Band
members (left to right): Ben
Mish (vocals, piano, harmonica));
Ronan O'Mahony (bass
guitar, vocals,
guitar, percussion); Will Mish (lead guitar); Andrew
Cloutier (drums, vocals) About
Left Hand Smoke Music
Fronted by brothers Ben Mish, a piano phenom with a blue-eyed soul voice and a
raucous attitude, and Will Mish, a guitar wizard who has earned critical nods
for his unfathomable talent and innate sense of melody and blues, and flanked
by Irish-born multi-talented rhythm guitarist Ronan O'Mahony, a childhood friend
and co-songwriter, and the inimitable stick-man Andrew Cloutier on drums, Left
Hand Smoke brews up a blend of neo-soul and rock that is steeped in tradition,
yet entirely original and fresh. Left Hand Smoke's self-titled debut
took the West Coast by surprise, earning rave reviews in publications like LA's
Radio & Record, and newspapers around the coast. Immediately, things began
to happen for the band. Within months of the album's release, four songs off Left
Hand Smoke were licensed for network television, one of them, Blues Eyes Shining,
eventually ending up on the hit show ER. The song Step Outside (featuring Death
Cab for Cutie's Jason McGerr on drums) garnered major airplay from Seattle's AAA
format KMTT 103.7 FM The Mountain, vaulting the band from club act to headliner
in major performance venues. The album went on to receive many gold stars: album
of the year in West Coast Performer Magazine, Top 10 in the Amazon.com rock charts,
and the single Step Outside was a top 10 request for 103.7 FM (a live version
of the song was featured on the stations popular On the Mountain 6 compilation
alongside Tom Waits, Counting Crows, David Gray, and others). Capitalizing on
this momentum, the band hit the road, building a loyal following with its now-renowned
live show. As the fanbase grew, the band continued to absorb and explore
new music. In addition to the sounds of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Van
Morrison that came through on their first release, the band updated the sound
with an invigorating slice of James Brown and Motown soul. With the addition of
the talented and Andrew Cloutier stepping in on the drums, the band released So
Many Faces, Nonsense Parade, and At the Hotel in a musical journey that took them
all across the West Coast. Since the release of these records, LHS has continued
to collect accolades: they headlined the Backyard Stage at Seattles famous Bumbershoot
Festival; opened for Maroon 5 in arenas during their Northwest leg of the national
John Mayer/Maroon 5 tour; the band played with Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, and
Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam during a benefit show in Seattle; on a repeat bill
the following year, Mike McCready joined LHS on stage for a cover of Sympathy
for the Devil bythe Rolling Stones; the LHS song Down the Road was licensed by
Pangolin Pictures for use on the Discovery Channel; and the band was voted Seattle's
Best Pop/Rock Band by readers of the Seattle Weekly. In 2010, Left Hand
Smoke has finally brought all of this experience together and put out a fresh
record. Working with Producer/Engineer Ian Sheridan (Bassist and Musical Director
for Jason Mraz), the band embraced a new direction, pushing themselves to explore
new musical territory. The resulting album, Shine On Everything, combines catchy
hooks and soulful melodies with the straight-head rock and roll for which LHS
has become known. Mastered by Barry Corliss, Shine On Everything is a fresh sound
from a band that has shown their ability to expand in new directions while remaining
true to their musical roots.
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