mk.gee's LA Performances Spotlight Why He's a Musician's Musician

Los Angeles-based musician mk.gee played back-to-back sold out shows this week at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, and the shows were anything but stylish: no opener, no banter, no visuals.

In fact, mk.gee was barely visible among the spotlights placed directly behind him for the entirety of Wednesday's (April 24) show. He let his music do the talking instead, and while that description might sound uninspired, the actual result was anything but. mk.gee's performance was more captivating and enigmatic than even his recorded music — a performance that kept the spotlight on the artist's work rather than the artist himself.

After the release of his latest album, Two Star and the Dream Police, on February 9, mk.gee (real name: Mike Gordon) has amassed his own brand of mysterious indie stardom. He's always been a musicians' musician, loved by everyone from Frank Ocean to Anderson .Paak dating back to 2018's Sunniest album Pronounced McGee. But the singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer had yet to hit the radar of many of today's listeners until Two Stars made his debut.

This is likely because he keeps to himself. It is clear that mk.gee is not after algorithms or influence or money. He rarely does interviews or shows his full face in photos. The most he's ever seen was when he played guitar in Dijon's music videos for Absolutely, the acclaimed 2021 album he wrote and co-produced, or the recent time he played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Even then, viewers in the YouTube comments section called him the “Batman of Music.”

It's refreshing – and shocking – to see a musician like mk.gee in 2024, and his grasp and focus on his craft is not something I thought could still work in an age of shameless and constant self-promotion. With mk.gee, music is enough. What a relief that is.

He came with only two bandmates (Andrew Aged and Zack Sekof), a difficult set-up to pull off, especially when the focus of the show is the musicianship of the artist on stage. Playing through songs from two stars, The three musicians improvised over the tracks, patiently and determinedly, bringing new emotional weight to songs that were already coming out with him in the beginning. Sometimes this went on for minutes longer than the recorded version's running time, especially after “Are You Looking Up” which marked the end of the set before returning for an encore, and it was always a treat to hear the trio. he continued.

If the set could be compared to anyone else's, it would probably be that of musical polymath James Blake or Bon Iver's 22, One million shows, which have similarly used backlighting and an elaborate mix of programmed and ad-libbed playback.

While I was hoping to hear some tracks from Pronounced McGee and The Museum of Contrast (2020), mk.gee's the set was much more uniform as just a showcase Two Stars songs, and I could forgive those exclusions for the sonic consistency this choice brought to the show. All for all, mk.gee's it was an incredibly focused, sparse presentation that lasted of musicality at the center of every moment. It's a must-see for concertgoers, especially those looking for live talent over visual artists.

Check out the setlist for mk.gee's LA show on April 24th below.

“New Low”

“How many miles”

“Dream Police”

“You have it”

“Rylee & I”

“Dimeback”

“Candy”

“I want”

“You look up”

—

“Alesis”

“Candy”