Mikey Borup, Brother Fantastic, is lighting the way for a genre-bending sound that is purely his. His original songs evoke a strong emotional reaction while also leaving you wondering just what the hell is going on. Listeners often describe the sound as folk rap, which paints a conflicting contradiction to anyone who hasn’t experienced it. Brother Fantastic manages to weave storytelling in a catchy beat melody combo that feels like entering a forest of unknowns. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Mikey on a few projects and caught up with him to go over his story and how Brother Fantastic came to be.
Mikey has been a musician since he was a kid. His mom forced him to learn piano first, which he wasn’t thrilled with. Fate stepped in when he found a guitar in the family garage. He spent his days finding online tabs off of OLGA, the online guitar archive used in the 90s for chord reference. He learned how to play songs he loved from sheets of misaligned chords on the OLGA index. While OLGA was all user-based contributions, he frequently came across one submitter named Geoffrey that coincidentally became his future college roommate.
In college, he played in a jazz band and joined a traveling show choir, playing guitar. They did a month-long tour through the U.S. with 24 shows and a little improvisation on Mikey’s part. He recalled pulling a solo together during “I Will Survive” against the script. They ended up keeping the solo throughout the tour. Cue the Brother Fantastic moment to shine.
After college, he married and had kids, limiting play to a few family get-togethers. He slowly let the guitar take up space in the corner, both physically and mentally. It ate at him over the years, prioritizing other life tasks above music. “Being creative and suppressing the thing that inspires you will always show its face in some way down the road.”
In 2020, he lost his faith, marriage, and his mother, all within 6 months of each other. It was a very trying year for Mikey, where foundations were rocked and perspective refocused. About a year later, he realized how much emotion had built up. He decided to seek out music once again to soothe and translate these emotions the best way he knew how. He joined open mics and started playing with various musicians. During this time, he tried his hand at rewriting unused lyrics from a friend. The result became his first complete song, “Fire Season.” This process inspired him to continue writing. From then on, he has averaged writing about 1 song a month.
When I asked about his process for songwriting, he expressed what many songwriters share: bits, lines, and unfinished melodies within the notes app, or “the graveyard.” For inspiration, he pulls thoughts from these bits or finds it while on a walk with his incredible other half, Amber. The practice of pulling this all together often comes late at night, when messing around with melodies. For Mikey, songs evolve with time and thought. His song “Cold as Hell” is on its fourth iteration with a different chord progression. He struggles sometimes with the deeply personal meanings behind songs and actually putting them into words without being too direct. Songs are very much healing and therapy for him. It’s been rewarding for Mikey to hear feedback on how unique his sound is. He’s noticed that his lyrics and offbeat style seem to capture men’s interest in particular, allowing an outlet for men to hear and feel some heavy emotional processing in action. His approach to songwriting mirrors the process of film. After working within that industry professionally for many years, this naturally emerges within the arc of his stories in songs. Epic battle climax and resolution that sometimes mirror the beginning. A learning curve. Evolution of ego death.
Mikey has been busy establishing the Brother Fantastic Trio, adding further layers of entertainment to the already compelling solo act. He’s joined by Landonious Monk, a longtime friend and collaborator, and a percussionist. They have their debut show coming up at the Reef on October 10th, 9:30 to 11:30. It’s sure to be a fantastic display of that genre-blending, catchy, urban-folk sound that’s been creating buzz in the valley.
Mikey is a rising contributor to the growing Boise music scene with a fresh perspective on being selective on shows and venues. He aims to make each performance special to the audience and pours a heap of heart and pride into those performances.
Brother Fantastic Advice:
Go to open mics. Support your musical friends. Enjoy the community you are a part of. Promote shows, make friends!
Be sure to follow Brother Fantastic on Instagram or his website to stay up-to-date on performance schedules! The Reef will be hosting the debut of the Brother Fantastic Trio on October 10th at 9:30 pm.
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