{{short description|American singer-songwriter}} {{BLP sources|date=December 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Myshkin | image = | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | alt = | caption = | background = solo_singer | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year unless the exact date is already WIDELY published, as per WP:DOB --> | birth_place = Indiana, United States | origin = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date first) --> | death_place = | genre = Folk | occupation = Singer-songwriter, composer, producer | instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|mandolin}} | years_active = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) --> | label = | website = {{URL|www.myshkinwarbler.com/}} }} '''Myshkin''' is an American singer-songwriter, touring and recording artist, composer and producer. She sings and plays acoustic and electric guitar, tenor guitar, mandolin and other instruments solo, in cooperation with other artists, and with her band.
==Early life== Myshkin adopted her stage name in honor of the central character "Prince Myshkin", of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel ''The Idiot''.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Myshkin| title=Press| url=https://myshkinsrubywarblers.com/Press-Archive/| accessdate=2020-04-22}}</ref><!-- In personal conversation years ago after one of her concerts, Myshkin (which in Russian literally means "little mouse") once told me that she chose the name because Prince Myshkin was a truth-teller. I have not found a confirming citation. ACWilson9, 2020-04-22-->
She is a native of Indiana where she was born to parents recently immigrated from the Netherlands. After studying theater in college she moved to New Mexico, and then spent some time traveling the U.S. before settling in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1993.
==Career== The artist adopted the stage name Myshkin, honoring "Prince Myshkin", the central character of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel ''The Idiot''.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Myshkin| title=Press| url=https://myshkinsrubywarblers.com/Press-Archive/| accessdate=2020-04-22}}</ref><!-- In personal conversation years ago after one of her concerts, Myshkin (which literally means "mouse-let") once told me that she chose the name because Prince Myshkin was a truth-teller. I have not found a confirming citation. ACWilson9, 2020-04-22-->
In New Orleans she recorded five albums of her own work, and appeared on many others. She was a member of The Road Dog Diva's, Ez Bake Organs, and the Mike West Band. Myshkin and Mike West toured as a duo for a decade, playing approximately 300 shows a year throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia, and were recipients of several of the city's music industry awards.<ref name=home/> In 2001 Myshkin formed a new band, Myshkin's Ruby Warblers, with John Lutz on upright bass and Scott Magee on drums. The first record, ''Rosebud Bullets'', was a well received farewell to New Orleans for Myshkin, garnering spots on the 2003 best records top ten lists of ''The Village Voice'' and ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate''.
Myshkin moved to Portland, Oregon.<ref name=home>[http://www.myshkinsrubywarblers.com/info.htmm]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=manymiles>[http://www.theind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1647&Itemid=42 "The Many Miles of Myshkin"] ''The Independent'', March 23, 2005</ref> in 2002, followed by drummer Magee a year later. In Portland she began working with the electronic musician / producer Sailor Banks, with whom she released two albums ''Corvidae'' and ''Sigh Semaphore'', concentrating on political and humanist themes.<ref name=home/>
Myshkin's Ruby Warblers continued to tour the US and Europe until 2008, when Myshkin left the city to co-found a permaculture community in Southern Oregon.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.myshkinsrubywarblers.com/info.html |title= Info |publisher= Myshkin's Ruby Warblers |access-date= January 15, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041020044513/http://myshkinsrubywarblers.com/info.html |archive-date= October 20, 2004 |url-status= dead }}</ref> There she built an earth walled studio, in which she recorded ''That Diamond Lust'' released in 2012.
In 2013, Myshkin met her future wife while on tour, and moved to Joshua Tree, California to join her. She records and performs under the name Myshkin Warbler, typically with a five-piece band, including Damian Lester on upright bass and Jenny Qaqundah on cello . In 2016, she created Myshkin Warbler's Royal Rabble Circus, which quickly became a staple of the twice-annual Joshua Tree Music Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://joshuatreemusicfestival.com/|title=Joshua Tree Music Festival – Music is the soul of life|website=Joshuatreemusicfestival.com|access-date=January 13, 2022}}</ref>
In June 2018, DoubleSalt Works released the record ''Trust and the High Wire'', Myshkin Warbler's record about her wife's near death experience and recovery. The record serves as a musical companion to Jenny Q's experimental book, ''Held Together''. The couple combined the two works into a performance piece, which first toured in summer 2018 as Trust.Together.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hipfishmonthly.com// |title=Hipfishmonthly |access-date=August 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821160446/http://www.hipfishmonthly.com/ |archive-date=August 21, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
As of 2026, Myshkin lives and works in the Highlands of Scotland, where she and Jenny Q moved to in 2023.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Myshkin's Ruby Warblers| title=Myshkin's Ruby Warblers| date= 2026| url=https://myshkinsrubywarblers.com/| accessdate=2026-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| publisher=Jenny Q's Thistle & Bog| title=Jenny Q| date= 2026| url=https://thistleandbog.co.uk/bio| accessdate=2026-03-17}}</ref>
==Discography== *2026 (forthcoming): ''Hot Night in Paris'' *2025 ''Choice Blooms'' (compilation from previous albums) *2018: ''Trust and the High Wire'' *2012: ''That Diamond Lust'' *2006: ''Sigh Semaphore'' *2004: ''Corvidae'', an anti-war record<ref name=manymiles/><ref>[http://cdbaby.com/cd/myshkin4 ''Corvidae''] at CD Baby, with newspaper reviews quoted</ref> *2002: ''Rosebud Bullets''<ref>[http://cdbaby.com/cd/myshkins ''Rosebud Bullets'' ] at CD Baby, with newspaper reviews quoted</ref> *1999: ''Why do all the country girls leave?''<ref>[http://cdbaby.com/cd/myshkins2 ''Why do all the country girls leave?'' ] at CD Baby, with newspaper reviews quoted</ref> *1998: ''Blue Gold''<ref>[http://cdbaby.com/cd/myshkin3 ''Blue Gold''] at CD Baby, with newspaper reviews quoted</ref> *1995: Myshkin Impossible – "Dr. Plague and Other Lullabies" *1996: Mike West and Myshkin – "Econoline" *1993: Slate *''Everythings in Boxes'' (with the Road Dog Divas) *''Pony'' (with the Road Dog Divas)
==Awards== * ''Econoline'' was named ''Offbeat'' Folk/Country album of the year 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mikewest.net/cds/index.html |title=Mike West's music catalogue |access-date=August 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704105414/http://www.mikewest.net/cds/index.html |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * New Orleans Big Easy Award – best folk / world music artist – finalist 2003, 2001, 1999 * Rosebud Bullets made the Times Picayunne and Village Voice's 10 best records of the year lists, 2002
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.myshkinwarbler.com] *[http://www.myshkin.co/reviews / Newspaper articles about Myshkin]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myshkin}} Category:American women singer-songwriters Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)