Truly, the number one reason why I began this website was to try and meet more people who are as emotionally invested in music as I am. I know that can come across incredibly snobby, but I truly could talk about music all day, and a lot of people tend to humor me due to my age, or my musical tastes. I’m 22, and listen to old man music and dad bands.
After my Flight Mongoose article, my social medias were flooded with inquiries, and I had to take a step back to realize that my website is finally coming together. It’s become a place for California musicians to meet, and learn about each other. I hope my readers have investigated these bands and have found new artists they thoroughly enjoy. When I began sifting through the inquiries, I came across someone who has honestly left a huge impact on me in the short time I’ve gotten to know him.
Matt Michaelis is a BYU Grad living in Yuba City, California that also happens to be an independent singer songwriter. He’s a family man, and an incredible musician. He reached out to me via Instagram, and as we exchanged emails, and chit chat, I’ve come to realize he knows his stuff when it comes to music. He recently released his first full length album (1 day after my birthday…..Thanks for the gift, Matt!) titled Resolute. After listening to it and his story, I decided instead of interviewing him like my past articles, I wanted to really emphasize his experience with creating an entire album from scratch, his hardships that came with it like completely injuring his vocal chords, and his process when it comes to creating his own music.
The Man, The Myth, The Musician
Before achieving a degree in BYU, Matt found his love for music through being a part of band and learning to play the trumpet. He evolved musically by being a part of concert band and jazz band in high school, “It’s difficult to describe how much I loved these experiences. Simply put- this is where I learned to love music”. I can’t help but 100% agree. I did marching band all throughout my high school career, and I have no doubt it was my saving grace during that time. Once university hit, Matt really learned to enjoy original song writing, “I’m in it for the rest of my life!”.
This is where the desire for making music really stepped in. Matt began sending his music to anyone who would listen: producers, radio stations, labels, you name it! Instead of giving constructive criticism, Matt was hit with a plethora of negativity. All he was accruing was emails and messages all telling him to work on his voice and lyricism. I could not even begin to imagine what that must feel like. To have people you look up to and admire that only tear you down, and don’t live up to your expectation. This is where Matt stands out from the crowd. He took this feedback and ran with it. He began vocal lessons, and for about six months, he practiced as much as he could, until one day, he was hit with a massive set back.
Matt Michaelis injured his vocal chords so severely, he couldn’t speak for weeks, and had to have surgery and speech therapy to even begin to use his voice again. At the end of the day, Matt realized he would never be able to sing again. Imagine finding your true passion and calling to life only to cause yourself irreparable damage to yourself. When I first read this when Matt introduced himself, I really felt intensely for him. We both share such a huge amount of respect and passion for this industry, and although I’ve never experienced such an event, I know it would crush me.
The Beginning of Something Good
Obviously, this event can really hinder a musician’s motivation to continue the journey. For Matt, there was about a month where he truly wanted to give up and no longer pursue his dream of creating music let alone a full-length album. Luckily for Matt, he had a bit of a light bulb moment, “…I had a thought ‘you know you’ve been playing the piano your whole life why not just try another avenue’ so I decided to go ahead and learn the guitar”. I boldly told Matt that in a way, injuring his vocal chords may have been the event to jump start his true musical sound, and he agreed “I agree 100% that I never would have continued with this journey if I didn’t injure my vocal chords”. By learning how to play the guitar and a plethora of other instruments, he realized he was expanding his musical catalog and interests and exploring different styles of playing. “I did a lot of listening; I paid attention to why I was having the emotional reaction to what I was hearing…”. Matt actually joined a bands and began to experience what playing in front of a crowd was like which was incredibly important for what was to come.
All of this inspiration and education translated to more songwriting, and meeting new people. I know from my personal experiences, I have (clearly) met some motivated and interesting people through sharing a love for music. The internet is a powerful thing. Matt came into contact with Producer Rich Bischoff of Studio 14 Recording Studio located in Utah. He ended up collaborating with Bischoff, and created what is known as “Serenity, the Rabid Whale”. It is one of the funkiest and well-rounded songs I’ve heard from any one I have met for Roots, Riffs, and Rock. Matt told me he was heavily influenced by Gary Clark Jr. and you can really hear that through that gritty bluesy guitar.
The Album: Resolute
Resolute is Matt’s Debut album. He literally plays every single instrument on every song aside from the drums and enlisted different singers for each song. What I really enjoy about this album is how every song is notably different, but tremendously cohesive. Nothing can be more disappointing when you listen to an album from song 1 to song 8 and feel like you heard the same thing over and over again. Another aspect of this album that struck me was how every singer really encapsulates the story Matt is trying to tell, “It’s easy to feel like you’re going out on a limb trying to explain how to sing something without being able to sing yourself. I remember saying a lot ‘don’t hear this for what it is, hear it for what it could be”. Each vocalist is strong, and you can tell Matt picked them specifically and with a purpose.
You can hear the piece he made with Rich Bischoff towards the end of the album. My personal favorite on the album is “How Long feat. Rachel Dee Minyard”. There’s something about a bluesy gritty guitar I just love. The vocals are very powerful, and you can really feel the emotions that are seeping through every aspect of this song. This album has a wide variety of emotions. Some tracks like “How Long” are harsh and deep while others like “Something’s Gotta Give” and “I Got Ya” are light and friendly which means you can listen to this at any point and feel a connection.
One aspect of this album I really admire is how it was all made in a spare bedroom in Matt’s home! The art of soundproofing can make any recording go from amateur to professional sounding in seconds. He literally put up moving blankets on every wall in a room in his own house, and recorded. It’s genius!
When I asked Matt how Sacramento has responded his recent releases lately, he had nothing but positive things to say “Northern California has been very accepting and welcoming. My songs have been played on various community radio stations in the area, and I know other opportunities are out there, it’s just a matter of discovering them. I think that Northern California is a great “preparatory” market for larger areas. I’ve been to Nashville and LA, and I can’t imagine how hard it would be to start from scratch there. I saw some of the most amazing bands in bars there, bands were paid only in tips, but the crowd is more interested in watching the game on TV. Northern California is much more welcoming. There are always places to play and people who are interested in original music.
All in all, meeting Matt Michaelis really brought a sense of validation for both of us. At the end of our exchange he told me “Thank you for ‘getting me’” and it really hit me hard emotionally. Matt explained to me how he really valued my opinion and taking the time to create a platform such as Roots, Riffs, and Rock and it literally brought tears to my eyes. He truly reminded me why I started this blog. He was the first person to contact little ol’ me to be a part of this site, and the first person to tell me how much of a positive impact I’ve made on him through this experience. He gave some great advice to anyone who is just starting out on their dreams like myself “be confident, learn to trust your voice; but also be humble… learn to take advice from the RIGHT people.” If I ever come across anyone who tries to negatively impact me, or make me feel like this blog or anything else I attempt to create is a waste of time, I will always fall back on my exchange with Matt Michaelis because at the end of the day, meeting this artist will leave a forever impact on my journey through the Sacramento music scene.
If you’d like to learn more about Matt and his story, you can find more information in on his youtube:https://www.youtube.com/user/mattbmichaelis
If you’d like to keep up with Matt’s updates on new releases and live performances, you follow him on Instagram: @mattymayde Facebook: www.facebook.com/mattmichaelismusic
*I do not own or create any of the pictures or videos in this post.