Husband and wife duo Michael and Laura Misiuk comprised alternative folk/rock act Acoustic Shack. Their stellar debut for Blonde Vinyl (1991, self-titled) was replete with poignant lyrics, Michael’s competent guitar playing, and the pair’s vocal harmonies led by Laura’s distinctly 90s alterna-pop croon. While it was slightly outside of my tastes at the time (which mostly leaned in a punk/metal/grunge direction), I couldn’t help but be captivated by the band’s combination of acoustic-led music and heartfelt reflections on topics as far-ranging as trying to understand a friend’s trauma from childhood abuse (“Deliver Me”), the comforts of home and belonging (“Red Door”), and the assurances of love (“It’s Good to Know”).
Somewhat ironically, or at least contrary to the band’s name, they went in a more electric direction for the follow-up, 1993’s Fret Buzz, focusing on alternative rock. The band went quiet shortly afterwards, but issued two more albums for their own Red Moon Records imprint: 1998’s A Distant Bell and 2001’s Redeeming the Time. Husband Michael also released a well-received album of harder alternative rock/post-punk under the moniker The Kreepdowns, with an album on Screaming Giant Records in 1998.
The band collaborated with a wide variety of artists on their albums, including Shawn Tubbs (the violet burning, Stone Temple Pilots), Chris Colbert (Breakfast with Amy, Duraluxe), Mini Mendez (The Holidays), Eric Coomes (L.S. Underground, Talib Kweli, Soulive), Gene Eugene (Adam Again, Lost Dogs), Super C (S.F.C., Sup the Chemist), Ed Benrock (L.S. Underground), Randy Taylor (Sincerely Paul), Michael Pritzl (the violet burning–interestingly both Michael’s had been in an earlier band together called The Children in the late 80s), and a host of others. And yet despite their deep connections and the quality of their output, their online presence is very minimal.
“It’s Good to Know” is the only song I can find on a streaming platform. Fortunately for the listener, it’s a great example of the kind of material the band was releasing in the early 90s. This track was featured on the debut album and hit number 22 on the Christian music charts at the time. It was also featured on the Blonde Vinyl tribute compilation, Radioactive Hits, released by Broken Records.
