Biography

After growing up with a name like Midyne (pronounced meh-DEEN), she was destined to be unique...

Midyne weaves a richly textured tapestry of thought-provoking lyrics with her own blend of contemporary folk. Her melodies and grooves are infused with blues, pop, and jazz influences that sprout seamlessly from her folk roots while her lyrics “capture concrete images of life with surprising observations of human frailties” (B.Hahn). She delivers songs with a crystal-clear strength that invites comparisons to Gillian Welch, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Joni Mitchell. Midyne is as nimble and talented on the Celtic harp as she is on guitar. Audiences delight in her ability to play harp like a guitar and guitar like a harp. Midyne is currently celebrating the release of her debut solo CD, Inside the Seed.

Released in November 2012, Inside the Seed features Midyne on lead and harmony vocals, electroharp, and acoustic guitar. Midyne is joined by a talented cast of musicians including: Chris Kokesh on fiddle and harmony vocals, Patrick Pearsall on bass, Dale Largent on percussion, Shireen Amini on percussion and harmony vocals, Brent Alan on electric guitar and harmony vocals, and guest appearances by a handful of other artists. The CD was co-produced by Midyne and Dale Largent and was recorded at Dale Largent Recording in Bend, Oregon and mastered by Lino at J. Wolf Studios in Sisters, Oregon. Artwork for Inside the Seed was designed by Liza Mackey.

As a third-generation musician, Midyne’s musical roots run deep. By the age of 12, the recording studio was her second home — singing children's songs with five other young vocalists on songbook albums.

In the mid 1990s, Midyne began perfecting her sound with Chante Fairbanks and Mark Wing in the popular Santa Cruz trio Birdz Uva Feather. Later she joined forces with long-time friend Jayme Kelly Curtis and Bruce Argyle in Argyle, Curtis & Spear, a metaphysical folk/rock band. For the next several years Midyne collaborated with Jill Meniketti and Lynne Reardon in the world's first electric harp trio, Electric Angel, where she recorded the album "Dream" and played her magenta 36-string Camac electroharp at a variety of festivals and venues. In recent years she enjoyed singing harmonies and playing a variety of instruments with Kathy Goll-Derstine, Trish McDonald, and Anne Stern in the Lillyhammers.

In 2011, Midyne was a finalist in the MARS Studios Songwriter Showcase competition, her songs have been featured on several compilation CDs and in the feature-length indie-film “God Is A Communist.” For the past few months Midyne has enjoyed top-10 ranking in Reverbnation’s singer/songwriter chart for the Santa Cruz area. Midyne currently performs as a solo artist, with friends, and in collaboration with other artists.

When she is not playing music, Midyne works as a freelance technical writer, is a volunteer engineer on the Poetry Show on KUSP, and co-hosts a monthly works-in-progress songwriter circle with Nancy Cassidy in the Santa Cruz, California area. She enjoys hiking, cycling, watching independent films, and listening to live music. Her favorite color is purple, she drives a hybrid car, likes her chocolate dark, her chardonnay buttery, and her beer malty. She wears comfortable shoes, prefers mate or chai over coffee and cats over dogs, and she loves to dance.



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