Biography
Originating in Lawrence, Kansas, the four-piece mi6 weaves its upbeat punk approach together with values shaped by Midwestern life on the broad plains. Guitarist and lead singer Kenny Peterson—born Kenny Peterson III in 1971 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—launched his initial group, One Way, during high school. While stationed in San Antonio with the Army he maintained daily guitar practice, later enrolling at the University of Kansas in 1991. By 1993 he was handling vocals for Cockpit Biscuit, and when that group’s guitarist departed he assumed both guitar and vocal duties. Between 1994 and 1996 the band issued two albums plus several videos while supporting more established acts; its dissolution arrived in 1997 after the bassist accepted a position at Microsoft. Peterson then placed a newspaper advertisement seeking collaborators for new-wave punk, which prompted a response from bassist and backing vocalist Aaron Riffel, born in 1976 in Topeka, Kansas.
Riffel’s musical interest ignited at age eight after seeing Sammy Hagar’s “I Can’t Drive 55” video, though he waited until thirteen to obtain his first guitar. Switching to bass, he joined friends in the Deprived, which produced one album, performed across Kansas for roughly eighteen months, and disbanded in 1997. Riffel and Peterson subsequently assembled musicians to perform enjoyable material whose lyrics reflected their view of everyday existence. Former Cockpit Biscuit drummer Joe Weaver completed the initial trio, which continued composing and playing local shows before adopting the name mi6 and embarking on tours. The self-titled 1998 demo preceded opening slots for Ten Foot Pole, L7, the Suicidal Tendencies, and Good Riddance; Weaver later departed to pursue blues and jazz. In March 1999 Peterson and Riffel encountered guitarist and backing vocalist David White together with drummer and percussionist Jimmy Coles, whose band 2 Player Option had supported mi6; the four musicians discovered immediate stylistic compatibility.
White, born in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, began on acoustic guitar at an early age and received two years of classical training after enrolling in fifth grade. He subsequently purchased an eighty-five-dollar instrument from a JC Penney catalog and concentrated on heavy-metal riffs, forming his first band, Muck Rake, in 1991. After graduating high school in 1996 he attended the University of Kansas, where he met Jimmy Coles—born James Oscar Coles IV in 1977 in Griesheim, Germany—in 1997. Coles had been steered toward trombone for eight years by his band instructor despite his preference for drums; while living in South Korea during high school he obtained drumsticks and joined BENCH, one of Seoul’s few punk outfits. At the University of Kansas, Coles and White created 2 Player Option, which issued two demos, performed locally for two years, and eventually merged with mi6.
mi6 tracked its debut full-length, Alcoholiday, during summer 1999 and issued it through Sump Pump Records in May 2000. Enthusiastic notices propelled the album to number one on GarageBand, after which The New York Times ran a front-page feature that placed the band beside Bill Clinton and Yassar Arafat. Additional appearances included “Stupid Little Things” on Syde-Sho Productions’ Local Super Heroes, “Lezbian Girlfriends” on A Really Big Mouth, and “The Good Life” on Skunk Ape Records’ Making Noise: A Tribute to Weezer. Record-label interest intensified by August 2000, culminating in a March 2001 signing with Kung Fu following extended negotiations. The label released the second album, Lunchbox, in October 2001 and also included mi6’s “Jabberjaw” on the soundtrack That Darn Punk. Anchored by dual guitarists, strong backing vocals, and predominantly first-person narratives, mi6 sustains a direct, wholesome connection with its audience.
Riffel’s musical interest ignited at age eight after seeing Sammy Hagar’s “I Can’t Drive 55” video, though he waited until thirteen to obtain his first guitar. Switching to bass, he joined friends in the Deprived, which produced one album, performed across Kansas for roughly eighteen months, and disbanded in 1997. Riffel and Peterson subsequently assembled musicians to perform enjoyable material whose lyrics reflected their view of everyday existence. Former Cockpit Biscuit drummer Joe Weaver completed the initial trio, which continued composing and playing local shows before adopting the name mi6 and embarking on tours. The self-titled 1998 demo preceded opening slots for Ten Foot Pole, L7, the Suicidal Tendencies, and Good Riddance; Weaver later departed to pursue blues and jazz. In March 1999 Peterson and Riffel encountered guitarist and backing vocalist David White together with drummer and percussionist Jimmy Coles, whose band 2 Player Option had supported mi6; the four musicians discovered immediate stylistic compatibility.
White, born in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, began on acoustic guitar at an early age and received two years of classical training after enrolling in fifth grade. He subsequently purchased an eighty-five-dollar instrument from a JC Penney catalog and concentrated on heavy-metal riffs, forming his first band, Muck Rake, in 1991. After graduating high school in 1996 he attended the University of Kansas, where he met Jimmy Coles—born James Oscar Coles IV in 1977 in Griesheim, Germany—in 1997. Coles had been steered toward trombone for eight years by his band instructor despite his preference for drums; while living in South Korea during high school he obtained drumsticks and joined BENCH, one of Seoul’s few punk outfits. At the University of Kansas, Coles and White created 2 Player Option, which issued two demos, performed locally for two years, and eventually merged with mi6.
mi6 tracked its debut full-length, Alcoholiday, during summer 1999 and issued it through Sump Pump Records in May 2000. Enthusiastic notices propelled the album to number one on GarageBand, after which The New York Times ran a front-page feature that placed the band beside Bill Clinton and Yassar Arafat. Additional appearances included “Stupid Little Things” on Syde-Sho Productions’ Local Super Heroes, “Lezbian Girlfriends” on A Really Big Mouth, and “The Good Life” on Skunk Ape Records’ Making Noise: A Tribute to Weezer. Record-label interest intensified by August 2000, culminating in a March 2001 signing with Kung Fu following extended negotiations. The label released the second album, Lunchbox, in October 2001 and also included mi6’s “Jabberjaw” on the soundtrack That Darn Punk. Anchored by dual guitarists, strong backing vocals, and predominantly first-person narratives, mi6 sustains a direct, wholesome connection with its audience.
Albums
Singles
