Published: January 26, 2008 2:58 PM EST
By: Isaac Joseph Davis Junior (Juniorscave.com)
Acoustic/ Pop
A man of many skills, Miché captivates his listeners with his mastery of the guitar. But his mastery of the guitar is not his only forte; Miché is an amazing singer with skills that equally match that of his guitar playing. The bottom line is that Miché knows how to entertain; and he does it well.
One of the magical parts about Miché’s performances is that he fuses elements of flamenco, jazz, classical, pop and soul into a style all his own. But, if you don’t believe me, check out his EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on Sonicbids.com (Music Resources/Submission Giant) for yourself. It is our pleasure to introduce to you this funky fun spotlight of the highly energetic performer, Miché.
Isaac-Joseph: Hello Miché, how are you doing today? I am thankful for this interview with you my new friend.
Miché: I’m doing great and I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to yak to someone other than myself.
Isaac-Joseph: You are amazing with the guitar. Elaborate on your beginnings with the guitar:
Miché: I started out as a drummer. My younger brother was the first musician in the family and I played his drums. When we’d go for walks with my grandmother, we would always pass this pawn shop that had a guitar and amplifier in the window. We thought it was cool, and eventually my grandmother bought it – for my brother. So, then my interest shifted to the guitar. My grandmother wasn’t happy that I was now playing both of my brother’s instruments. Can you tell who she liked better? Anyway, to make a long story short, I developed my guitar/drumming technique as a way of getting even with my grandmother.
Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now as an entertainer?
Miché: One of the things that have been awkward for me through the years is that my taste in music is all over the place. I like a lot of things. I do a lot of things. But, it’s difficult to find situations where you’re allowed to do it all. In the jazz realm, it’s almost as though you’re not permitted to do folk-style music. In a folk context, you’re shunned for singing “Misty.” But as an entertainer, the context shifts and the focus becomes more about whom you are rather than what you’re doing. It’s very freeing. So, I’m claiming that aspect of myself – the entertainer who plays music.
Isaac-Joseph: What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged you the most?
Miché: What I find most discouraging is the fact that in the music business, when you’ve been doing something long enough to finally figure out what you’re doing, you’re considered too old to do it. As an old black guy who looks like a wombat, I find that discouraging. People like their stars to be young and pretty, and I am neither. Dang.
Isaac-Joseph: You have some new releases. Expound on your new project and what can we expect from them.
Miché: Café Vignettes is my latest acoustic project. It’s my second solo CD. I recorded it at home and I really wanted it to capture my essence as a person and as a performer, so this project is a mixture of guitar and monologues. I talk about traveling around the country playing at various cafés. I thought it would be fun to give some context to who was actually playing the music – “What about that guy? Who is this Miche anyway?”
Isaac-Joseph: What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording (recently moving to Maryland)?
Miché: The most challenging place in which I recorded was certainly the Memorial Chapel at Union College in Schenectady, NY, where I did “The Chapel Session.” I have plenty of experience with recordings. I’ve even produced a number of other acts years ago. But, what made the Chapel Session so challenging was its simplicity. It was an audiophile recording - basically, live, no overdubs – just 2 microphones and the pressure to deliver a performance worthy of the process. I was very nervous and very cold (there wasn’t much heat in the room), and I had to time each song to begin and end before the chimes in the bell tower rang. There were three 8-hour sessions recorded out of which I was only able to use 36 minutes. This was a humbling experience.
Isaac-Joseph: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
Miché: I’m born and raised in Philadelphia but my musical awakening didn’t really begin until I ended up in Upstate NY. That was when I began to do my own material and to discover myself as an artist. During those years, I explored progressive pop with two different bands playing the club scene. I then moved into acoustic music and the café scene where I’ve spent the last bunch of years, including a couple of tours of the US and Canada. When I followed my wife to the DC area two years ago, I knew that it was pretty much a jazz town, and since I was always a difficult artist to categorize, it dawned on me that maybe I should go ahead and embrace the jazz part of myself as a way of having a particular audience to target in this area. So, I began singing jazz, hoping that it would allow the opportunity to get people curious about the other aspects of my music, which has in fact happened. The challenge now is to consolidate all the fans from all over who are interested in the various parts of what I do.
Isaac-Joseph: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
Miché: The last song I wrote was actually a year ago - a Christmas song. I wrote it with my wife who provided the lyrics. For a number of years, we were moving around a lot and people were always hearing the music for the first time, so there wasn’t the incentive to create new music. Now that the motivation has returned, I’ve been thinking that music may not be the best or only medium through which to express myself. I’m playing around with a screenplay about an unassuming but exceptionally talented black guy who’s competing against big personalities, big breasts, big budgets, and big attitudes. He’s quite aware that he’s never going to experience conventional fame. This brother knows he doesn’t stand a chance but just keeps going because … well, he doesn’t really know why. That’s what he’s trying to find out.
Isaac-Joseph: As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?
Miché: That’s an interesting subject for me. You’re talking to a guy who has thousands of record albums (currently for sale). I quit listening to music in the late ‘80s in an attempt to discover who I was. This was courtesy of a trip to Europe. I was really into esoteric, non-mainstream music and went through a phase where anything non-American was hip. I was a buyer of imports at a record store and got to listen to it all. Then I went to Europe where I discovered that they thought everything non-European was hip. I realized that it was time to let go of my heroes and to figure out who I was so that wherever I was or wherever I went, I’d still be me. So, I quit listening to music. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that to others. Anyway, after all this time, I’m enjoying rediscovering music. I love the MySpace thing – not only do you get to hear new music, but to meet and talk to the people who make it. I’m still new to this, but am finding it very exciting.
Isaac-Joseph: Lately, what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)
Miché: For listening, I certainly like the old stuff. I love listening to the crooners from the 40s to the 60s. I guess I still don’t listen to too much music, but there are some artists I always enjoy … Steel Pulse, Gino Vannelli, Sinatra, and Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Isaac-Joseph: Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?
Miché: Gino Vanelli’s “Brother to Brother” album. I also love Stan Freberg’s “Greatest Hits.” I also recorded a couple of tracks with this rap ukulele player named Jonathan Braman who I think people should check out.
Isaac-Joseph: What is your favorite song of yours that you enjoy performing on stage?
Miché: “Now That You’ve Got Your Girl” - It’s the one song that has the folk thing meshed with The Four Tops, and I love the Four Tops.
Isaac-Joseph: This is what we call our Shout Out time. Elaborate on any and everyone that matters the most to you:
Miché: Shout Out to my family – we’ve been making some serious changes in our lives – my wife left her job so that we could focus on my career. One thing I’ve learned over the years is how easy it is to be rhetorically ambitious. We all want the prize. We all want the goods. But when it comes down to it, most of us decide that it’s either not worth it or asking too much. My family’s answer to this is that we’re selling everything we own in an attempt to accomplish more than I’ve ever done in the past – freeing ourselves to go anywhere and to do whatever we need to do. At worst, we’ll be poor-er. So, I’ve got my family. And I’ve got hope. And somewhere, sometime, something is gonna make some sense.
