By Gary Wien
originally published: 11/01/2004
Mieka Pauley is a performer from the Boston area that is very quickly generating a buzz in the music industry.
She was one of 22 artists to be included on a special Starbucks compiliation CD that was released in October and will be sold in over 170 Starbucks locations throughout the East Coast; She won the prestigious Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase this past August; and she's been playing festivals throughout the country. But it was the fact that she recently opened six shows for Eric Clapton that caught her on. Obviously, she's not you're normal folky singer-songwriter, in fact it's labels like that that drive her crazy.
"Uh... I actually don't like folk music and I think I dislike it even more because I've been pigeonholed into the genre," said Pauley. "I didn't grow up with folk. I never listened to it. I wasn't influenced by it... and then to discover that I'm a folk musician, it was like what?"
Pauley says she's been trying to do a lot of things to separate herself from the folk genre. When she plays shows in New York City or Boston, she generally plays them now with a full band backing her.
"I guess I am more careful in what words I use now," she adds. "I've been more singer-songwriter because once I put a band behind me, it's not a folk band. I try to draw from rock and draw from soul music. I'm somewhere between Patty Griffin and Ben Harper.
"When I go on tour it's going to be solo mainly for financial reasons, but if I had the choice I think I'd be bringing a band everywhere. But in Boston and New York - my home places - I'm keeping a band now."
Mieka Pauley moved around a bit while growing up. She was born in Boston and raised in Kentucky, Colorado and South Florida. School brought her back to Cambridge. She started to sing when she was "tiny". She wrote and sang privately in her bedroom until her folks left the house and then would sneak down and flesh out a song on the family piano until they returned. She spent years studying classical voice and piano, and in high school sang in everything from alt rock garage bands and Motown funk bands to jazz and classical choirs and church. At the end of high school she taught herself guitar when an uncle gave her his old acoustic. But the sum of these parts wasn't clear to anyone until she left home for college, where the truth was finally revealed on the streets of Harvard Square.
Mieka's ability to captivate audiences first made her a favorite of Boston's best clubs including the Paradise, House of Blues, Club Passim, Kendall Caf� and the Middle East - and next at New York's renowned Bitter End, Living Room, Makor, CB's Gallery, Cutting Room, Knitting Factory and Village Underground. In Summer 2002 she won BMI's Rock Boat Song Contest, placed top three at the famed Telluride Troubadour Competition and graduated from Harvard with a degree in Biological Anthropology. In Summer 2003 she was invited to perform at four of the top music festivals in the U.S. including The Newport Folk Festival, On The Bricks in Atlanta, Dancin' In The District in Nashville and a return trip to The Rock Boat.
Her win at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival this summer was a break from tradition for her. She jokes that her friends and her used to say that, "You come, you play, you lose, and you go home."
Pauley says that she loves touring and seeing the country. The past few years for her have been a mixture of clubs and festival performances. She says that she really enjoys facets of each style. Together, they help form the basis for her work.
"They both have their charms," explained Pauley. "I was in Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and it was just amazing. I get up on that stage and it's just beautiful with all of the people and the scenery. But there's something really moody and artistic about being in a dark club with smoke and lights. The smoke isn't good for my voice, but it makes for a cool club. I don't think I could really pick and choose. I don't think I could do without either. I really have to keep them both."
"I don't what initially got me into music, which makes me think I was just sort of born loving it," said Pauley. "I think it was good for me to be close to all different types of music because I have a lot to pick and choose from in what I'm doing now. "
Moving around a lot while she was young may or may not have played a role in influencing her musical style, but it probably had something to do with her love of touring. "I don't really feel rooted anywhere, so it's not a big problem for me to just get in a car and go," she says. "I just love seeing all of the different parts of the country and getting to perform. I'm not getting jaded at that kind of thing. I get to go see different clubs and different musicians who are part of that particular scene, so I think it's great!"
Mieka Pauley will be doing several shows in the area this November. She took part in a singer-songwriter showcase at Triumph Breweryin Princeton on November 3rd and will be performing at Championship Bar in Trenton on the 12th before taking part in the Magazine Anniversary Show / Benefit on the 13th. She also has upcoming dates at The Point (Bryn Mawr, PA) on the 18th; and Postcrypt (NYC) on the 20th before heading out to the midwest.
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
Floyd Pink - Celebrating The Music Of Pink Floyd
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Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
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Jesse Cook
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Victoria Theater
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Don Mclean & Lee Greenwood
Sunday, November 15, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJTwo iconic singers perform their hits and celebrate America’s 250 birthday! Singer/songwriter Don McLean is best known for the classic hit “American Pie,” as well as “Vincent” and “Castles in the Air.” Country superstar Lee Greenwood has seven top charting singles, including “I.O.U,” “It Turns Me Inside Out,” and the patriotic favorite, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
Song Of The Meadowlark
Sunday, November 15, 2026 @ 2:30pm
Highland Design Farm
159 Van Dyke Road, Hopewell, NJA meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry and live painting.
EVENT PREVIEWS
NJPAC presents Jesse Cook on Saturday
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Jesse Cook on Saturday, November 14, 2026 in the Victoria Theater at 8:00pm. A global artist in every sense of the term, Jesse Cook redefines music's power to connect people across cultures and continents.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- You can get your holiday shopping done on Sunday, November 15, 2026 when Anchor Rock Club hosts the Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition. The event runs from noon to 6:00pm.
Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell
(HOPEWELL, NJ) -- Song of the Meadowlark takes place Sunday, November 15, 2026 at Highland Design Farm. This is a meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry, and live painting. Doors are at 2:00pm, showtime is 2:30pm.
Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither
(AVENEL, NJ) -- Chris Smither will perform at the Avenel Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother's ukulele.
Rufus Wainwright to Perform with Princeton "Super-Orchestra" at McCarter Theatre
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright takes the McCarter stage for one night only with the Princeton Playhouse Sinfonia, a dynamic new collaborative ensemble created specifically for this concert.
Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor
(PRINCETON, NJ) — The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor on Friday, November 20, 2026 in an evening of upbeat and bubbling song filled with enthusiasm and love. The concert takes place at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. Showtime is 8:00pm. A livestream option is available as well.
Private Eyes Brings the Greatest Hits of Hall & Oates to the Strand Center for the Arts
(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Few musical acts defined the sound of the late 1970s and 1980s quite like Daryl Hall and John Oates. On Friday, November 20, 2026, the Strand Center for the Arts will celebrate their extraordinary catalog when Private Eyes – The Premier Tribute To Daryl Hall & John Oates takes the stage for an evening of classic pop, rock, and blue-eyed soul. Showtime is 8:00pm.
NJPAC to Celebrate Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday with All-Star Concert on November 21st
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Ben Vereen's 80th Birthday Concert on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 8:00pm. This special one-night only celebration is part of NJPAC’s 2026 TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 6-22). Several of today's leading Broadway stars and vocalists unite for a spectacular birthday bash performance toasting the legendary actor/dancer/singer Ben Vereen who turns 80 on October 10, 2026.
