JEFF MICHAELS BAND: Interview with Mike Cultrera
Jeff Michaels Band is back with a new album called Luckiest By Far, which is your first full-length effort in four years. What would you say are the driving forces behind this album, in terms of any themes you explore?
The driving force behind Luckiest By Far was really an attempt to get out the songs that were sitting inside me the last few years. The moment I began working on them I realized they were thematically very personal. The other driving force was I wanted to record this album with many of my long-time band mates. I’m thrilled to say that along with my songwriting partner and genius guitarist Scott Barkan who produced this album and is responsible for pretty much every sound you hear on the recording, we were able to track my drummer Ryan Machamer on the album, along with organ and keys by my long-time friend Adam Rossi, and upright bass by Ben Reynolds.
AND, as if that weren’t enough, the track American Love Song also features a very special guest—our good friend Jerry Becker, guitarist and keyboardist and musical director for the Grammy award winning Train. We were fortunate Jerry’s touring schedule coincided with our recording dates, and he was come into the studio and lay down some parts. It was just like the old days when he was working as an indie producer and I hired him for $12/hour to record my first record with my band, except he’s a bit pricier now. Just kidding! He was happy to work for a beer and a burrito, the San Francisco equivalent of union scale. In fact, if it weren't for Ryan bringing that amazing NorCal Mexican food to the studio to inspire our creative mojo, this album might've gone in a completely different direction.
The COVID-19 health emergency was feared by those in the music industry as being a threat to the business, especially in terms of live music and concerts. However, artists certainly found ways to persevere through the pandemic and stay afloat, especially by engaging with their audience in new, innovative ways. How did you keep your creativity flowing during this period?
I spent much of Covid writing, but that marked the end of my live performance. I think without having the ability to get in front of an audience it forced me to spend more time thinking about what I’d like to do next, instead of merely prepping a new song or two for gig. Apparently my subconscious took the time to dig a bit deeper as well, as some of these songs that came out from that timeframe surprised even me.
The song titled “Luckiest By Far” from the new album sounds autobiographical, as the tale of growing up in a small town and hanging on to the simplicity and familiarity of that experience strikes me as very personal to you. How much of your life story was put into these lyrics?
Pretty much all of them (laughing). I just went for it with that one, and I knew I got it right when my son was listening to the part about him in the last verse in the backseat of the car and he had that little loving smile on face because he knew it was about him.
Another new song, “When the Knife Comes Toward You”, has got to be one of the most powerful song titles to ever come out of the Jeff Michaels Band catalog. What was the source of inspiration for this track?
Well, thank you! Yeah, that one was one of those that surprised me, but I absolutely love it. I took that one to my songwriting partner and producer, Scott Barkan, thinking he might not dig it but he jumped on it and had just the right idea for the production. I always pictured this Irish marching band (if those exist) coming over the top of hill and I think he nailed it. We also got Adam to play accordion for the track, while we ultimately ended up losing the whistle part at the end (after about two months of my failed attempts) I think this one came out really great. As for inspiration… I never want to over explain a song and ruin it for a listener’s own interpretation, which might be different from my own.
The first single “Lost in the Night,” from the new album sounds like a throwback to the highly danceable Americana-rock sound that you have perfected throughout the years. Lyrically speaking, I detect this as being a recounting of when you knew that you found true love?
Yes, it is, but it is also a more recent take on the endless searching at night that I think goes on for a lot of us… searching for what, I can’t exactly say. It’s different for everyone. For me, it was simply waking up in the middle of the night with this feeling of looking for something, and the peace is represented by the taking the hand of the one who loves you and holding on as tight as you possible can, and the sun just magically appears from the darkest of nights.
Speaking of which, you have been married to your lovely wife for almost a decade and are now the father of a 6-year-old son. Has fatherhood shaped your recent songwriting in any particular way?
Yup. See my previous response for Luckiest by Far. I most definitely have considered myself the luckiest guy in the world, and there was never a question I wasn’t going to tie that in to my writing at some point, but I wanted to make sure it was done in a way that felt authentic. While that song is autobiographical, I feel it stands along as a pretty cool Americana track… at least I hope it does!
Are there any plans for Jeff Michaels Band to play any live shows in the Boston area to support the album, and would you like to get back onto the lineup of a festival in the near future?
Working on it. See above again ha ha. Family life has definitely changed things, but that doesn’t mean performing is done. It means it just has to make sense. I’m also working on several writing projects, including several new books and a musical, and there comes a point where there is only so much time in the day to devout to creative endeavors, especially if you want them to shine, which requires hours and hours of grinding it out before they ultimately take on a new life of their own. But do I miss the bar gigs? For sure!
Ben Folds and Billy Joel have long been known to be musical influences of yours, among others. Have there been any rising artists in the past several years that have stricken your fancy and who may have inspired your more recent works?
Yes, I pretty much exclusively listen to Frank Turner at the gym. He is simply a genius, and one of the most underrated artists out there today, hitting it harder than anyone every single gig. And you know my love of female pop artists continues to grow, I’m probably responsible for half of Sabrina Carpenter’s plays the past year, ha ha. And I’ve recently found the true genus of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department. It took me sitting down and listening to the LP by the fire to truly appreciate it, and I’m glad I did.
What is it that you hope listeners will take away from the Luckiest By Far album?
I hope fans are able to feel the energy and that magic from having all the players I’ve known for many years involved on this album. I think that really made this album special, and I hope there is still a joy for this kind of music that I love to write.
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