View source for Mike Kinsella

{{short description|American musician (born 1977)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name              = Mike Kinsella
|image             = MikeKinsella.jpg
|alt               = close-up of Mike Kinsella wearing a light checkered shirt, playing an acoustic guitar and singing into a microphone
|caption           = Kinsella in 2007
|landscape         = yes
|birth_name        =
|origin            = [[Chicago]], Illinois
|alias             =
|birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1977|3|4}}
|death_date        =
|genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Emo]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/how-mike-kinsellas-work-defined-and-continues-to-redefine-emo-6621744 | title=How Mike Kinsella's Work Defined (and Continues To Redefine) Emo | work=[[Phoenix New Times]] | date=December 10, 2013 | accessdate=February 23, 2016 | author=Libman, K.C.}}</ref>
* [[indie rock]]
* [[punk rock]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/tim_mike_kinsella-you_cant_miss_what_you_forget | title=Tim & Mike Kinsella – You Can't Miss What You Forget | work=[[Exclaim!]] | date=May 6, 2014 | accessdate=February 23, 2016 | author=Gormely, Ian}}</ref>
* [[Midwest emo]]
* [[post-rock]]
}}
|occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* singer-songwriter
}}
|instrument         = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* keyboards
* bass guitar
* drums
}}
|years_active       = 1989–present
|label              = {{flatlist|
* [[Polyvinyl Record Co.|Polyvinyl]]
* [[Jade Tree (record label)|Jade Tree]]
* [[Green Linnet Records|Green Linnet]]
* [[Perishable Records|Perishable]]
* Man With Gun
}}
| current_member_of = {{flatlist|
* [[The One Up Downstairs]]
* [[Owls (band)|Owls]]
* [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]]
* [[Owen (band)|Owen]]
* [[Cap'n Jazz]]
* [[American Football (band)|American Football]]
* [[Their / They're / There]]
* [[Lies (band)|Lies]]
}}
| past_member_of    = 
| website           = {{URL|owenmusic.com}}
}}

'''Mike Kinsella''' (born March 4, 1977) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He has been involved in many [[Illinois]]-based bands and is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the [[emo]] band [[American Football (band)|American Football]].

==Career==
Kinsella's first musical project was serving as drummer for the band [[Cap'n Jazz]], which he co-founded with his brother [[Tim Kinsella|Tim]].<ref name="chicagocore">{{cite web |date=September 21, 2007 |title=Press |url=http://jadetree.com/press/article/1/764 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209112806/http://jadetree.com/press/article/1/764 |archivedate=February 9, 2012 |accessdate=May 17, 2013 |publisher=Jade Tree}}</ref> Cap'n Jazz originally featured their local high school star [[running back]] on drums. When he quit to focus on football, a 12-year-old Mike Kinsella learned how to play a 16-piece drum set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Ian |title=Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped on, and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/capn-jazz-shmapn-shmazz/ |access-date=August 26, 2018 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>

With either Tim and/or cousin [[Nate Kinsella]], he has also participated in the projects [[Owls (band)|Owls]] and [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]].

In 1997, Kinsella, along with Steve Lamos and Steve Holmes, formed the band [[American Football (band)|American Football]], which would go on to release [[American Football (EP)|an EP]] in 1998 and a [[American Football (1999 album)|full-length album]] in 1999, before disbanding. After a 15-year hiatus, the band returned in 2014. They issued [[American Football (2016 album)|a sophomore album]] in 2016 and [[American Football (2019 album)|a third one]] in 2019.

In 2001, Kinsella began his current solo project, [[Owen (band)|Owen]], in which he performs vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, loops, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 5, 2008 |title=Owen |url=https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/bands/band_info.asp?bandID=10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205060137/https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/bands/band_info.asp?bandID=10 |archive-date=February 5, 2008 |access-date= |website=Polyvinyl Record Co.}}</ref> Kinsella was also in a band called The Shirts and Skins, with his wife. In 2013, he released two EPs with [[Their / They're / There]], a project featuring Evan Weiss of [[Into It. Over It.]] and Matthew Frank of Loose Lips Sink Ships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/artists/index.php?id=1057 |title=Polyvinyl Record Co. – Their/They're/There |publisher=Polyvinylrecords.com |date= |accessdate=May 17, 2013}}</ref> He has also been part of the band [[The One Up Downstairs]], alongside American Football drummer Steve Lamos.

Many of his albums, including ''[[Owen (album)|Owen]]'' and ''[[No Good for No One Now]]'', were recorded at his mother's home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/artists/index.php?id=284 |title=Polyvinyl Record Co. – Owen |publisher=Polyvinylrecords.com |date= |accessdate=May 17, 2013}}</ref>

==Legacy==
John Hill of ''[[Loudwire]]'' wrote, "It's not often a guitarist is credited for being the progenitor of an entire style of music; however, you'd be hard-pressed not to give Mike Kinsella his dues for what he's given to the worlds of mid-west emo and math rock", adding that "emotion bleeds into every note he plays".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=John|date=May 29, 2024 |title=The 10 Greatest Guitar Gods of Emo |url=https://loudwire.com/best-emo-guitarists/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral |access-date=March 11, 2025 |website=Loudwire}}</ref>

==Discography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Band
!Label
!Format
!Additional Information
|-
|1995
|''[[Shmap'n Shmazz|Burritos...(AKA: Shmap’n Shmazz)]]''
|[[Cap'n Jazz]]
|Man With Gun Records
|LP/CD
|Drums/vocals
|-
|1997
|''[[A Portable Model Of...]]''
|[[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]]
|[[Jade Tree (record label)|Jade Tree Records]]
|LP/CD
|Drums
|-
|1998
|''[[Analphabetapolothology]]''
|Cap'n Jazz
|Jade Tree Records
|2×CD
|Drums/vocals
|-
|1998
|''American Football''
|[[American Football (band)|American Football]]
|[[Polyvinyl Records]]
|EP/CD
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|1999
|''[[American Football (1999 album)|American Football]]''
|American Football
|Polyvinyl Records
|LP/CD
|Guitar/bass/vocals
|-
|1999
|''[[Live in Chicago, 1999]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Jade Tree Records
|LP/CD
|Drums
|-
|2000
|''[[The Gap (Joan of Arc album)|The Gap]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Jade Tree Records
|LP/CD
|Drums
|-
|2001
|''[[Owls (album)|Owls]]''
|[[Owls (band)|Owls]]
|Jade Tree Records
|LP/CD
|Drums
|-
|2001
|''[[Owen (album)|Owen]]''
|[[Owen (musician)|Owen]]
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass
|-
|2002
|''[[No Good for No One Now]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass
|-
|2002
|''Open Ground''
|Kyle Fischer
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Drums
|-
|2003
|''Best of Altan''
|The Songs Altan
|[[Green Linnet Records]]
|CD
|Harmonica
|-
|2003
|''[[In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust]]''
|Joan of Arc
|[[Perishable Records]]
|CD
|Bass/drums/percussion
|-
|2003
|''[[So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Jade Tree Records
|CD
|Bass/drums
|-
|2004
|''Anyone in Love With You (Already Knows)''
|[[Rainer Maria]]
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Tambourine
|-
|2004
|''[[The Rutabega / Owen|The Rutabega/Owen Split EP]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass
|-
|2004
|''Total Eclipse of the Heart''
|The Love of Everything
|Record Label Records
|CD
|Drums
|-
|2004
|''[[(The EP)]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass
|-
|2004
|''[[Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Drums
|-
|2005
|''[[I Do Perceive]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass/programming
|-
|2005
|''Association of Utopian Hologram Swallowers''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2005
|''[[Presents Guitar Duets]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Record Label Records
|CD
|Guitar
|-
|2006
|''[[At Home with Owen]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/piano/vocals
|-
|2007
|''[[Many Times I've Mistaken]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Polyvinyl Records
|EP/CD
|Guitar
|-
|2007
|''Owen/The City on Film''
|Owen
|Red Cars Go Faster
|7-inch vinyl
|Guitar/piano/organ/vocals
|-
|2008
|''[[Boo! Human]]''
|Joan of Arc
|Polyvinyl Records
|LP/CD
|Drums
|-
|2009
|''[[The Seaside EP]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2009
|''[[New Leaves]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2010
|''Abandoned Bridges''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|7-inch EP
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2010
|''Darling, Darling''
|[[Crissi Cochrane]]
|Independent
|CD
|Drums/guitar
|-
|2011
|''Oh, Evelyn''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|7-inch EP
|Guitar/vocals/drums/bass
|-
|2011
|''[[Ghost Town (Owen album)|Ghost Town]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2013
|''Their / They're / There''
|[[Their / They're / There]]
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl
|Drums
|-
|2013
|''[[L'Ami du Peuple (Owen album)|L'Ami du Peuple]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals/drums/piano/bass
|-
|2013
|''Analog Weekend''
|Their / They're / There
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl
|Drums
|-
|2014
|''TWO''
|Owls
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Drums
|-
|2014
|''[[American Football (1999 album)|American Football (Deluxe Edition)]]''
|American Football
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/bass/vocals
Deluxe edition of first LP
|-
|2014
|''[[Other People's Songs (album)|Other People's Songs]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals/drums/piano/bass
|-
|2015
|''[[Owen/Into It. Over It. Split EP]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|Vinyl
|Guitar/vocals/drums/piano/bass
|-
|2016
|''The Sleep Whose Dreams Are Life''
|Aleph Eris
|HOMHOMHOM Records of the Eternal Now
|Vinyl
|Drums
|-
|2016
|''[[The King of Whys]]''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals/drums/piano/bass
|-
|2016
|''[[American Football (2016 album)|American Football]]''
|American Football
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2019
|''[[American Football (2019 album)|American Football]]''
|American Football
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2020
|''The Avalanche''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl, cassette
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2023
|''Lies''
|[[Lies (band)|Lies]]
|Polyvinyl Records
|Vinyl
|Guitar/vocals
|-
|2024
|''The Falls of Sioux''
|Owen
|Polyvinyl Records
|CD, vinyl
|Guitar/vocals
|}
<!--
* 1990–96 Analphabetapolothology – [[Cap'n Jazz]] – drums, vocals
* 1997 Portable Model of – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – drums
* 1998 American Football ep – [[American Football (band)|American Football]] – guitar, vocals
* 1999 American Football - [[American Football (band)|American Football]] – bass, guitar, vocals
* 1999 Live in Chicago 1999 – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – drums
* 2000 Gap – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – drums
* 2000 Dantom Sucks Theory – [[The Jordan Marx EP]] – sexy
* 2001 Owls – [[Owls (band)|Owls]] – drums
* 2001 [[Owen (album)|Owen]] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, vocals
* 2002 Heart's Desire – Niamh Parsons – harmonica
* 2002 [[No Good For No One Now]] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, vocals
* 2002 Open Ground – Kyle Fischer – drums
* 2003 Best of Altan: The Songs Altan – harmonica
* 2003 In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – bass, percussion, drums
* 2003 So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – bass, drums
* 2004 Anyone in Love With You (Already Knows) – Rainer Maria – tambourine
* 2004  [[The Rutabega/Owen Split EP]] – guitar, vocals
* 2004 Total Eclipse of the Heart – The Love of Everything – drums
* 2004 [[(the ep)]] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, vocals
* 2004 Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – drums
* 2005 [[I Do Perceive]] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, vocals
* 2005 The Association of Utopian Hologram Swallowers – guitar, vocals
* 2005 Presents Guitar Duets – [[Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]] – guitar
* 2006 [[At Home With Owen]] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, piano, vocals
* 2007 [1 Song Demo] (Ugly on the Inside) – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – guitar, piano, vocals
* 2007 [Owen/City On Film Split 7-inch] – [[Owen (band)|Owen]] – vocals, guitar
* 2008 [Boo Human] – [Joan of Arc (band)|Joan of Arc]]- drums
* 2009 [New Leaves] – [Owen (band)|Owen]]- guitar, piano, vocals
-->

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070307072733/http://www.joanfrc.com/mike.html Biography on a Joan of Arc fan site, archived]
* [http://www.owenmusic.com/ Owen official website]
* [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/04/05/owen/ Owen live on The Current]
* [http://www.myspace.com/mybandowen Owen Myspace page]
* [http://www.myspace.com/theshirtsandskins The Shirts and Skins Myspace page]

{{Owen}}
{{Joan of Arc (band)}}
{{American Football (band)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsella, Mike}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American rock drummers]]
[[Category:People from Buffalo Grove, Illinois]]
[[Category:Drummers from Chicago]]
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:American male drummers]]
[[Category:20th-century American drummers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American drummers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]
[[Category:American Football (band) members]]