Mi Ami

San Francisco's "drum punk" trio Mi Ami feature guitarist/vocalist Daniel Martin-McCormick, bassist Jacob Long, and drummer Damon Palermo. Martin-McCormick and Long came from Dischord's kinetic, percussive group Black Eyes, who disbanded in 2004; the two wanted to take their music in a freer direction, and played together briefly as the free jazz-inspired duo White Flight. Long moved to California and Martin-McCormick followed, studying classical guitar at San Francisco State University. They connected with Palermo and formed Mi Ami in 2007, and began working on a sound inspired by dub, free jazz, Afro-beat, and dance music. Mi Ami released a series of vinyl singles and played local gigs with bands like No Age, and were signed by Quarterstick Records in 2008. Their debut for the label, the Enchonecho EP, arrived in January 2009, with their first full-length, Watersports, following a month later. The band moved to Thrill Jockey for 2010's Steal Your Face. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi