We sat down with Michael McCleary of Surfer Blood for a Q&A session to learn more about what inspires his popular music.
🎤 When was the first time music gave you chills?
MM: The first time playing my dad’s 1970’s Alvarez acoustic guitar. I grew up going camping with my dad and he would sit around the campfire with us and play. It was always a mixture of his originals and if he did play a cover it was generally Segar or Marshall Tucker, but he enjoyed playing his own original songs more.
🎤 Did your dad’s preference to play original songs rather than covers have an impact on your music?
MM: Yes, he had a log wood jam room that was set up in his garage. I would go over there every weekend and hang out with my dad and his drummer, who’s nickname was "cookie monster”. He was a lefty drummer, which forced me to learn on a left handed setup. It was a pain in the butt at the time but looking back now, it forced me to work my left hand a lot earlier which made a big difference down the road. Having access to those instruments early on gave me a place to experiment with sound. I felt comfortable enough to mess up and figure out how to fix it. It was fun.
🎤 Who are your top 5 favorite artists to follow online?
MM:
Yo La Tengo - @TheRealYLT
Guided By Voices - @GuidedByVoicesOfficial
Deerhoof - @Deerhoof
Neil Young - @NeilYoungArchives
Spoon - @spoontheband
🎤 Do you have any pre-show rituals and if so, what are they?
MM: Depends on what band but yes. In Surfer Blood, we huddle up and kind of put our hands in…wait a second this is a secret…I can’t say much more (breaks into a restrained hysterical laughter)… and we are still in the process of trademarking it.
🎤 What is your dream place or venue to perform at?
MM: Red Rocks Amphitheater (@redrocksco) and Madison Square Garden (@TheGarden)
🎤 If you had to introduce someone to your music using only one song, which song would you choose?
MM: Grand Inquisitor. If you can handle the spontaneous nature of that song in particular, you can pretty much hang with the rest of our catalog. It can be erratic, spontaneous and unsettling at times, which makes it fun for us and hopefully for the listener too. I can’t really speak to the lyrics, that’s JP’s (lead singer) thing. It also has one kick ass music video to it as well. It’s kind of our masterpiece.