J. MAIZLISH MOLE

MOLE is the solo project of singer, songwriter and visual artist J. Maizlish Mole. For the last twenty years he has been based in London, New York and Berlin, playing in dive bars, speakeasies, concert halls and every conceivable kind of venue with his various bands. He has been releasing solo work as MOLE since 2015’s Tar Baby EP.

Born in a small town in California, Mole’s education began with his older brothers’ punk and prog records, his father’s jazz collection, and the all-powerful FM radio of the late ’70s and early ’80s. He arrived in New York at age 17, attending Parsons School of Design and frequenting CB’s and the Knitting Factory.

He began writing songs after moving to London and formed the predominantly acoustic folk-punk band Marseille Figs with art school comrades Dorian McFarland and Tom Chant. 

Marseille Figs played a distinctive amalgam of high-energy bluegrass, free jazz and pop. They toured extensively and released two albums – The Dirty Canon (2007) and Jumbo (2009), both co-produced by Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, The Clientele).

Wild Weeds, a small book of his lyrics, was published in 2011.

Mole began recording and performing under his own name in 2012, co-founding and hosting The Jupiter Club with fellow singer-songwriters Dan Hayes (yoB) and Kitty Finer. Holding down a two-year residency at the legendary George Tavern in East London. The Jupiter Band later formed the backbone of Mole’s band. 

Along the way, MOLE released three EPs – Tar Baby (2015), The Grand Tour (2016), and Black Eggs (2017). Danger Island features most of his bandmates past and present, as well as contributions from a roster of brilliant guests.