Michael Malarkey
Singer-songwriter and actor Michael Malarkey, which I know more as Enzo from Vampire Diaries, is set to release his debut album this September! The album is called Mongrels and will be released on September 8th via Cap On Cat Records.

Michael first started as a songwriter, then the self-taught musician, rapidly followed by the self-made actor. Michael’s journey as a musician started when he began placing guitar parts behind his passion of writing copious amounts of poetry. He says,
I was enraptured by the poets and writers of the beat generation and how they used the sound and rhythm of words to create a certain energy of time and place.

Malarkey premiered later last week the visuals to the title track of this album and I've got to say I fell in love with it. He has such deep, soulful vocals and the song is simply enchanting. It's a mix of Folk/country and is reminiscent of acts such as Nick Cave. Watch this awesome visuals below!


Embracing the use of words to build tempo, Malarkey’s debut album Mongrels is the scribbling's of a restless creative, battling to contain his nomadic spirit within his compositions. His musical imprint is inspired by a host of different artists and his debut record Mongrels is a demonstration of an eclectic musical taste. 

Admitting to enjoying the exploration of the darker side of his nature in an effort to find peace with it, Malarkey utilises his discoveries to inspire his songwriting.
A lot of what this record is about is that whole struggle of wrestling with those opposing forces within us; the duality of animal and human. Tthe key is to keep the balance.

Malarkey’s writes a mixture of introspective country/folk music or driven, ravenous blues songs with lyrics filled with a haunting beauty, yet displaying a warm soul. Each song is a new journey into another corridor of his mind, charged with the depth of a man who sees the world in imagery and emotion.

The album was recorded and produced by Malarkey himself in his current hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, alongside Tom Tapley and Brandon Bush, who provide a definite Nashville influence.

With so many influences on show, Malarkey explains the album concept in more detail:
Mongrels represents the many-faced animal within us that is here but never quite from here; the dreamer within us, stricken with wanderlust, who is tuned to the frequencies of change; the nomad within us whose roots grow not in the ground, but in the wind. It represents the mystery of our vagrant nature, at times a source of weakness and at times a source of power.

Malarkey was born in Beirut, Lebanon to an Irish-American father and a British mother of Arab/Italian origin and is most famous in the acting circles for his role as the notorious Enzo in the hit CW series The Vampire Diaries. Growing up in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Malarkey travelled to London to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and alongside his acting career he immersed himself in music.
I consider it a form of poetic journalism. It’s an endless journey of self-discovery.
 Malarkey is going on tour to promote the album and you can check out the dates below:

EU Tour Dates:
Oct. 23 -- Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach
Oct. 24 -- Norwich @ Epic Studios
Oct. 25 -- Manchester @ Star & Garter
Oct. 26 -- Liverpool @ Studio 2
Oct. 27 -- Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
Oct. 28 -- London @ Thousand Island
Oct. 29 -- London @ Thousand Island
Nov. 24 -- Barcelona @ Sala Bikini
Nov. 26 -- Warsaw @ BARdzo Bardzo
Nov. 27 -- Prague @ NoD
Nov. 28 -- Berlin @ Privatclub
Nov. 29 -- Cologne @ Studio 672
Nov. 30 -- Amsterdam @ Melkweg
Dec. 1 -- Hasselt @ Cafe Cafe
Dec. 2 -- Paris @ Point Éphémére