Michael McFarland submitted to our site for a review of his album. When we took a quick look at his social media and found some creative videos and great songs of course, so before doing the review we decided to interview him. Here is that interview and make sure to check out his music.
Why did you select this song as your current single?
“Sit & Wait” is the opening track from my latest EP, “A Failed Breakup”. I chose it as the first single from the record because it serves as a good introduction to my musical style (I describe it as “Rhythmic Alt-Pop”), and of course because I think people will enjoy it!
How does this single relate to the rest of the Album or EP ?
“Sit & Wait” sets the stage for the story line of the EP “A Failed Breakup”, which is a song cycle relating the tale of how my attempts to end a romantic relationship weren’t meant to be.
What was the writing process for the song?
At the point I wrote this song, I had just moved from my home town of Kent, Ohio to Asheville, North Carolina, leaving behind the woman I would eventually marry. The first and last lines of the chorus (“I’ll sit here in the corner with my heart in my hand” and “It seems as good a place as any to sit and wait”, respectively), were the starting points for this song, and the backbeat rhythm followed shortly after.
What does this song’s lyric mean to you?
The lyrics of “Sit & Wait” express my feelings of longing and loneliness of living in a new city, and wondering what the future had in store for me, not knowing whether love was something to be pursued or waited for.
What would it be like to see you in person performing this song?
The only instrument I use in live performances is my acoustic guitar. I beat on the body of the guitar to build backing rhythms, loop those beats, and perform over those loops. Don’t be fooled by the fact that I’m a solo artists with just a guitar, I make quite a ruckus!
Could your fans summarize who you are as an artist by this song?
I believe so! What you can learn about me from this song is that I’m a musician in the tradition of singer-songwriters like Paul Simon and Elton John, influenced by alternative rock bands like Our Lady Peace and Matchbox 20, with a strong rhythmic foundation and soul-baring autobiographical lyrics.
Is there a video planned and or completed and if so, what was the idea behind the video?
There is! You can find it here: http://youtu.be/_i5mfH4lkqs
The idea for the video came from the lyric “‘Til the sunlight meets my silence in the dawn as it breaks”, and the idea of what one might do while sitting and waiting. The video was shot in 4-second segments at 14-minute intervals over the course of an entire day, with the first shot (in the context of the final video) minutes after sunset, and the last shot just before sunrise.
One last question, what is the motivation behind your music?
I can trace my motivation in pursuing music to two events, separated by many years. The first happened when I was 17, at the CD release party for my high school band’s first record. A girl I didn’t know approached me, and let me know that a song that had been on our first demo had stopped her from committing suicide. Hearing that, I knew that not playing music was no longer an option.
The second event occurred just a few months back, when I saw this comment on the music video for my song “Bottle Rocket” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHai1iR1l2k): “I know this doesnt really matter, but I’m going through a hard time right now, and this is exactly what I needed. This song saved my life today. Thank you for doing this. Thank you.” It confirmed to me that I was still on the right path.
Social Media :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMcFMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/michaelmcfmusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/michaelmcfmusic
Upcoming shows:
Michael will be announcing my next tour within the next few weeks – His tour dates are always available at http://michaelmcfarlandmusic.com/tour-dates/