance music. The group issued several vinyl singles, shared bills locally with acts such as No Age, and secured a deal with Quarterstick Records in 2008. Their first release for the label, the Enchonecho EP, appeared in January 2009, followed a month later by the full-length Watersports. Mi Ami then shifted to Thrill Jockey for the 2010 album Steal Your Face; Dolphins surfaced in 2011, and the repetitive techno throb of Decade arrived in 2012 via 100% Silk.