Mike Park

Mike Park
Live at Arts at Mark's Garage, Honolulu, HI
Live at Arts at Mark's Garage, Honolulu, HI
Background information
Born (1969-11-11) 11 November 1969 (age 55)
GenresSka punk, punk rock, indie rock
Occupation(s)Musician, Songwriter, Producer, Label Owner
Instrument(s)Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone
Years active1985–present
LabelsAsian Man
Dill
Dr. Strange
Simple Stereo
Sub City
Suburban Home
Websitehttp://www.mikeparkmusic.com

Michael Brian Park is an American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo project under his own name. After his time with Skankin' Pickle he went on to found Asian Man Records,[1] a label which he has run out of his garage in California since 1996 with only help from his parents and friends.[2] Asian Man Records supports mostly ska and punk bands. Park has used Asian Man Records to release his own music, in addition to providing a start for smaller bands to allow them to grow, including Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, and The Lawrence Arms. In 1999 he formed the Plea for Peace Foundation an organization whose aim is "to promote the ideas of peace through the power of music", something which Park has been trying to do with his own bands and with the help of other groups.[citation needed]

Park was the impetus behind the Spring 1998 "Ska Against Racism" tour. The goal of the tour was to promote awareness about racism and raise money for anti-racism organisations such as the Museum of Tolerance. The national tour included The Toasters, Less Than Jake, the Blue Meanies, Mustard Plug, Five Iron Frenzy, MU330, Kemuri, and Mike Park himself.[3]

Plea for Peace Foundation

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The Plea for Peace Foundation was founded in 1999 by musician and founder of Asian Man Records, Mike Park. The Plea for Peace Foundations is a 501C3 Non-Profit Organization based in San Jose, California, in the United States. The organisation's stated goal is to "promote the ideas of peace through the power of music". Initially the foundation was only active in national and global music tours, but in 2007 it intends to open a youth center for children where they will be encouraged to "perform music, create art, dance and talk to others of similar interests".

In 2004, Plea for Peace organized a musical tour of the same name. The tour was a stand against President George W. Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[4]

Personal life

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Park grew up in Silicon Valley in Northern California, where he still lives. He majored in music in college.[5]

He is a Minister of the Universal Life Church.[6]

Discography

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Solo

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  • Michael Park (Asian Man, 2001)
  • For the Love of Music (Sub City, 2003)
  • North Hangook Falling (Sub City, 2005)
  • Mike Park 7 Inch and Art Print (Simple Stereo, 2008)
  • Beans & Toast (2008)
  • Mike Park/O Pioneers!!! split 7″ (Suburban Home, 2009)
  • Smile (Asian Man, 2011)

With 'Skankin' Pickle'

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Year Title Label
1991 Skafunkrastapunk Dill Records
1992 Skankin' Pickle Fever Dill Records
1994 Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle Dill Records
1996 Live Dill Records
1996 The Green Album Dr. Strange Records

With 'The Chinkees'

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  • The Chinkees Are Coming CD
  • Karaoke with the Chinkees 7"
  • Peace Through Music CD
  • Present Day Memories Split CD with Lawrence Arms (out of print)
  • Searching for a Brighter Future CD

With 'The Bruce Lee Band'

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Year Title Label
1995 The Bruce Lee Band Asian Man Records
2005 Beautiful World EP Asian Man Records
2014 Community Support Group EP Really Records[7]
2014 Everything Will Be Alright, My Friend Asian Man Records
2019 Rental!! Eviction!! Asian Man Records
2021 Division in the Heartland EP Asian Man Records

With 'Ogikubo Station'

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  • Ogikubo Station S/P (Asian Man, 2017)

References

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  1. ^ "Mike Park | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Inoue, Todd (January 1998). "Secret Asian Man". Metroactive. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  3. ^ Steininger, Alex (April 1998). "Ska Against Racism". In Music We Trust. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
  4. ^ Hajdu, David. "Where Has "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Gone?". New Republic. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "PIONEER OF THE THIRD WAVE SKA REVIVAL, 99.9 PER CENT INDIE MAN: INTERVIEW WITH MIKE PARK". koreanpop.com. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  6. ^ "Mike Park". Mikeparkmusic.com.
  7. ^ "Music: Bruce Lee Band (Bomb the Music Industry!, Skankin' Pickle) announce 'Community Support Group' EP". Punknews.org.
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