Jeff Michaels on Resilience, Reinvention, and the Power of Storytelling in Music

Jeff Michaels Promo Photo — Photo credit Ben Exter

From high-profile TV placements to a heartfelt tribute that earned recognition from the Massachusetts governor, Jeff Michaels has built a decades-long career in the arts as a musician and author that have earned him attention from NPR, The Chicago Tribune, and more. Each and every song he releases is part of a tapestry of meaningful experiences, and in this interview, he reflects on those moments, his comeback to music, how he secured licensing deals on top networks like MTV and major movies, and the evolving indie music landscape.

Congrats on your new single, “Lost in the Night”! This song marks a comeback of sorts to music. Tell me a little about that.

Thank you, and yes, I took some time off after the Covid 19 pandemic forced the venue where I had been playing a 5-year residency in Boston, MA to close. It eventually reopened, but I decided to get back into recording instead of performing live, and I ended up applying for a grant from the state of Massachusetts for artists affected by the pandemic, and won, which enabled me to focus on a new album.

That being said, you’ve had a lot of success as an indie musician. Your music has been featured on shows like The Real World and Teen Mom. How did those placements come about, and what impact have they had on your career?

Yes, we’ve had a fair share of placements, some I just find out about when I open my ASCAP statement, but those two in particular we worked with an agency and knew when they were being aired, so we got to watch as the episode premiered and listen for the moment when the song came on—very exciting! As far as impact, they were nice royalty checks, but the music placement business is incredibly complex, and one placement doesn’t necessarily lead to the next, so it’s something we continually have to pitch over and over again.

Your song Boston Strong captured the city’s resilience after the marathon bombing and even earned you a personal thank-you from Governor Duval Patrick. What did that recognition mean to you?

That was a great letter to receive in the mail. It was such a tragic time for my hometown of Boston, MA and a friend of mine had suggested writing a song. This was before many of the other cities in the country unfortunately had horrific events and adopted the “strong” title—not that we wanted to be the first, but it felt very impactful to be able to say how strong we were in the face of fear. I was down at the Boston Marathon finish line the following year and the energy and resilience of the runners was just incredible. I was happy to contribute in some small way to the healing of our city.

I love that you also explore creativities outside of music, like with your book Please Hug Me – I’ve Been Delayed, which humor with real-life experiences. This one even earned you an NPR interview! How does your approach to storytelling in writing differ from your approach to songwriting?

Ah, that’s a great question! For years I’ve thought the two separate, but lately I’ve come to realize songs—good ones, and ones I aspired to write—are simply three-minute stories. You need a beginning, a good hook, and an ending… with enough subplots or things happening to keep listeners engaged from start to finish. For me, both songs and books are incredibly easy to start, but difficult to finish for those reasons. I’m listening to our new album, Luckiest By Far, as I’m writing this and the track American Love Song is a good example of this. I spent nearly a year on the lyrics for this album along with my songwriting partner and producer, Scott Barkan. We wanted each song to tell a story, and he often caught me getting stuck in that “murky middle,” forcing me to rewrite a bridge or verse to make sure each song told its story. Both song and books take that approach in making sure all the parts work together to make a cohesive reading or listening experience for your audience.

Many of your songs tackle social and political issues, often with a touch of humor. How do you strike the balance between making a statement and keeping your music engaging?

I spent a lot of time working on songs that I felt told a story that needed to be told, but never preaching for preaching sake. For instance, with our song Same F’ing Sun from our album Townie Paradise, I created a music video to accompany the song, with the intent of highlighting the insane notion that a bakery would deny a gay person a cake, simply because they were gay. The song didn’t say that specifically, but instead I focused on the truth… in that we all live under the same f’ing sun, and there is no need for us to consider anyone different, or treat anyone differently. I likened that moment to the holocaust in the second verse, and for whatever reason, we insist on continuing to do this, perhaps even more today than just a few years ago. It’s so sad to me, and that song, among others, are attempts at just shining a light on the possibility that maybe, just maybe, there is a better, and correct way to live rather than to treat people as different.

Do you have any advice for artists hoping to do the same?

Think about your audience, and think about the story of your song. There are a TON of incredible protests songs now cropping up daily on Tiktok and the like, and the ones that get traction are those that say something without coming out and saying it. Listen to Bob Dylan, the master. He just says the times are a changin’, and it’s a fact. Get on board, but don’t pretend we can keep doing what we’ve always done and humans are all going to be okay. Protest the insanity, and do it really, really cleverly and people will listen… some might even have a change of heart. At least that’s my hope.

As someone deeply involved in the independent music scene, what are some of the biggest challenges indie artists face today, and what advice would you give them?

I’m not sure where the next wave of major artists are going to come from. As soon as one platform has a few success stories, things change. It was YouTube ten years ago, now it’s Tiktok, tomorrow… who knows? But the one thing that I don’t see many artists doing these days is working on their craft with each release, and thinking about the long term. The industry right now is set up for immediate success. Spotify, for all it’s greatness in showcasing new talent around the world, is simply awful for indie musicians. We have to pay exorbitant fees to even get heard, none of which is ever earned back when a single play gets you less than .003 cents per stream. You can have a million streams, which will cost you upwards of tens of thousands to promote, and receive only a fraction of that back. So I’d say use these tools while they’re here, but don’t forget about the long term game: a good song will never remain on a shelf. Write and record GOOD songs, and make sure to spend the time and money recording them to the best of your ability. Then go ahead and release them, and they will hopefully take on a life of their own and serve you and your fans for years to come.

And play live!!! Good Lord, we need more live music these days!

What’s next for you? Are you working on new music or another book?

Both! And more! I can’t keep up with the writing projects I have right now, but am focusing on those projects that make the most sense.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Hoping with the release of our new album, Luckiest By Far, we’ll be returning to playing live soon. Best way to stay in touch with Jeff Michaels Band is to visit jeffmichaelsband.com and join our mailing list. Thank you so much!

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(Photo credit Ben Exter)

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