Biography
Mike Strallow performs as Mike Bones, a persona through which the guitarist and songwriter has carved out space for his own material while already earning recognition on the New York underground and independent circuit via his playing in Soldiers of Fortune, Damon McMahon, Lizzie Trulie, and the Mighty Flashlight. Under the Bones name he steps forward to document his own compositions, exposing a contrasting facet of his musical character.
Born in 1980 and raised in New Jersey, Strallow began taking guitar lessons at six yet waited until age ten to own an instrument. His father brought home a Gibson Les Paul electric that had been acquired at work, offering it as incentive for stronger academic results, though the guitar was ultimately handed over only at graduation despite Strallow’s weak grades.
In his late teens Strallow relocated to New York City and immersed himself in its music community while sharpening his technique. Having already played guitar in several groups, he next turned to songwriting, drawing on the influence of roots figures Skip James and Hank Williams as well as the confessional style of Leonard Cohen.
He first captured his songs on tape during a Memphis visit with friends from Lucero, but those recordings stayed unreleased. Serious work on his debut full-length began in summer 2006 inside a Brooklyn studio belonging to members of Oneida, where Parker Kindred of Antony and the Johnsons, Patrick Sullivan of Oakley Hall, El-P sideman Wilder Zoby, and Brad Truax of White Magic and Home all contributed. Strallow deliberately downplayed his own guitar parts so the lyrics could occupy more narrative space.
Issued under the childhood nickname Mike Bones instead of his legal name, the resulting album The Sky Behind the Sea appeared on the independent label The Social Registry in fall 2007.
Born in 1980 and raised in New Jersey, Strallow began taking guitar lessons at six yet waited until age ten to own an instrument. His father brought home a Gibson Les Paul electric that had been acquired at work, offering it as incentive for stronger academic results, though the guitar was ultimately handed over only at graduation despite Strallow’s weak grades.
In his late teens Strallow relocated to New York City and immersed himself in its music community while sharpening his technique. Having already played guitar in several groups, he next turned to songwriting, drawing on the influence of roots figures Skip James and Hank Williams as well as the confessional style of Leonard Cohen.
He first captured his songs on tape during a Memphis visit with friends from Lucero, but those recordings stayed unreleased. Serious work on his debut full-length began in summer 2006 inside a Brooklyn studio belonging to members of Oneida, where Parker Kindred of Antony and the Johnsons, Patrick Sullivan of Oakley Hall, El-P sideman Wilder Zoby, and Brad Truax of White Magic and Home all contributed. Strallow deliberately downplayed his own guitar parts so the lyrics could occupy more narrative space.
Issued under the childhood nickname Mike Bones instead of his legal name, the resulting album The Sky Behind the Sea appeared on the independent label The Social Registry in fall 2007.
Albums
