Mike Park
Encyclopedia
Mike Park is a Korean 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 most recently an acoustic solo project under his own name. After his time with Skankin' Pickle
he went on to found Asian Man Records
, a label which he has run out of his garage in California since 1996 with only help from his parents and friends. Asian Man Records supports mostly ska
and punk
bands. Park will support any band as long as it is "anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-prejudice". 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.
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.
Mike finished a European tour as of March 2008 and is currently planning on a North American tour with Chris "Sundowner
" McCaughan. His first child, Maggie Elizabeth, was born on 17 November 2006, weighing 6.46 lbs. He is a Minister of the Universal Life Church
.
His second child, Moses Young Park, was born on October 15, 2008 at 5:30 AM.
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1996.-Biography:Skankin' Pickle first formed in December 1988, made up of students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. The band played their first show on April 28, 1989,...
for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees
The Chinkees
The Chinkees are an American ska punk band fronted by Mike Park . The group debuted with 1998's The Chinkees Are Coming!, and followed with 1999's Peace Through Music and 2002's Searching for a Brighter Future before a greatest hits album was released in 2003...
, The Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band is the name given to the releases of Mike Park and his backing band which has so far included Less Than Jake and the Rx Bandits....
, and most recently an acoustic solo project under his own name. After his time with Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle
Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1996.-Biography:Skankin' Pickle first formed in December 1988, made up of students from Westmont High School and Los Gatos High School. The band played their first show on April 28, 1989,...
he went on to found Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...
, a label which he has run out of his garage in California since 1996 with only help from his parents and friends. Asian Man Records supports mostly ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands. Park will support any band as long as it is "anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-prejudice". 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
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
, Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
, and The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...
. In 1999 he formed the Plea for Peace Foundation
Plea for Peace Foundation
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 Organisation based in San Jose, California, in the United States. The organisation's stated goal is to "promote the ideas of peace through...
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.
Park was the impetus behind the Spring 1998 "Ska Against Racism" tour. The goal of the tour was to promote awareness about racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and raise money for anti-racism
Anti-racism
Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
organisations such as the Museum of Tolerance
Museum of Tolerance
The Museum of Tolerance , a multimedia museum in Los Angeles, California, USA, with an associated museum and professional development multi-media training facility in New York City, is designed to examine racism and prejudice in the United States and the world with a strong focus on the history of...
. The national tour included The Toasters
The Toasters
The Toasters was one of the first American bands in the third wave of ska, and is one of the longest active third wave ska bands.They have released nine studio albums, most of them on Moon Ska Records. The Toasters experienced a small degree of commercial success in the late 1990s due to the...
, Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
, the Blue Meanies
Blue Meanies (band)
Blue Meanies were an American ska-core band founded in Carbondale, Illinois, at Southern Illinois University, in 1989. They debuted in 1991 with the release of their first single, "Grandma Shampoo" c/w "Dickory Dock". This single would be the start of a lengthy discography and revolving lineup...
, Mustard Plug
Mustard Plug
Mustard Plug is a ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan.Formed in 1991, the band's original members were Dave Kirchgessner, Mike McKendrick, Colin Clive, and Anthony Vilchez. Currently the band consists of Dave , Brandon Jenison , Jim Hofer , Nate Cohn , Colin Clive , and Rick Johnson...
, Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy
Five Iron Frenzy is a Christian ska band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1995 and disbanded in 2003. The band announced they were recording new material on November 22, 2011....
, MU330
MU330
MU330 are a ska punk band from St. Louis, Missouri.Formed by students of St. Louis University High School in 1988, MU330 played a self-described brand of music called "Psycho Ska", high energy ska punk marked by manic performances and humorous, often strange lyricism...
, Kemuri
Kemuri
Kemuri was a Japanese ska-punk band formed in 1995. They have an upbeat sound with positive lyrics which they refer to as PMA . While the majority of the songs are in English, they do also sing in Japanese....
, and Mike Park himself.
Personal life
Park majored in music in college.Mike finished a European tour as of March 2008 and is currently planning on a North American tour with Chris "Sundowner
Sundowner
Sundowner may refer to:* Sundowner , a model of Mazda truck* Sundowner , the solo acoustic project of Chris McCaughan* Sundowner , an alcoholic cocktail* Sundowner , a model of Beechcraft airplane...
" McCaughan. His first child, Maggie Elizabeth, was born on 17 November 2006, weighing 6.46 lbs. He is a Minister of the Universal Life Church
Universal Life Church
The Universal Life Church is a religious organization that offers anyone semi-immediate ordination as a ULC minister free of charge. The organization states that anyone can become a minister immediately, without having to go through the pre-ordination process required by other religious faiths...
.
His second child, Moses Young Park, was born on October 15, 2008 at 5:30 AM.
Solo
- Michael Park (Asian Man, 2001)
- For the Love of Music (Sub City, 2003)
- North Hangook FallingNorth Hangook FallingNorth Hangook Falling is the second solo album by Mike Park. The title translates to "North Korea Falling" in English. The album was recorded in a week in January of 2005 at a total cost of $2,800...
(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)
- SmileSmile (Mike Park album)Smile is the fourth solo album by Mike Park of the ska band The Chinkees. The album is filled with children's songs that he performed for his son and daughter who, according to the Asian Man Records website, "have given their seal of approval."...
(Asian Man, 2011)
With 'Skankin' Pickle'
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1991 1991 in music See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year... |
Skafunkrastapunk | Dill |
| 1992 1992 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s.... |
Skankin' Pickle Fever | Dill |
| 1994 1994 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so.... |
Sing Along With Skankin' Pickle | Dill Records |
| 1996 1996 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact... |
Live | Dill |
| 1996 1996 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact... |
Green Album | Dr. Strange |
With 'The Chinkees'
- 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'
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1997 1991 in music See also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year... |
The Bruce Lee Band | Asian Man |
| 2005 2005 in music -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:... |
Beautiful World EP | Asian Man |
External links
- Asian Man Records
- Secret Asian Man
- Official Site
- Simple Stereo Official Site - with information on the Mike Park 7 Inch
- Plea For Peace Official Site
- Interview by Sound Scene Revolution (Podcast)
- Interview by Tom Bastian of decapolis.com (2000)
- Interview by Josh Snider and Jonny Havoc on BigSmileMagazine.com
- Album Review of "North Hangook Falling" on BigSmileMagazine.com