Mike Park

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Mike Park
Live at Arts at Mark's Garage, Honolulu, HI
Background information
Genre(s)	Ska, Punk rock, Indie
Occupation(s)	Musician, Songwriter, Producer, Label Owner
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar, Saxophone
Years active	1985 - Present
Label(s)	Asian Man Sub City Dr. Strange Dill
Associated acts	The Chinkees The Bruce Lee Band Skankin' Pickle Shaken 69 Psychiatric Disorder
Website	Official Site

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. Park strives to offer affordable music and rejects mega-chains who overcharge for CDs. Park's most important goal though is to end hate and hate crimes. Because of his strong convictions, 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.^[1]

Personal life

Park majored in music in college.^[2]

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^[3]. His second child, Moses Young Park, was born on October 15th, 2008 at 5:30 AM.

Discography

Solo

• For the Love of Music 2003
• North Hangook Falling 2005
• Mike Park 7 Inch and Art Print 2008
• Beans & Toast 2008

With 'Skankin' Pickle'

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'

References

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