“I started playing guitar in seventh or eighth grade. I told my parents I wanted to try playing guitar after seeing my cousin play Pearl Jam songs. My dad came home with an old Epiphone acoustic he borrowed from a friend at work and told me if I stuck with it for six months, he’d buy me a Fender electric guitar and amp. When he did, I felt like the coolest kid at school! A real Fender guitar! And not the cheap kind!
Then, the famous, secretive freshmen year story I always hinted at in the classroom (You know, the one that got me grounded for the rest of the year) happened, and my dad took the Fender guitar and amp away from me. I was basically stuck in my room to play that old Epiphone acoustic every day or do my math homework. Best thing that ever happened to me. I clocked in a lot of hours on that guitar, built up some strong callouses on my fingers.”
Any upcoming tours or big shows you’re anxious for?
“I’m planning a tour through the Midwest in January that will be announced next month. Right now, I’ve got a hometown show January 6 to start off the tour; and then, I’ll be in Chicago, Port Huron, cities in Ohio, cities in Indiana. I’m excited to get on the road and test out some of the new songs from the EP! We are getting some solid buzz about the new stuff in the Michigan area, and building more awareness in the Midwest is the goal for 2012.
My song “Made a Mess” (which features Flint based Hannah Fralick on backing vocals) is getting some interest from TV/film placements. It’s being considered by a Hollywood movie producer for a possible film placement, which would be a huge success if they confirm. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Folky, indie stuff is really marketable for film right now, and I knew I had a cool Civil Wars vibe when I wrote “Made a Mess” over the summer, right after school ended in June.”
About how much time per day do you devote to your music career? Then, compared to when you taught.
“Great question about devoting time, Ryan. First, I believe in the 10,000 hours rule that Malcom Gladwell wrote about in his book Outliers. Every high school student needs to read that book. It takes 10,000 hours of focused practice to get professionally competent at something.
During my teaching career, devoting time to music came in waves. My first three years teaching, I didn’t sleep much. I was young and stupid and inspired and unorganized. I would devote a few hours to preparing lessons or grading, and then play guitar or write songs till 1:30 AM at least two days a week.
When I was teaching creative writing in 2005, I was really inspired to write too, and that was hard to balance writing back to my students’ work and also writing on my own time. I probably was putting in a 10-15 hours of music a week when I was burning the candle at both ends. Then I’d crash and have to rest up.
Things slowed down music wise once I took over AP Lit in 2009. There was an actual month where I didn’t pick up the guitar in the winter of 2009 and then it happened again in the winter of 2010! That’s when I knew I needed to reevaluate my career.
Now I average four to six hours of practicing, writing and rehearsing a day. This doesn’t count the three hours of gigging that happens three times a week. I also have to block out time to work on music booking. I’m definitely putting in 60-70 hours a week devoted to playing music and music business now.”
I’ve listened to a lot of your music and your recent EP. The sound of your new songs has changed a lot since your first songs I’ve heard. The lyrics also seem, for lack of a better word, more mature. What influenced you to write these songs and why do you think you’ve experienced this maturity?
“I think, musically speaking, my sound has matured because I’ve been studying songwriting more. Not just learning cover songs for fun, but actually studying the craft and form. Plus, working with Dan Achen (producer of City and Colour, Feist, Mickey Ramone) really was like an internship in crafting music for other instruments, not only solo guitar.
Plus, I’ve learned to trust others in sharing their talent: the new EP has amazing players on it: Kirk Starkey (cello) played with Peter Gabriel and Josh Grobin. David Mosher (fiddle, mando) has played with countless Michigan acts over 20 years.
Lyrically, reading a lot and evaluating my own life roads has helped me grow beyond the typical ‘white guy strumming guitar and singing about girls’ stuff. I’m mean, I’m still singing narratives about love, but the secondary themes are more nuanced: departures, transition, relationships, guilt, respect.”
I know you had a good time teaching, even though it could be stressful at times. However, do you ever regret walking away from teaching? Or is the advantage of focusing purely on your musical career worth it?
“I do miss the Holly teaching staff and the experience of working with students (especially those Romeo and Juliet units) but I don’t regretting leaving. This is a blessing to have the time, opportunity and support from my fiance to try to make a go at music. I’m still teaching through guitar lessons and I’m still doing songwriting conferences. I’ve still got a teaching happening in my life, but a manageable amount.”
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