Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Misty Boyce began studying piano at age 5. Even in the desert, there is a surprising amount of refreshing musicians and teachers, toward whom Misty eagerly gravitated. Classically trained under the eagle-eye of Julliard grad, Leila York, Misty developed the skills that allowed her to delve into jazz rather quickly at age 14, all the while studying the music that she loved (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Radiohead) and composing constantly.

Misty entered college in the year 2002 at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, where she majored in Jazz Studies/Piano Performance. Here, Misty put her writing/singing on the shelf as she was consumed with learning the art of jazz, and discovering a world of competition she had not known in New Mexico. She became quite accomplished as a jazz pianist, earning the Three-Arts Scholarship for junior and senior female musicians two years in a row, and auditioning into the internationally competitive "Sisters in Jazz" quintet through IAJE. This year-long honor gave Misty the opportunity to work under jazz greats such as Gerri Allen and Allison Miller, as well as perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, and at the Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

After graduating in June 2006, Misty moved to New York City, where she continues to play jazz, but is now focusing on her first loves, writing and performing, and is working hard to make her mark as a truly original artist.

Jay Mankind loves you and he will tell you so. His songs are chock full of witty, well-worded aphorisms of adoration blended with guitar adages that will cause both a bop of the knee and a sway of the shoulders. Weilding a voice that defies easy comparison, Jay has a rare ability to clearly communicate his subjects. The listener understands each word, if not their complete intent. Major in tonality, and optimistic in tone, Jay's songs often share big ideas dressed in simple garb. A lightning rod of melody, Jay's songs have a tendancy to bounce around in your mind for long periods of time. On stage, Jay is engaging and entertaining matching his songs with casual and often comical audience interaction.

Having recently formed The Jay Mankind Pop-estra, Jay's songs are now painted with a broad sonic palette featuring horns, clarinet, pianos, glockenspiel, banjo and anything else that can be found lying around the rehearsal space. It's been described as a blend of The Decemberists, Cake and The Buddha.