From fingerstyle folk confessionals to rowdy singalong jams, London, ON based folk-rocker John Muirhead will warm your heart, then break it too. With spirit and storytelling at the heart of his music, John would fit snugly between Dallas Green and Leonard Cohen at a late night Canadian campfire. John’s dynamic performances have taken him across Canada, sharing songs and leading singalongs in living rooms, theaters, trains, and folk festival stages.
In this interview spotlight, I speak with John about his latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create?
Hi, I’m John Muirhead, currently based out of London, ON, Canada. I call my music “introspective indie-folk” or simply “singer-songwriter”. I strive to write the best songs I can regardless of genre, but with this project being primarily acoustic guitar driven, the songs fit snugly in the folk genre.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Inspired by hours of rocking out to Guitar Hero in my basement, I started taking guitar lessons when I was 12. I immediately fell head over heels with playing, and shortly after I started writing songs. The rest is history!
What motivates me to keep going is how much satisfaction I get from the little things. The feeling I get when I’m putting the finishing touches on a song, getting the audience to clap along, or driving for hours to play a show in a new city cannot be beat. With every little success in my music career, I can’t help but feel that I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
“Foundational” is different because it was the first project where I had ample time to experiment and take risks in the studio. We recorded 4 songs from the EP in a small studio at Western University. Producer Alex Lam and I fed off of each other’s energy and were able to come up with some really cool arrangements that transformed the songs. (My favourite arrangement we did this is on “Ambition”).
With this project I was trying to document the wide range of musical styles and inspiration that I take in my songwriting. There’s a fingerpicked love song with strings, a full-blown folk rock jam, and everything in between. I wanted this to be a sampler of what I’m capable of doing.
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)?
It’s definitely a challenge in today’s digital music age to try to set yourself apart from the 10000000 other people who are working towards the same goal. Social media has opened my eyes to just how many people are out there making great music and working hard to get it heard.
On the other hand, seeing how many other people are giving it their all in the music industry is so inspiring. Seeing others succeed inspires me to continue to work hard and make it happen for myself. I’ve also met really cool musicians and have found opportunities online that would have been impossible without today’s technology.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
The best way is to sign up for my mailing list here: https://johnpmuirhead.com/home
and by giving me a like/follow on:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify!
Anything else before we sign off?
I just finished recording a new project that I’m unbelievably excited to release. Follow my socials to be one of the first to hear it!
