Story
Crafting a hypnotic live show that “stirs audiences with a magical trance” (Eugene Weekly), Mia and Jonah are a mesmerizing indie folk duo that seamlessly produce "songs of singular beauty, played and sung without pretense” (SF Chronicle).
Since they met in the San Francisco Bay Area in the fall of 2003, they have gone on to produce 3 LPs and 1 EP together as well as tour nationwide (Rooms for Adelaide/2008). Their music has been described as, “visionary” (Nascent Mag), and “timeless” (Tunejar).
With accomplished highlights such as opening for pop idols such as Sia, Tracy Chapman and Ben Taylor at the Fillmore, the duo eventually migrated south to Los Angeles whereby they quickly ingratiated themselves into the local scene, sharing a residence with the Burning Man star William Close (Earth Harp Collective creator). Since their arrival, they’ve been religious performers at LA’s annual Truck Stop “Hootenanny!” where they played with Central California icon Brett Dennen and round the fire with up ’n coming legends such as Lukas Nelson.
In 2016, Jonah, along with his 6-pc band, released a 9-track excursion entitled Midnight Ball. With a funky sound that recalled the sunny effervescence of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime, LA Weekly commended “its vibey, eclectic sound, that embodies the laid-back coolness of Southern Californian culture.”
Mia and Jonah released Spin as One in 2018, featuring the talents of bass player Seth Ford-Young (Tom Waits, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros), and drummer Steve DiStanislao (David Gilmour, CSN, Kenny Loggins), with banjo by Chris Pandolfi (Infamous Stringdusters), and violin by Alan Grubner. Americana UK praised their "highly effective harmonies, as good a pairing as anything out there."
Discography
2005 Shine I
2006 Hallelujah EP
2008 Rooms for Adelaide
2011 The Golden Ass (with claymation based on ancient story "The 11 Book Metamorphosis" by Greek writer Apuleius)
2012 Mountainside (single)
2016 Midnight Ball (Jonah's band)
2018 Spin as One
PRESS
"Mia and Jonah delved into everything...holding it all together at the seams with strong indie rock sensibilities."
-SF Bay Guardian
"Songs of singular beauty, played and sung without pretense."
-SF Chronicle
"Likely to stir audiences from the magical trance induced only by those special performers who create what they live and live what they create."
-Eugene Weekly
"I was in the middle of chitchatting in the kitchen when a song made me rudely, inexplicably pause in the middle of conversation. It was 'Smile' by Mia and Jonah."
-Glide Magazine