After receiving 5 star reviews around the world with the ground breaking “Revisited”, Andy Michaels returns with a vengeance to deliver another powerful, deep, and melodic album Incendiary Heart. The 14 track adult contemporary/pop album features thought-provoking lyricism with a musically nostalgic feel of the 70s and 80s. Moreover, the arrangements
of the tracks deliver a contemporary modern style of country, rock and pop. Andy Michaels enlisted Tiarna Madison, Kerry Ironside, Carolyn Thomas, and Sharon Court as collaborators for this uplifting album.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Andy about his latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Hey, great to be here ! I’m Andy Michaels, from Perth, Western Australia, also known as the land Down under !. I am Adult Contemporary singer/songwriter along the lines of Cat Stevens(So I have been compared to) but with a bit of David Bowie/Pink Floyd influence.(Again so I have been told )
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I suffered a catastrophic car crash as a teen and It was during my extensive recovery that I picked up a guitar and it helped me through an awful and difficult time. Now Its just a constant burning inside to make music. I have old bandmates I played with that just hung up their guitars after 10 years or so and never looked back , and I’m thinking, “How could you just walk away from something so Soul fulfilling and Impactful ?” Passion for anything should never die and for me has just made me stronger
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
I still had a lot of songs I had started that didn’t make it onto my previous Album “Revisited. I was virtually back in the Studio the month after “Revisited” was released but it still took nearly 15 months for “Incendiary Heart” to be completed. I guess Music’s a bit like a jigsaw puzzle or good book. Its not complete until all the pieces have been put together or last page has been read.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Being Indie and Independent and trying to get heard and accepted in a digital world controlled by music conglomerates is never an easy gig ! But the flipside is with the touch of the send button or email, I can get my songs instantaneously heard anywhere in the world. That just couldn’t happen even 10 years ago
What was the last song you listened to?
Little Birdy’s “Beautiful to me Me”
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl for nostalgia and Cds for the visual impact. I get the convenience of MP3s, I just haven’t quite crossed that bridge yet !
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I guess Spotify, they have been good to me and although its probably all digitally generated, they see to be the most encouraging and helpful with suggestions and tips etc
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
My website is a good place to start and hang around and know a little more about me. www.andymichaelsmusic.com
I also picked up a lot of fans on Reverbnation, https://www.reverbnation.com/andymichaels
Anything else before we sign off?
We are all equal on this life’s journey. Dr Brian Weiss said it best when he said “We have developed the notion that science can cure all our ills and problems. But this makes us unbalanced because we have neglected intuitive wisdom, creativity and inspiration. Most of all we have neglected the HEART”. I am humbled that music makes that connection for me.
