Mikey February Was Here (But You Didn’t Hear It From Us)

Our wireless fidelity-connected devices recently lit up with images of Mikey February at a remote wave, a world away from you and me.

Immediately contacted by Stab, Mikey told us he didn’t want to put out any footage from the swell just yet. The instant gratification of claiming pole position on a surf media outlet felt misaligned with the wishes of locals hoping to shield their wave (and its preferred conditions) from the clout circus.

Both Mikey and his travel companions stood their ground, but that didn’t stop poached images from circulating before the release of this clip, much like the previously bootlegged tracks that now make up Piano & a Microphone, Prince’s first posthumous album.

Recorded straight to cassette in a single take, the album’s opening track imperfectly aligns with a wave that, despite Mikey’s flawless approach, remains the unequivocal star.

Prince’s enigma only deepened with fame, and while they exist in very different worlds, Mikey’s trajectory draws curious parallels to The Artist Formerly Known As.

With a sparing but not inconsequential output, Mikey February’s Spearhead Unlimited seems to project onto him a spirit seldom found in the rest of the professionalized surfing scene.

Prince once said, “I’m searching for a higher plane, but I want the most of being on earth. When you have faith, serotonin starts pumping in your brain.”

Finding this wave took more than mere faith, and maybe now Mikey’s a little closer to whatever the multi-instrumentalist was on about.