Press
“…Meshing the best retro-soul bits of Muscle Shoals and Motown with modern pop and R&B, plus some impresas of Mac DeMarco and Steve Lacy and Motenko’s eponymous 2020 debut EP’s received nearly a million streams on Spotify alone. On the technical side, Micah’s dexterity has turned him into a two-time Austin Music Award nominee for “Best Keyboardist”. Well, with the release of a pair of singles last summer, some of Wild Child’s road-wise shine must’ve rubbed off on Motenko’s songwriting, since they now seem like they’re breaking out of their “safe” formulas in favor of “riskier” structures and arrangements."
"…Butter-smooth singing, sultry guitar chords, slick bass work, and air tight drumming make the verses enough to get you feeling emotional, and the addition of falsetto vocal harmonies, soaring orchestral swells, and well-placed pizzicato plucks propel “Free Yourself” to a wholly empowering experience without overstaying its welcome past three fleeting minutes.”
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"Motenko dished funked-up soul, the quartet’s frontman Micah Motenko channeling something of Professor Longhair and Leon Russell with “On Your Level” from last year’s eponymous debut EP." -Austin Chronicle
"Carefully-constructed compositions, head-bobbing grooves, and of course, Micah’s knack for knocking it out of the park with his crystalline vocals" -KUTX
"Motenko excels at a vein of Americana music that combines elements of jazz, pop and soul." -Austin American-Statesman
"He’s slipped into the erotic power of life for yourself, on your own terms, seduced by the here and now. It’s an open invitation to join for anyone else who needs to experience that fiery spark of life again." -Going Left
KUTX
Austin Chronicle
V13
Austin Music Minute: First Love
Austin Music Minute: Motenko Vibe
Austin Town Hall
Monkeyboxing
Going Left
Gas Mask
Soultracks
Fresh: Hip-Hop & R&B
Culture Capital
Contact
motenkomusic@gmail.com