Alive at Five: Second Week’s Jam Night to Feature Mihali and Side B, June 15th

ALBANY – Continuing Albany’s summer Alive at Five Concert Series on June 15th is a concert performed by Mihali and Side B! Showcasing a diverse lineup of big names, up-and-coming acts and the region’s most talented original artists, Alive at Five offers eight weeks of free, critically-acclaimed and themed performances catering to nearly every taste. This week’s event is dedicated to jam-bands and is being billed as Jam Night.

For Mihali, music behaves much like a living being. It grows, matures, and changes with a sentient consciousness and whims of its own. The Vermont-based solo singer, songwriter, guitarist, artist, and Twiddle co-founder follows reggae’s evolutionary ebb and flow, existing in a perpetual state of inspiration and creation, and remaining committed to sonic evolution. Exuding a balanced mix of rich influence, Mihali’s music entwines reggae spirit, fluid soundscape architecture, and invigorating mantras meant to be chanted aloud in a packed venue.

Following years of fan demand, Mihali served up his solo debut, Breathe and Let Go, in 2020. It boasted collaborations with Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Trevor Hall, and instantly reacted with audiences, gathering millions of streams. In addition to glowing reviews from JamBase and Live For Live Music, Grateful Web exclaimed, “Mihali’s musical talent is special.”

During the global pandemic, Mihali kept writing songs. One particular tune, “All Day” [feat. Nathan Aurora], reminded him of tourmates and friends Iya Terra, so he sent the demo to vocalist and guitarist Nathan Feinstein. Vibing with the direction, Nathan finished the song and fired it back to Mihali, unassumingly kicking off the process behind his new record, Effection [released July 22, 2022].

“It was very easy,” Mihali says with a smile. “Reggae has always been such a passion of mine. I’d write a song, send it to Nate, and we’d work on it. It simply happened. We basically agreed, ‘Let’s write a record.’ It was more about having fun as buddies. Nathan’s a genius. He did all of the drums, bass, piano, and a bit of guitar. Every morning, I would wake up to a new .wav file, and it was like Christmas!”

They finished the record remotely, with Nathan behind the board as producer. After teasing its arrival with “Maplewood,” Mihali unveiled the single “Greater Escape” [with The Movement & The Elovaters]. The gritty dub track features a simmering, synth and guitar driven beat, accented by explosive verses from Josh Swain of reggae-rock quartet The Movement and Jackson Weatherbee of The Elovaters.

“I was getting overwhelmed in life,” he admits. “Sometimes, you have to take that much-needed break to do what makes you happy instead of getting caught up in the details of what’s bringing you down. Some people climb mountains; other people party. It’s all about what gets you there. Musically, it’s so different from anything I’ve ever done. Nathan has so many connections and gave me a lot of access to great minds such as The Movement and The Elovaters.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Alive at Five series will be held on Thursdays, 4:30 pm to 8:00pm, from June 8th – Aug. 3rd (excluding June 29). The free, family-friendly event will take place at Jennings Landing. For more information, click here.