Can you tell us the backstory of how you two met?
Mia: I first saw Jonah play at a house concert I put together with some friends in SF. I had no idea at the time that we would end up writing and playing music together. I was a performer in my own right as well, Doing gigs all over SF as Mia Mustari…
Later in a recording studio in Emeryville our mutual friend put on a show and we were both on the roster. At the time I lived in SF (which is over the Bay Bridge from Emeryville) and had got a lift from my roommate over to the show.
Amidst partying and performances, I got very sleepy and fell asleep in the Green room. During that time the show ended and everybody left - including my assumed ride back for the evening and that was a true blessing in disguise! Jonah was still there and rescued me. He sat next to me with his guitar and played me a lullaby as I groggily returned to the world of the living. Upon seeing that my roommate and SF Friends had gone, I asked Jonah to be a hero and take this damsel in distress back over the bridge and safely home. He said yes - but there was a catch 22. He could only take me so far that night… well, to his place in Oakland. But, the next morning he would be willing to get me home safely. Was he hitting on me? Yes. Yet, in all honesty we spent the night cuddling - no elicit action, though sparks were all over the place.
The day after that I told my current partner that I was really attracted to this guy - and needed to have space to see other people. We sorta started playing music together non-stop after that. And the “open relationship” quickly transformed into an intimate bond. That was in late 2003. We haven’t stopped since then.
Jonah: Friends of mine had been raving about Mia - they had seen her live solo show and were flipping out. So, sf I went to see her and I remember being floored by the song “Water in a Teapot”. Her lyrics really drew me in, as well as her voice and well-developed picking patterns on the guitar. I thought she was amazing, and never considered seriously that I would get to know her.
We wrote the song “Bird on the Wind” in 2003, just after we started working together, and put together a band called TEAM with other instrumentalists and singer-songwriters: Josh Nadelberg (voice, guitar), Mike Roberts (voice, mandolin, guitar), and James Davis (voice, trumpet, keys). We did a bunch of west-coast gigs, and then everyone’s life just took them in different and beautiful directions, and Mia and I decided to keep working together. So, we moved in to an apartment together in Oakland in 2004. Around the corner was Myles Boisen’s studio, where we recorded ‘Shine I’, ‘Hallelujah EP’, ‘Rooms for Adelaide’, and ‘The Golden Ass’..
When did you first discover your love for music?
Mia: The church. My family went to church religiously every Sunday and when singing worship music I found something I was passionate about. I loved the freedom in singing my heart out without performing or trying to please someone. I feel the same way today.
Jonah: I really enjoyed playing the cello when I was about 6-12. I was in a youth symphony, and I remember loving the feeling of the sound with so many people playing together. I remember practicing in my room, and my mom came in and suggested freestyling with the scales. She was an accomplished violinist and encouraged my learning and musical expression. In high school, I was getting more into rock music and was initially self-taught on the guitar.
It sounds like you have had the opportunity to perform at a lot of awesome shows. What has been your favorite performance so far, and why?
Mia: My current favorite show is a sweet party we played last weekend. It was so fun and since Jonah and I took a 5 year break while raising our daughter, I have been so grateful for each and every performance we play lately.
Jonah: We played the Jasper Music Folk Festival in September up in Canada, which really had an outstanding vibe. During the second song, we got pelted with a squall of rain. We could see it coming toward us from the mountains, and we made it through most of “Our Old Farm” before we had to take a break. Afterwards, the sun came out and we had a sweet rainbow for rest of the set. I felt like our songs really connected with the Canadian community, and we felt such a warm vibe from the town of Jasper - it felt like a natural vortex.
Who has been the biggest inspiration in your musical careers?
Mia: This may sound cheesy, but Jonah inspires me more than anyone in my life. He is a practical dreamer. A risk taker, loves music, an amazing lyricist and all around musician. On our first tour I told him I wanted to play bass. Five seconds after I flippinty made that remark - he was on his phone looking for a good music shop in the area to buy me my own bass/bass amp and started teaching me immediately. Imagine a partner always believes you and supports your dreams… even if you didn’t really take yourself seriously in the first place. Then makes those dreams tangible and real. He is my rock. I’m lucky to have him in my life.
Jonah: Mia has been an inspiration to me in her raw sense of freedom and soulful elegance. She has guided our career together by always tapping in to her inner navigational signal. I am inspired by artists who are fearless and focused. As far my personal heroes growing up: I was pretty much influenced by Neil Young, Jerry Garcia as well as Bob Dylan and Bob Marley. Also David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen.
You have a number of creative music videos. Which one is your personal favorite? What is the meaning behind this music video?
Mia: The one off our September release, “Spin as One” is my current favorite. It expresses our desire to come together as a people and rise above the crazy times our world seems to be in at the moment.
Jonah: We had a lot of fun making the video for “Three Stories High”. It was a video about us living and struggling together. We did an impromptu live stop-motion film - just filming each other and letting the story unfold as we jumped into it. I feel like we really found something in that process together and it reflects in the video - making something out of nothing. We found a box in the dumpster and made it into an interstellar spaceship for our adventure. We edited the photos in photoshop and strung it together.
What can we expect to see from you through the end of 2018 and beyond?
Mia: More. Jonah and I have come to the realization that we both need music in our lives. Expect more shows, tours and albums. We plan to do this till we are 592 years old at least… We’ll be the oldest duo in the history of duos!
Jonah: We are looking forward to doing a show at the beautiful Folktale Winery in Carmel, CA on October 28th. Hopefully we’ll get up to the Bay Area, Portland, and Seattle in 2018.
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