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   Born in the city, raised in the suburbs, still uncertain about what “home” even means, Miguel Escobar is a Chicago-born graduate student and musician who is currently home-ing in Seattle, Washington.

 

   Miguel has been singing for as long as he can remember, but his memory is also terrible. At the age of 12 he picked up his first instrument, the piano -- an instrument that never came very easy for him (he can confidently say he plays “keys” not “piano”).

   In 2004 he heard Jesus Walks by Kanye West.

   At the age of 16, while sitting at the piano bench struggling to play and sing like Brian McKnight on a Casio keyboard, Miguel first noticed an image of a guitar tab on some sheet music he found on the internet. After a few minutes of confusion and internet “research” (approximately two Google searches), Miguel found out how to tune the untouched guitar his parents had purchased for him two years prior, and something was unlocked.

 

   Self-taught and still learning, Miguel has been influenced by a wide array of musical artists such as Radiohead, Underoath, My Morning Jacket, Brian McKnight, Led Zeppelin, Calle 13, and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name a few. He is also influenced by other stuff (such as things that sometimes happen or don’t).

 

   In 2012, at the end of his sophomore year of college, Miguel released his first album, Simple Songs for not so Simple Times. Coming from a student majoring in philosophy and art with an Indie/folk sound, this five track album has been described as great music to listen to while looking out the window of a train and pondering life, or sitting in a shower crying.

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   As a full time student, the release of new material and consistency in live performances have been sparse for Miguel. In the summer of 2015 he recorded and released his second album, St Paul’s Sessions, in the sanctuary of St Paul’s Free methodist church, where he was living at the time. This is a live album featuring original music from his first album, and a few songs from his, at the time, upcoming solo album.

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   In the fall of 2017, Miguel recorded and released his third album, In Transition. With a more in-your-face politically charged overall message, In Transition is a philosophical indie/folk/rock album intertwined with electric guitars and moody cellos, laden with a thoughtful tone and a sense of urgency.

   Miguel is currently working toward a masters degree, putting a band together (potentially under the name of his old band The Noble Manes), and writing new material that will serve as a kind of financially affordable, emotionally costly therapy. He will be releasing demos of songs as he records them on his Soundcloud page.