MJ Bishop profile picture

MJ Bishop

* folk-a-licious music ala k.d. lang *

About Me

..This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5
Born December 9, 1958, raised Catholic in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, started playing piano in Grade 3, moved to playing trumpet from Grade 5 and through high school. Was bad in high school, went to college, was bad there too, but graduated anyway. Chased a man out to Seattle, married him, had a daughter in 1982, fell, divorced in 1987. Been working on trying to find myself ever since. Getting closer. Took voice lessons starting around 1989, started singing a lot, married my soulmate in 1993, in and out of bands (rock, R&B, jazz), joined an original alt-country band around 1998, picked up the guitar, started playing, started writing tunes, got hooked, can't... stop..., picked up the mandolin in 2004 and play that now too (in the band ThorNton Creek - check 'em in my Top Friends) and recently bought an accordion to add to my bag o' tricks.Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Having fun in the journey...
MJ BISHOP DISCOGRAPHY:

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/4/2006
Band Website: mjbishopband.com
Band Members: The song posted here, This Way And That (written just this past July), was recorded at the student concert at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop (www.psgw.org) on August 15, 2007 (and slightly tweaked by Moe Provencher at Jack Straw Studios in Seattle to bring the solos to the foreground a bit).

The incredible back-up band behind me is:
Ivan Rosenberg, dobro
Stacy Phillips, fiddle
David Keenan, banjo
Piper Heisig, upright bass
Marie Eaton, back-up vocals
And approx. 120 more backing voices from the audience - students and instructors from camp - whooooosh! :)
Influences: Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, k.d. lang, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson, Lynn Miles, Slaid Cleaves, Gerald Collier, Thornton Bowman, Nancy K. Dillon
Sounds Like: I've been told I sound like k.d. lang, Natalie Merchant, Kim Richey, Dar Williams, Rory Block, Indigo Girls, Cowboy Junkies, Carole King and even Karen Carpenter ("I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation" - come on people, sing it with me!)
Record Label: Independent
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Tumbleweed Music Festival 2007

it was a dark and stormy morning no, it wasn't, really it was a beautiful morning in seattle the last day of august eva tree, nancy k dillon and i prepare to head east of the mountains to the tumblewe...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 07:09:00 PST

i have this $2 million idea

i'm preparing to write some blog entries after attending puget sound guitar workshop (www.psgw.org), but wanted to first post this on attending a songwriter class at guitar camp, we all got to pick...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:28:00 PST

puget sound guitar workshop

for those unfamiliar with this camp, it's held in the woods near bremerton, wa, three separate weeks every summer for the first time, i attend this camp (aug 11 thru aug 17) the trip over (via car and...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 10:33:00 PST

love, hope, life, death

been thinking alot about this song i wrote over a year agodidn't perform it much, as i thought the melody was boring; the format weakbut i do love the images and analogieswanting more out of life, ext...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 12:28:00 PST

bumble bee

i watch a bumble bee pollinate the wild irises growing in the back yardflower to flowerno cares in the worldat least none that i can seeand i think i'd like to be a bumble beeyes, my life span would b...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:18:00 PST

First Class back to Seattle  July 25

my parents take me to the airport on july 24 my plane is first delayed, then cancelled everyone is to come to the counter and re-book their flights instead of standing in a long line, we immediately g...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:36:00 PST

Zou Zous Café in Chelsea  July 21

we stayed up very late last night after the jcc show my dad out-partied me i hope I'm like that when i'm 81 it's another lazy day gorgeous and sunny i wake at 6am, make coffee and say hello to the bi...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:43:00 PST

Jackson Coffee Co. and Accordion Adventure  July 20

it's a lazy day at my aunt and uncle's they have a very large deck where we spend most of our time their back yard is a bird sanctuary and i am in heaven it is a delightful cacophony in the mornings ...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:57:00 PST

On the road to Jackson - July 19

my dad ends up going to jackson with me i am very excited to have some alone time with him he says he'll drive first we grab some fresh fish and pasties for the road we cross the mackinac bridge and m...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:33:00 PST

My Dad - July 18

my dad, capt. jim bishop, had a show at Locals on The Bay tonight (same show i had last wed)the only difference is he had more people in the audience and sold more CDs!he sings this song called Old Bo...
Posted by MJ Bishop on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 04:21:00 PST