Roberto Miguel Reyes
After a lot of traveling and a temporary stay in my second home, New York City, I currently reside in Oakland, California.

I have played music for years and was influenced early on by bay area hip-hop and funk, and later by punk bands like “Fifteen” and “Blatz”. I started college for jazz and orchestral trombone at Cal State Stanislaus, and then at Cal State Hayward. I started playing guitar around then.
While in school I found a place in the bay area slam poetry scene. I became particularly involved with “Tourettes Without Regrets” hosted by Jamie DeWolf, and remain connected with that community playing myself in the upcoming movie “Smoked”, set in Oakland and starring many local slam poets. In 2001 I joined the Sacramento Slam poetry team led by slam poetry legend, the late Angela Boyce. After competing in the National Slam Poetry Championships in Minneapolis I came back to Berkeley California longing to put together a collection of poems.
In Berkeley I met illustrator and comic book artist Sophie Crumb who illustrated a collection of my poetry and published a poem in her most recent comic “Belly Button Comics 2?.

The illustrations she made she did on scratch paper and that was my introduction to the medium.
It was through my friendship with her and a mutual friend, the late Dory Tourette, that I was introduced to old time music. I’d always been interested in Dixieland jazz, an interest I took from my brother Monte, and my new friendships helped me develop my passion for other types of music from the period.

I began to put together my own songs utilizing what I’d learned about old folk music and jazz.
In 2003 I moved to Brooklyn, N.Y. with Sophie and it was there I met Stizza of Leftover Crack. Through Stizza I met Citizen Fish.

I’ve been touring with Citizen Fish for going on 3 years and currently I’m organizing a hip-hop project featuring myself, Stizza and beats made by Citizen Phil of Citizen Fish and the Subhumans.

I am also featured on compilation entitled “Helloakland” produced by Greg Ashley

I currently have an album out on lakebed recordings

My artwork was recentley shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan and at Fiveten studio in Oakland California.