Having traded in his life in Michigan for Nashville, Mike Mains, of indie-rockers Mike Mains and the Branches is ready for the next chapter in his musical autobiography. That chapter is titled Memory Unfixed and will be available 15 September via Tooth and Nail Records (available here). Ahead of the new record, Mike chatted with TGEFM about the new record, the future of music and not getting bogged down in the regrets and comparisons.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Congrats on the upcoming September release of Memory Unfixed. What should TGEFM readers know about you and this newest record?
This album was written in what felt like journal entries about the joy and pain of daily life while also reflecting a lot on my teenage years and the difficulties of growing up. It is my most cohesive body of work yet.
You referred to this record as “a collection of musical snapshots from 2019-2021”. What benefits and/or challenges did you face writing during such a transient world culture? What effect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
The way certain groups of people responded to Covid as well as the murder of George Floyd lit a fire inside of me. My aunt died from Covid because some person in the small farm town she lived in didn’t protect themselves because they didn’t think “it was real.” Well, she’s dead now. The murder of George Floyd & the conservative Christian’s response that was both appalling and disheartening. I know as soon as that happened I wanted to confront the systemic racism that is so a part of our society, and also undeniably still alive and well within church pews. That anger can be found in the song Losing My Head & Better Than it Ever Was.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
The Album The Suburbs By Arcade Fire. I was isolated a lot during the writing of this album and that record was a way for me to self soothe & I drew a lot of inspiration from the cinematic quality of that album’s lyrics and the story it tells about growing up in suburban america.
You’ve shared the stage with some massive acts like Emery, Mae, and The Rocket Summer. What advice can you share with up and comers who are starting to get themselves onto these bigger shows with bigger artists? What are the do’s and don’ts in that position?
We all put our pants on the same way. Don’t place yourself above or beneath anyone. We are all just doing our best on most days. You are worthy of the space you take up. Above all, be kind.
We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
I don’t have any regrets anymore. I am in recovery and part of that process has been no longer regretting my past or wishing to shut the door on it. I think accepting that there are things I could have done better, grieving the death of missed opportunities and ultimately using all of the good and bad in my history as fertilizer for building a beautiful life is what I am chasing now.
What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing?
Writing music for my band is about articulating whatever experience I am having in a way that feels great to sing and hopefully down the road connect with others in a live setting. We played a show in Denver recently and played our new singles live and folks were singing every single word and that meant the world to me. It’s exhilarating to experience people connecting with your music.
How did this recording compare to the experiences you had with your previous releases?
It was way more of a collage then past albums. I’d start a song, record acoustic and vocals and have some basic drum loops and guitar parts, then send it to our friend Jesse Proctor who has played on our last two albums and he recorded them remotely from Seattle. Our bass player Josh was living in Hawaii at the time as a newly wed during Covid, and he tracked bass for the album from there. All the guitars and vocals were done the same. It was very cobbled together but I’m proud of how cohesive it sounds considering the wild way we assembled it. We did have 1-2 days of studio sessions for “Talk To Me,” “Better Than It Ever Was” & “When The Lights Go Out.” Those songs were recorded almost entirely live in my friend Scott’s studio.
Nobody can deny the world has been changing drastically over the last few years. Where do you see the future of music, both for you personally and also for the industry at large transitioning in light of these events?
I think success lies in the combined efforts of a team. A label, Manager, Artist, Agent etc all coming together who are fully aligned and really believe in a project is what it has always and will always take to break an artist. Labels in particular who are not willing to invest in their artists don’t seem to be thriving and holding onto those artist relationships, while the ones that do maintain a long lasting loyalty which is really rewarding financially for both parties. I think it’s a really beautiful thing to have a team all together and fully aligned and willing to do what it takes to break an artist. Most artists don’t have a lot of money and most labels don’t want to spend the money. So when labels do it show’s they really believe in the artist. I think that combined with social media strategy will be a staple moving forward for the foreseeable future. I say that as someone who is really private and struggles to post on social media because I don’t really want to share every detail about my life haha.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Medium Build, The National, Michigander, Men I Trust, Pinegrove.
Beyond the release of “Memory Unfixed”, what’s next for Mike Mains and the Branches?
I am always writing, producing for myself and other artists. Besides music I look forward to taking some time to hike northern Michigan with my wife this fall and winter. 🙂
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
I think that covers everything:) Thank you so much for the interview! I appreciate your time!
Cheers!
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
