Misha Marks was born in Wellington and grew up near Karamea, on the West Coast of the South Island. He started playing guitar around the age of six or seven and later studied jazz and classical guitar at Massey Conservatory of Music in Wellington for two years before abandoning academic studies. Outside of school walls he became involved in the creative music scene of Wellington, based around the intrepid music venue Happy, where he played regularly with local and visiting improvisers, worked at the bar and was the cleaner. After spending time living in Barcelona, Vienna and London he moved to Mexico City in 2008, where he still lives. He plays guitar, baritone horn, tuba and latarra (a homemade electric guitar made out of an old metallic first-aid kit) and is active in the adventurous music scene of Mexico City and beyond.
Photo credit: Rodrigo Vázquez