(Photo Credit: Michael La Torre)
On December 7, 2023 at the Paper Tiger in San Antonio, TX, Austin's own MISSIO held a night of musical healing. They were joined by singer/songwriter Wildman for the opener. Wildman had a set of approximately seven acoustic tracks that demonstrated his ability to fingerpick slow melodies with his smooth vocals over the top. Wildman told some amazing stories around mental health and depression, as did MISSIO but I'm not going to share those stories here as they're not mine to tell. Just know they created a safe space for everyone in the room who felt like their own experience may be too much.
When MISSIO came up they quickly greeted the eager MISSIO Mafia and got right to it. They played a mix of stripped versions of their older hits such as "Can You Feel the Sun" and "Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea" as well as some of their newer stuff from their newly released EP I Am Awesome such as "Goodbye to the Old Me". MISSIO eagerly engaged with the crowd with stories behind each of their songs sharing their experiences behind writing each track and the emotional output that went into them. They explained the cathartic process that writing music can be for them.
The stripped versions of the tunes were absolutely fantastic. Despite being in different keys/arraignments they were instantly recognizable to the crows and we ate it up. MISSIO played a multitude of instruments with Matthew and David each taking their turn at keys, guitar, vocals, and there was even some drumming! After the show Wildman and MISSIO took the time to meet fans at the merch table and share stories with them. Paper Tiger's intimate venue was the perfect setting for a show like this and I'm glad I got to see it! If you have a chance to go to one of these shows, don't miss it!
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