Mike Bandanna
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Mike Bandanna -
Biography
The Journey started in a small room on the 3rd floor of an old model house that was home to drunken nights and sparse stories of the troubled youth. In a crowd of friends, all intoxicated from the night present and their own ideations, Mike birthed his career equipped with nothing but a passion and history of rap cyphers and battles.
“Everyone has their own world, their own story to tell. Music brings you into that world”. These lucid fueled words became the bridge for Mike to channel his story into art. Backed by years of depression, broken relationships, toxic personality traits, substance abuse and an over gratification of the afterlife, Bandanna elected to take his own route—delving into the underbellies of Northern and Southern Hip-hop.
Before stepping foot on a stage, Mike enlisted his longtime friend Hudson, an elite drummer, into his ranks to deliver a show unique of its own blend. Merging their backgrounds in hiphop, modern trap, indie folk, grunge punk, and hardcore. Mike Bandanna became to be known as the rapper with a band, and a sound unlike many before them. Forged in the fires of the underground house shows, the band grew to add members Casey Powell, masterclass guitarist, and Dj $weetboy, the eclectic disc jockey.
Cultivating their sound for years manifested itself to his debut demo “Two Feet”. A story themed project introducing listeners to Mike through the lens of his internal thoughts. Detailing struggles with friends passing, suicide, depression, and toxic behavior, “Two Feet” was the start of the musical experience. As popularity grew, Mike and the band released their first EP available for streaming, “While I Wait”. This projected housed some of the bands long time staples to perform, opening many new opportunities.
Through the trials and tribulations of the indie artist, Mike Bandanna and the band grew to be a shining name in the local scene and headlined two successful indie tours. With the local critically acclaimed album of 2019 “Pain Over Pleasure” (as stated by leo weekly), Mike and the band later found themselves on some of the biggest stages in the city. Many in the audience grew accustomed to the diverse style of head bopping raps and mosh pit inciting vocals delivered by Mike Bandanna. Following this, the band released the EP “The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions”, a genre morph from dark, choatic rage, to drug fueled croons and ballads, with lyrics venturing through introspective thought and aspirational gusto. As the rapper/songwriter Mike Bandanna continues to grow, he delivers a sound that challenges its very own identity while still remaining true to it’s roots.
MIND_
Life blurred and shown through the lens of introspective thought. Click the photo to stream the album (coming Oct 30th 2022)
THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS
Curated at the peak of the pandemic, and delivered over the course of 2020-2021, The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions is the embodiment of Mike’s journey thus far. With a steady rise in popularity, many doors began to open for the group. Yet with that, many sacrifices were made to fully embrace the new lifestyle. This album highlights the weight of those decisions in a genre blend of punk rock, trap soul, and party bounce raps. Creating a world of disarray all from the choices we make, we see not all good intended decisions lead to the road best traveled. Click the photo to stream the album
Live Performance
Headliners Music Hall
Crowd 600+
Mike Bandanna and Band deliver a heart felt and enegertic performace a the Headliners Music Hall for Guerrilla Warfare album release show. Performing songs from the previous projects While I Wait and Pain Over Pleasure, we get to see the range and depth Mike Bandanna and the band delivers live.
MUSIC VIDEOS
|| Mike Bandanna - BLACK ||
-A horror filled journey encapsulating the fear of judgment, stereotypes, and demons-
|| Mike Bandanna - Tyler Herro Freestyle ||
-Original song by Jack Harlow, Mike flexes his rapping chops and shows why he aims to compete as a top contender-
|| Mike Bandanna - ON SIGHT ||
-Hype energy and powerful wordplay over an bouncy heavy snare beat-
|Mike Bandanna - Rule Three|
-A closer look into the world of Mike, this tracks highlights the thoughts and the emotion of living on the edge-
Performance Photography
News
THE WORD IS BOND
“Emerging Louisville-based rappers Mike Bandanna and TRAPKINGKAI team up to create something for their city while diving into their journey as young black men in this modern world.”
Medium
“Louisville has had an unexpectedly solid year in 2020, led by the success of Jack Harlow and Bryson Tiller. Their success has opened the doors for other artist coming out of the city. and one that has taken full advantage of that spotlight is Mike Bandanna.”
Leo Weekly
“ On the album, Mike Bandanna rolls through so many ideas — lyrically and sonically — that you never feel stuck or bored, and he does it so fluidly that you never feel buried in an avalanche of gimmicks. He twists structure and values unpredictability, but he also builds catchy sensibilities.”
Above Average HipHop
“Sonically Mike sounds like a lost member of the TDE squad, with [almost] aggressive blend of self-conscious bars and soulful, yet dark and bassy, production sensibility he’s gravitated towards.”
Bluntiq
“Mike Bandanna delivers party vibes over a dark beat in his latest release”
CloneFluence
“Louisville Kentucky’s Hometown Hero Mike Bandanna”
Kymusic Podcast
“We talk about Louisville’s hip/hop scene, influences, more Sax, and their upcoming album.”